International Women’s Day gives us an opportunity to ask ourselves, “How did I get where I am in my career and where do I want to go?” Let’s be frank; we work in a male-dominated industry. However, that doesn’t mean there are not high-impact opportunities for women in technology and real estate. I’m proud to say that CoreSite is a company with women in many leadership roles and on the board of directors.
However, today my focus is not on the company, but instead on the International Women’s Day theme for 2021: #ChooseToChallenge. We thought it could be inspiring to ask some colleagues three questions about their career and how they can help others take on the challenges we all face, regardless of gender.
- Was there someone – man or woman, colleague or mentor – who by example or direct influence inspired you in your career? How? What was the outcome?
- What single piece of advice could you give to help women navigate in this and other high-tech industries?
- What’s your challenge to the women of CoreSite? How can you help someone meet that challenge?
With that said, I’ll let them speak for themselves.
Megan Ruszkowski - VP of Marketing
My mother, Bernadette Arnold, was a mentor to me. A career woman and single parent of seven children, she taught me that anything is possible with hard work, determination – and a lot of caffeine. Inspired by her example, I’ve successfully navigated my career while raising four sons (with the help of my husband).
I think the face of B2B tech is starting to shift, however it is still predominately male and largely conservative in thinking. Henry Ford’s famous quote rings true: “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” So, the advice I offer is don’t be afraid to have a differing opinion, be an agent of change and ensure your voice is heard.
My challenge for the women of CoreSite is to challenge themselves. How do you want to grow? What trajectory do you want your career to take? Who can help get you there? What action do you need to take? For someone who has worked in predominantly male organizations for many years, it is refreshing to see the number of women in leadership roles here at CoreSite. I think the recent introduction of CoreSite’s women’s group, CoreSite’s Resource Exchange for Women presents an incredible opportunity for the women here to learn from and support each other in pursuing their goals. I know I’m looking forward to getting involved.
Brittany Pennington - Sr. Director of Inside Sales
I knew very early on in my career that I wanted to be a manager of people, and that was largely due to having a fantastic manager myself. His name was Dan and there was something he always said to us that still sticks with me today and has been a guiding principle for me personally. “You don’t work for me, I work for you. You are my customer, it is my job as your manager to make sure that you have the proper training, tools and support to do your job to the highest level.” Once I received my own team to manage I’ve always used that as my charter. There is nothing that makes me more proud than to see my teammates grow in their careers and get promoted within the company.
Keep your mind open to ALL roles within tech industries. Even though women have become more integrated into the tech industry, I worry that many of us are staying in the “safe zone,” choosing roles in departments where there already are higher numbers of women. We still have a limited number of woman who enter into sales roles or more technical positions like sales engineer or solution architect. For instance when I need to hire a new sales development representative (the ideal starting place for someone wanting to follow the sales career path) only 5-10% of applicants are women. Why is this? Whether it’s a lack of confidence in their abilities, concern that sales is a “man’s world,” or maybe old misconceptions about the lack of work/life balance that come with such jobs, I challenge women to consider any and all roles they feel drawn to and I would be honored to mentor and support anyone who is interested. The few women that I know who followed these paths were not only successful, but leaders on their teams who regularly overachieve their targets and find ways to balance their work and their lives.
Maile Kaiser - SVP of Sales
While there wasn’t one particular person who influenced me within the industry on the direction of my career, my inspiration was my father, who was an entrepreneur, and I had my own expectations to be financially independent and successful in my career. Also, I went to an all-girls high school and I think that gave me the confidence to believe that women have the power to accomplish whatever they set out to do. Throughout my journey, I had the drive and ambition to always look for career advancement and to challenge myself to get to the next level. Today, I’m inspired by friends that I went to high school or college with that have been very successful in a variety of industries. One is CEO at Gucci America, another started her own fashion brand in Milan. They inspire me to be a strong leader in my industry, and to not be complacent.
I can’t narrow my advice down to a single point, really, but here’s what has been successful for me. Become a subject matter expert and by doing so make yourself invaluable to your organization, the person people come to when looking to solve a problem. And learn more than just your piece, learn how you fit into the overall organization. Finally, be resilient. You are going to have obstacles and things won’t always go your way. Learn from them and don’t give up.
Build your brand. Be the best at what you do and set yourself apart from your peers not just by your metrics and performance but also by your willingness to be a team player and help others. Get to know others across the organization and be reliable and accountable. This will help you create your value and the confidence to champion yourself as an asset to the organization. That’s my challenge to everyone, not just the women, at CoreSite.
Aleks Krusko - SVP of IT and Digitization
I had two distinct meaningful periods of mentorship in my life. The first was when I was a child growing up in Eastern Europe and looking to my parents for inspiration. They were both great leaders, mentors to others, with extremely strong work ethics and always pushing boundaries, be it societal or personal. My mother was a business owner, which for that time and part of the world was extremely unusual and brave. Seeing the courage she had to rise above the perceived limitations of our culture and society then, and watching her push even harder to break down those norms, inspired me to take chances, both personally and professionally.
The second influential phase in my life has been my 13-year career at CoreSite. I have been so fortunate to be surrounded by amazing leaders, mentors and colleagues, who have supported and encouraged my career growth and provided me with plenty of coaching, advice and helpful feedback.
My advice? Be confident. Know your strengths and use them, but know your weaknesses, too, and learn to overcome them! Step out of your comfort zone and do one thing that scares you at least once a month. When you challenge yourself, experience that discomfort, and get past it, growth is inevitable!
Leslie McIntosh - VP of Human Resources
It’s a huge honor to have collaborated with many capable and committed people throughout my career. When I think of mentors, I think of three people: my dad, who taught me the value of hard work and giving back to others; Diana, a leader early in my professional career who gave me some tough feedback that shifted how I looked at perceptions and the impact – either positive or negative – you make on others; and a mentor named Grover. As a developing HR leader, Grover believed in me and opened up new contribution opportunities. He also challenged me about my motivation for why I wanted to grow my career. I have always been both ambitious and hard-working, but over time I shifted my “why” to be less about personal achievement and more about making a positive impact on others’ lives. My “why” for doing what I do at CoreSite, and when I volunteer, is about helping others identify their goals and laying out a path to those goals.
My advice is to define your goals and your why for wanting that path, and to spend time building relationships and support networks with other women (and men) in the organization. It’s important to find others who will mentor and coach you and advocate for you and your growth. I’ve found that the key to getting others to help you is to help others and to ensure you create value through hard work and willingness to take on additional responsibilities for your organization.
My challenge to the women of CoreSite is to get involved in CoreSite’s Resource Exchange for Women, to refer other women to join us and to reach out to me or any one of the awesome women on my team if we can support you in any way!
Happy International Women’s Day!
I wish everyone a happy International Women’s Day! I hope what you’ve read will remind you of someone who has made a difference in your career or life, and compels you to do the same for a family member, friend or colleague. Together, by example and action, we can positively impact diversity and inclusion at CoreSite and across our industry.