Top 7 Behaviors of Successful Women in Tech

By Meghan Ganzer | March 5, 2019

Inspired by the 2019 “Balance for Better” campaign for International Women’s Day, I set out to understand the behaviors women in technology attribute to their success. I surveyed women in various roles at technology companies. They were asked to select statements that most closely resonate with their own personal habits that they feel contribute to their professional success, check out the top seven below.

Women have come a long way from the first International Women’s Day in 1911. Since then, U.S. women were guaranteed the right to vote (1920), the National Organization of Women was founded (1966), and the first female speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, was appointed in 2007. While women’s rights have undoubtedly progressed, we continue to fight for gender equality. On March 8, International Women’s Day will once again draw attention to women’s rights including gender balance in the workplace, media, and government with the campaign theme “Balance for Better”.

Women in the male-dominated tech industry are no strangers to challenges including equal pay, the proverbial glass ceiling, and gender stereotypes. Inspired by the “Balance for Better” campaign, I set out to understand the behaviors women in technology attribute to their success. I surveyed women in various roles at technology companies. They were asked to select statements that most closely resonate with their own personal habits that they feel contribute to their professional success. These were the most common answers:

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Three of the top seven attributes identified by the women we surveyed were related to “out of office” behaviors. Self-care and the opportunity to decompress topped the list of things these women attribute to their professional success. It seems these women have found another interpretation of the “Balance for Better” theme as they create a work-life balance that allows them to be the best versions of themselves.

Dasha
QuoteMarks
"If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. Be fierce."
Dasha Vasilyeva, Business Development Lead, 6sense
Emilie QuoteMarks "Love yourself first, and success will follow. You can only become the best version of yourself with proper self-care. As a working mom, my kids motivate me to keep going. I want to be a positive example to them, and show them how to live a full and balanced life doing the things that make you happy."
Emilie Totten, Head of Marketing, Synthesis Technology
Kimberly QuoteMarks "You’re always going to be your worst critic, so don’t let yourself feel like a failure. You’ll have weeks where you’re feeling like you’re failing at home and winning at work, then that flips the next week. You’re never going to be a perfect mother, friend, and employee, but often what feels like our worst is still better than most, so don’t let imperfection get you down."
Kimberly Jefferson, Vice President, BLASTmedia
Diana QuoteMarks "I bring calm to chaos by collecting and organizing action items, people and timelines. Sometimes it’s in the middle of a project going live that I know little about with 5-10 people involved and I can pull the resources I need and get the information necessary to stop, assess and move forward."
Diana Schnitzer, Senior Analyst, Alinean (acquired by Mediafly)
Susan
QuoteMarks "Work hard, and you will be recognized. Trust yourself to rise to any challenge. Be a team player. Allow yourself to have a work-life balance."
Susan Duensing, Owner, Element-R Partners

As a modern woman in any industry, what do you attribute to your success? How do you define success for yourself and other women in the workplace?

Meghan Ganzer is the Digital Communications Manager at Mediafly. Since making the strategic shift from sales to marketing, Meghan has focused on content writing, external communications, and event collaboration to support the Mediafly sales team through demand generation. Meghan attended Miami University in Ohio and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications.

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