Tech Needs a Conscience

IT democratization ensures that everyone has access to technology. Ultimately, it should improve people’s lives and help create a world in which people thrive. However, there is room for improvement. According to Linda Calvin, award winning tech executive and enthusiast, believes that much more can and should be done to ensure underserved and underrepresented people have the same opportunities to leverage and benefit from technology. In my latest installment of my article series titled, “How Smart Leaders Lead their Organizations During Uncertain Times,” find out why Linda is so passionate about tech equity, why tech needs a conscious, and what she is doing to level the playing field to ensure people from different races and backgrounds have real opportunities to start and thrive in a career in tech.

What is the biggest factor in your success as a leader??

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is by far the biggest factor in my success because it has helped me to become aware of how my emotions, personality and behavior affects others. Over the years I've participated in Myers-Briggs, Strengths Finder, and DiSC. assessments. I enjoy participating in these activities because these tools help me understand my personality and strengths which has made me a much better communicator and leader. EQ has helped me adapt my personality when the situation warrants. For example, as an extrovert, I am more mindful and thoughtful when communicating with others, especially people who work in the tech space who may be more introverted.

What is tech equity and why are you so passionate about it?

Tech equity is about people, and it speaks to how we look at tech holistically-- not only from a hiring and human capital standpoint, but also in how we use tech, how we wield tech, and how we design tech. There was an article published on LinkedIn late last year about how we really haven't moved the peg forward very well when it comes to having more people of color in tech.?Although we're starting to see some gains for women, we are still woefully behind. We need to level the playing field where everyone has an opportunity to excel in tech. Tech is ubiquitous across all sectors and it will continue to evolve and grow. I don't subscribe to the theory that we're going to be walking the streets with robots, but what we will see is the continuation of the evolution of tech. So much so that everything will be fueled by tech.

But as tech innovates and evolves, we continue to see the gap in the adoption of tech, and we see how it displaces others. Tech hasn't had a conscience to say: What does innovation mean for the displacement of workers? Who can we engage in our community to grow knowledge in this space by working with underrepresented people and underserved people and bring them along in this space??How do we increase the number of women, people of color, and those with disabilities into the tech space? It’s not just about hiring diverse people; it’s about creating cultures within our organizations that are welcoming to diverse people.

Tech equity also means that everyone should have an opportunity to advance in their career. If a company hires people, those people should have an opportunity to become directors, VPs, or senior leaders. Additionally, we need to consider creating educational spaces for young people and those in our challenged communities to learn and grow in tech. There are some people who have never used a mouse before high school. If we're just focused on high school kids, it's too late. We need to make sure that there's equity across, so that kids from K- 12 are learning and adopting the tech. So, by the time they get to high school, they have developed a foundational knowledge of tech.

What do you see as the biggest challenge when it comes to students entering a career in IT?

Students need mentors, and not just when a student graduates from college. They should have mentors before they graduate. There is an opportunity for tech professionals to engage more with students through mentorship. ?Colleges, especially community colleges, should partner with tech companies/ organizations and create year-long mentorship programs. Mentors and mentees can meet each month, giving mentees an opportunity to ask questions, learn how to handle the remote environment, and learn more about what it takes to be a professional in tech.?This will prepare these students for what to expect when they do enter corporate America.?This will set them up for success because they will feel more comfortable and get better acclimated to the company and fight off imposter syndrome.

I think the other thing is we need to do is ensure that students have the actual skills to get the tech job. And that means that employers need to partner with colleges to identify the skills they need and then provide opportunities such as micro internships, apprenticeships, and internships. Those types of opportunities give students real workforce skills.

What are the top three skills students need to thrive in IT?

The top three skills are: 1) critical thinking because students must learn how to approach and unpack problems. 2) emotional intelligence because students need to understand how to engage with their teams and leaders and 3) resilience to fight through adversity when something does not go as expected.?

What does your next level of success look like in IT?

It goes back to tech equity. I was new to higher ed when I came into IT and I found the space that I love and the mission that fuels me. I strongly believe that tech needs a conscience. We need to talk with people in a meaningful way about tech. I call that mapping the passion to tech. Equity involves how you pitch tech to communities, how you form your relationships with community leaders, with schools, with people in those communities, bringing tech to life to make it exciting, to make people excited about it. I also want to be in a position where I can give tech a conscience to say, Hey, you guys, so you're testing this product, look at your team. It's all it's homogenous. Did you involve this person? How about if you reach out to this community? So that requires a tech leader to have very, very strong and deep ties to community.

I’d like to land in a role or design a role to where I can have a positive impact for change in communities with tech, but also for an organization in hiring and representation. When you see us, you can be us. And so, success for me is continuing to be visible. If you have success in tech and you're a Latina woman, you're a black woman, you're an indigenous person, you're a man of color, you're a woman, your LGBTQIA, other aspiring tech professionals need to see you because they can look up and say, Hey, they can do it, so can I! I am inspired by that.

What's one piece of advice that you can give to people trying to lead their teams during uncertain times?

Be available to your teams. ?Set up time to meet with your team.?All you need is 30 mins to talk about anything. It could be about how you saw great coffee making video this morning or whatever you’d like. The point is to engage and connect with your team. Many times, I’ve noticed innovation occurs when we have these sessions. I think that's what's important now more than ever because people need to feel connected to a purpose and a mission.

As tech continues to innovate and evolve, we need to ensure everyone has access to it. Linda passionately believes that if tech has a conscious, there would be more engagement and inclusion with underrepresented communities and underserved people. As Linda mentioned, one of the best ways to do this is through tech equity and ensuring everyone has an opportunity to thrive in a career in tech. Mentorship programs are an extremely effective way to educate aspiring tech professionals for a career in tech.?One thing is for sure, it will take a village to do this, and as long as Linda continues to bring awareness and ideas to the table, tech equity is attainable and there will be countless opportunities for everyone.

Eric Williamson is a keynote speaker, consultant and author of the book?How to Work with Jerks.?Order your copy today on Amazon or contact him for a signed copy.?He works at the intersection between conflict resolution, emotional intelligence, and leadership development. He specializes in the arena of removing workplace friction so that IT leaders can achieve their digital transformation goals.

For more information about thriving through uncertainty, engaging your teams during turbulent times, or a strategic working session to achieve your long and short-term goals, visit?https://calendly.com/ericl-williamson/15min?for a free consultation.