Fostering Women’s Leadership: 3 Insights From the Women in Telecommunications Summit

Looking back on my career in technology, I can recall many occasions when I was the only woman in the room. It felt a bit lonely—and frustrating. Thankfully, times have changed, which was abundantly clear at the second annual Women in Telecommunications Summit at ConneXions 2022. What an amazing moment: looking out at a room full of women who are leaders in their organizations and the telecom industry.

While I’m thrilled about the record number of attendees—a 180 percent increase over 2021—I’m even more excited about the strong community we are building together: sharing ideas, strategizing about overcoming challenges, and dreaming about what lies ahead galvanized and energized us all. After the summit, one thing was very clear: We are headed in an exciting direction, where anything and everything feels possible.

3 Key Insights: Authenticity, Allies, and Advancing ERG

Many participants, both women and men, sought me out during ConneXions to say the summit was inspiring. The truth is the event exceeded our expectations and energized all who participated. While it’s difficult to recreate what we experienced, I’d like to share my top three insights.

1. The most effective role models are also the most authentic. We took a deep dive into authenticity in a wide-ranging panel with Carla Shearer, CEO/GM at SCTelcom; Candy Riem, VP of marketing at MEC; and Stacy Giardetti, product marketing manager at Tbaytel. The conversation touched on what it’s like to bring our true selves to work, how to create safe spaces where it’s OK to be honest and vulnerable, and the importance of supporting other women. These women leaders showed us what it means to be authentic role models.
2. We need allies to create an environment where women and men thrive. Although the event focused on women in telecoms, I was thrilled to see so many men in the audience. The topics we covered—finding work-life balance, supporting high-performing teams, communicating your value, and overcoming insecurity—are not only women’s issues. They are relevant and important for all of us. As Karen shared in our fireside chat, it’s invaluable to have male allies, role models, mentors, and sponsors supporting us and pushing for gender equality.
3. We’re making good progress, but it’s just the beginning. Within Calix, we have a very active Women at Calix employee resource group (ERG) to foster women’s professional growth, champion success, and support others in becoming better allies. And we’ll continue looking for other opportunities to align our industry around this critical issue. 

Redefining Resilience To Thrive as Leaders

The past two years have completely transformed how we work, serve our customers, and live our everyday lives. Navigating this ever-changing reality tested our resilience like nothing before. That was the overarching theme of this year’s summit—how to redefine resilience and thrive as a leader. 

Our keynote speaker, Brittany N. Cole—a leadership coach, author, and speaker—outlined a “resilience roadmap” to help women overcome challenges and grow in their careers and lives. Among her insights, one seemed to resonate very strongly: how to “lose the cape” and be transparent with others. This message of authenticity was carried across the program, including a panel discussion with three women leaders at broadband service providers (BSPs) and a fireside chat with telecoms industry trailblazer Karen Puckett.

We All Thrive When Gender Equality Is Prioritized

Though things have changed considerably since I started, we still have a long way to go in narrowing the gender gap in technology. I am proud of the work Calix is doing to address this. The Women in Telecommunications Summit is an essential element, and I am excited about evolving the program to expand its reach to more people in the industry and cover even more topics.

I am passionately committed to attracting, retaining, and growing great women in technology. We know that teams, companies, and communities thrive when women thrive. I encourage each of you to get involved in creating a truly diverse workplace. Join us at the Women in Telecommunications Summit and other industry events. Take steps within your organizations to support women’s careers—start an ERG, participate in a mentor program, or focus on being a strong ally. Together, we can make gender equality a reality.

As always, we welcome your feedback and suggestions. Please email me at  martha.galley@calix.com or connect with me on LinkedIn.