Kim Spurgeon
SVP, Sales
Canada
“My first role model was my mother. The part that really influenced me as a youngster was her belief around women and girls being able to take on any challenge without fear. This was a lesson that helped me quite a bit in my first career in criminology, working in halfway houses and with people with addictions who had been in the justice system. It was a very male-dominated profession, and my mother helped me see that I could still succeed even in a place where there were not a lot of people who looked like me.
“My second role model was my first boss in the consulting world. For him, gender was not a factor. He was only concerned about hiring and promoting people who were capable of doing great things, regardless of whether they were men or women. He also really helped me change my beliefs around getting involved in sales and how to engage with our clients. I was very skeptical about a career in sales, but he showed me how rewarding it could be and how it could be pivotal in moving to a leadership role.
“I think women let assumptions and mindset get in their own way a lot of the time. One of the things that I learned when I first started out in the consulting world was that I could master new things. I never thought I’d be involved in sales and had this negative vision of the stereotypical used car salesmen. My mindset changed as I spent more time with customers. I realized sales is about building relationships, helping the customer solve problems, and finding solutions that lead to making strong long-term connections.
“The irony was that I had been shown the ropes in sales by a number of older men, and I thank them for encouraging me. But pretty quickly, I realized a lot of my customers were actually women like me. Ultimately, I saw that I had an advantage because customers expressed a preference for dealing with me. I wouldn’t have been able to do this if I had not been able to change my mindset around what I could and could not do. As women, we need to share our aspirational goals, keep an open mind about the things we can achieve, and realize our differences can become our strengths.”
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Michelle Anthony
EVP & Chief Marketing Officer
United States
“My first female manager at Dell was a woman named Lory Pilchik, who taught me many great lessons, including how to be an influencer. And to approach any influencing you do with as much data as possible so you’re not getting into an emotionally based or subjectively based argument. It’s the whole idea that data is your friend, or the trend is your friend. Those lessons really resonated with me, and I try to abide by that guidance today. More often than not, specifically in a strong tech, male-dominated environment, female leaders are not going to be successful in an emotionally charged conversation.
“Lory and other role models also taught me about taking care of themselves outside of work. Investing in exercise and yoga or meditation, which keep us healthy in mind and in body. Those are the things that keep us strong when times get tough.”
“Probably the most important thing I’ve learned is that career and work is not a zero-sum game. By that, I mean that someone doesn’t need to lose in order for you to win. That has really stuck with me. That’s why I aspire to be a proponent of investing in others, particularly in women, and helping lift them up and show them that they can get ahead without doing it at someone else’s expense.”
Sanne Nieuwenhuis
Country Manager
Netherlands
The person who gave me the best foundation for the person I am today is the psychologist I visited when I was younger. She taught me about the importance of really reflecting on myself and allowing myself to be more comfortable or vulnerable with expressing myself. From that, I built a foundation to have the capacity to become the best version of myself in whatever stage of life I’m in. It’s so important for leaders to be vulnerable, dare to go into the unknown and to really reflect on our decisions. I think I learned this at a very early stage in my life. I’ve learned to look at things from many different angles and that allows me to consider different viewpoints in the decision-making process. That’s one of the greatest gifts I have been given.
Vulnerability has to do with showing people that you’re a human being. That’s one of the first things I changed within the Dutch organization. People were really afraid to talk about their mistakes. I changed this right away and that turned into a very quick win. It was so welcomed because people could relax a little bit more. But in times of uncertainty, you can’t be an uncertain leader. Being human and supporting people who are insecure or fearful of the future requires that you are a strong leader you understands the human element, but you need to project strength and resilience. In uncertain times, you still need to be open and empathetic, but you also need to be the strong pillar in the company. You still want to be the person who everyone can rely upon.
Margo Hoyt
SVP, Managing Director, TLD
Canada
“I met so many people along my journey who had an impact, both positive and negative. I was inspired by leaders who really encouraged me and gave me a sense that I could tackle anything—they had more confidence in me than I had in myself. I know it sounds like a cliché, but I really credit my mom for convincing me that I could do anything I wanted to—it started with her. She wasn’t the only one who had that kind of confidence in me, but she was the first person who really helped me see the possibilities.
“My mom returned to school later in her life. She was a university graduate in the 1950s and ultimately became a teacher. She was independent, confident, and passionate. She was involved in the community; she was a very dedicated teacher. It was quite an accomplishment; she got her university degree when I was seven and headed out on a whole new career. She is and was a powerful role model for me.
“I think the most important lesson is that we have a choice as women to find environments and surround ourselves with people who support women in leadership. When I speak to young women, I tell them that if you don’t think there are opportunities for you where you are, you can go out and find a place where you will be supported in your goals. There is no reason why women need to stay somewhere where there isn’t encouragement to seek and achieve leadership goals.
“I also feel that it’s important for women to learn how to talk about their accomplishments and ambitions. We need to become comfortable speaking about what we’ve accomplished and what we want to accomplish. There are a lot of women who need to become more comfortable talking about themselves that way. We really do need to become more comfortable sharing that with other people, so others know what you’ve done and what you want to do next with your career. We can’t leave it to other people to speak for us.”
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