Pragmatic optimism: Pantheon Board member Elissa Fink as a woman in tech

Pantheon board member Elissa Fink has had quite a career. For 30+ years, she’s helped companies create, scale, and improve their marketing strategies and operations through data analysis and pragmatic optimism.?

What does it mean to be pragmatically optimistic? She says, “It’s being positive but realistic, identifying a problem but focusing on opportunities. You look at data, take educated action, make mistakes, learn, and try again. That leads to success and I’ve tried to make it my approach to life and my career.”

Where did Elissa get her tenacity? Growing up as the only girl with five brothers, she embraced the rough-and-tumble side of life from the start. She looked up to her mother, who was the primary caregiver and helped Elissa’s father with the family business. And she has to admit that her brothers are full of wisdom — because she referenced them quite a few times during her keynote at Pantheon’s Women’s Month celebration event.??

We were honored to follow up on her keynote with an interview to share her career journey, lessons, and tips.?

Thank you for your presentation today, Elissa. Let’s start by talking about your career history and how it got you where you are today.?

My first job was as a strawberry pie girl at Marie Calendars, and shortly after, I was promoted to waitress. Starting with these jobs is important because they set the foundation for my work ethic — I love dynamic, on-your-toes, customer-centric environments. As a waitress, you make mistakes, things can literally get messy, and yet you learn and grow. It’s what, excuse the pun, set my appetite for the fast-paced world of tech.?

After college, I worked in sales at the Wall Street Journal and fell in love with market research. This led me to a 10-year career at a tech company called Claritas, starting in customer success and leading into marketing and product management positions. After more roles in product marketing leadership, I found myself as the CMO of a pre-IPO Tableau. And I say ‘I found myself’ because, as a leader, it’s always been important to me that I check my ego at the door and ensure I’m doing my job, which is to enable my coworkers to be the best they can be in their fields and unblock obstacles. In 2019, I retired and now serve on Pantheon’s board. I’m proud of our teams' work to help build the world’s best WebOps (Website Operations) Platform.?

Starting in sales, moving into customer success, and then into marketing, what advice do you have for other people when it comes to a nonlinear career path??

Three main components have helped guide me and kept me moving forward on my path.?

1. I pursued my interests
2. I tried to work hard and work smart
3. I always wanted to be learning

It was my first job that helped me discover that I loved marketing, I loved tech and I loved data. So my advice is to understand your interests and follow them, trusting that if you work hard and smart, you’ll find yourself where you’re meant to be.?

Going from the Wall Street Journal to Claritas was a step back in a lot of ways, particularly in compensation. When it comes to compensation, especially as a woman, you should know all the payoffs of the jobs you’re considering. So when you’re wondering about jobs with different financial profiles, I suggest separating the different elements of compensation (for example, opportunities for meaning, how you use your time, the learning opportunities, the people you work with, what you’re doing for the world, etc.) vs the money. What would you do regardless if both jobs both paid the same? I’m not saying you ignore money. Let’s face it, money does make a difference. But at least know the intangible benefits of your job opportunities because they too are critical parts of your compensation package. Then make the right decision for you. Know the value you bring to your organization and know the value of what the organization brings to you.?

As one of my brothers told me early in my career, “There's always room for the best. If you’re willing to work hard and work smart – taking advice and seeking to always improve – your odds of success are better than most people’s.”?

Those are 3 incredible tips. During your keynote, you provided 5 additional recommendations for success. Can you share them with us?

I would love to:?

1. Don't torture yourself with “shoulds”: When you’re telling yourself, “I should want that,” or “I should do that,” or other “shoulds” like those, it’s a signal to ask yourself, do I really want that? Understand where you are happiest and your priorities, and be at peace with the sacrifices that come with your choices.?
2. Make mistakes, learn, and move on: Those who make a lot of mistakes, but learn from them, are the ones that see the most success. The key is to put problems into perspective and to not let ego or fear make them bigger than they are, which gets in the way of learning and growing.?
3. Commit to lifelong learning: The world, especially the tech world, is changing so fast. Even as a leader, I’ve found it critical to be open to new ideas and people at all levels — those with more and less experience than me. Diversity of perspectives is what drives better decisions and innovation.?
4. Identify and help solve problems: There are a lot of people that can see the problem. But what makes great people stand out is their ability to generate ideas and find solutions in the face of problems. As a leader, I value when team members identify issues early, communicate them immediately, and provide options. This approach helps you move up in your career.
5. Stay pragmatically optimistic: Another wise brother once told me that he noticed the most successful people he works with are optimistic. They look for the opportunity in a situation. And I see that at Pantheon in the management team. Pantheon’s leaders see the market gaps and the hardships of the larger economy, and they see how we will solve global WebOps challenges together. They value that Pantheon is a great company — with great people and a great mission, and they see the possibilities.?

This is terrific advice, and during Women’s Month, one of the main questions Pantheon women asked about was prioritization. Your life philosophy seems very balanced between hard work and self-care. What is your best advice for finding the balance?

I don’t think I’ve been a great example of balance. Frankly, I was more likely a great example of what not to do. I’m okay with that, especially, if people I’ve encountered have learned from my less-than-stellar example. But nonetheless, you do find ways to define your own definition of balance between hard work and self-care. My advice is to be constantly thinking about what work/life balance means to you personally.?

When I first joined Tableau, we were moving to Seattle. We had just adopted our first child. I was the primary breadwinner at a small startup. We looked at apartments in our price range and instead of moving to a place with a larger, more accommodating space for our newly expanded family, we ended up choosing a smaller place closer to work. We sacrificed space and comfort, but what was more valuable to us was the time I could be home by not commuting.?

Throughout my career, I’ve made a ton of mistakes and experienced some tough situations. But, I’ve also had incredible moments of joy and fulfillment. In both situations, I remind myself “This too shall pass.” In the bad or hard moments, I remember that I can get through them, that people have gotten through worse (thank goodness I’m not a celebrity with an over-anxious desire to post), and that tomorrow is coming and time moves on. So, in those hard times, I acknowledge the difficulty and try not to dwell – I focus, look at the data, and keep moving forward.

But in the good moments, it’s essential to take the time to pause and appreciate what you have, especially if you’ve been privileged. I’m lucky to have a strong group of friends since…well let’s just say a really long time. We travel together and text regularly. I’ve also been lucky to have a strong community of peers and mentors. I’ve always valued and celebrated my network. Since retiring, I’ve had some time to reflect on my work. I’m very proud of the past. But I’ve realized I could have taken even more time to celebrate progress. Having learned that, I now make sure to!

The TLDR: No one is perfect; everyone makes mistakes, mistakes teach us lessons, and as long as you are learning and growing, working hard and smart, and being kind and optimistic, you will find your balance.?

To close our keynote, you shared a non-profit close to your heart, Operation Fistula. Pantheon was privileged to make our Women’s Month donation to it. Can you share a little more about it??

I am on the board for Operation Fistula, which helps women in Africa with a common and easily cured childbirth injury. If not solved, it can devastate a woman’s life. Our mission is to educate and enable women, local surgeons, and nurse practitioners to understand this injury. Donations cover the end-to-end cost of finding patients and helping prepare them for the operation and recuperation. In addition, we leverage data and technology to more easily identify and help more women so they can live full, healthy lives.

Please join us in thanking Elissa for sharing her wisdom by considering a donation to Operation Fistula today.?