September - 2001 - issue > Cover

It’s lonely at the top. And it can sometimes be a little lonely on the way up too, especially if you’re a woman in technology. In 1999 (the most recent year for which data is available), women represented 47 percent of the total workforce, but only 29 percent of IT workers, according to a report published by the Council of Economic Advisors. The tide is turning though – a growing number of women are starting technology-related companies and assuming top-level and management positions in high tech.

What factors have helped successful women in high tech propel their careers forward? When asked this question, women leaders in technology offered up plenty of insightful, practical advice — advice that you’d be wise to heed if you want to achieve greater success in your own career or business. Here are seven of their secrets to success:

Ask for What You Want
The people around you aren’t mindreaders, so don’t expect them to know what you want. You’ve got to tell them. In fact, says Nithya Ruff, asking for what she wants has helped move ahead in her career.

“I used to believe people would somehow know what I wanted and give it to me,” explains the vice president of business development and marketing at Sychron, a Silicon Valley-based startup creating datacenter management software. “That was so false. I grew up in a family that told me that if God wanted me to have something he’d give it to me. I was tired of being at the mercy of God and karma, and wanted to be more self-deterministic. Now, I ask for what I want and I don’t settle for less.”

Jump Outside Your Comfort Zone
Stepping outside of your comfort zone is instrumental to achieving success in life. People who take calculated risks get ahead because they invite the possibility of success.

“Every significant endeavor has a significant risk associated with it,” says Talat Hasan. “Starting a company, for example, is a huge risk — you may not get funded, you may not be able to hire the people you need and, as a startup, you’re up against big giants.” She should know. As the CEO and founder of Sensys Instruments and co-founder of Prometrix Corporation (now part of KLA-Tencor), she speaks from her many years of experience as an entrepreneur in the semiconductor manufacturing industry.

“Immigrating to a new country was my first biggest risk,” she adds. “A lot of us have left our homes, families, and whole support systems back in our home countries. Maybe that’s why immigrants tend to be so well suited to entrepreneurship.”

Network, Network, Network
Real estate investors will tell you that success is all about location, location, location. South Asian women in technology have a different mantra: network, network, network! We’ve all heard the saying that it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. In high tech, women with a strong network of connections have an easier time landing a new job, getting a promotion, and starting a new business.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today without my network,” says Nibha Aggarwal, co-founder and CEO of SkyFlow, an infrastructure software company named one of 65 fast-track startups by Fortune Small Business. She’s a member of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs and TiE, but her most important network is her business school network.

“It’s the network I’ve relied on the most,” she says. “For example, right now, we’re trying to get a large potential new customer. I called a Haas School of Business contact at the company and he got us a meeting with the right people. I’ve used my network to find customers, venture money, and even employees.”

Toot Your Own Horn
Do you think being modest and avoiding calling attention to your achievements is polite? If you do, you’re not alone. Many women (men too!) hold this belief. If you count yourself among them, it’s time to re-evaluate.
Tooting your own horn — the ability to make others aware of your capabilities — is a key part of career advancement. Successful women in technology have learned how to speak up about their accomplishments and diplomatically take credit for their work.

You can create visibility for yourself by delivering results and keeping your manager and those you work with informed. Gita Patel, an angel investor and worldwide program manager for extended manufacturing at HP, believes in the power of “personal PR.” “Communicating about your progress doesn’t necessarily come naturally,” she says. “You have to make an effort. If no one else knows about what you’ve done, other people may be quick to jump in and take credit for it.”

A Supportive Spouse Helps
Successful South Asian women in technology also underscore the importance of having an understanding spouse. Ruff’s husband stays at home to care for their children, while Hasan’s husband, who’s also an entrepreneur, understands the challenges she faces.

“Having a spouse or significant other who believes in what you’re doing and is supportive makes a huge difference,” says Hasan. “When times are tough, you don’t want a spouse who’s complaining because you’re not doing things at home.”

Learn from Setbacks
There will be times when you will stumble and fall. This is an inevitable part of attempting to achieve new or ambitious goals. When you experience a setback, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and learn from what has happened.

Ruff keeps a journal of lessons learned. “Some of the lessons are little things, like a previous boss once told me I needed to be more political so I looked up ‘political’ in the dictionary and found six definitions,” she says. “I went back and asked him what exactly he meant. I wanted to know the rules so I could practice them. For me it’s important to practice and assimilate lessons learned.”

Durreen Shahnaz, co-founder and CEO of oneNest, a New York-based Internet startup, dealt with one setback she experienced by speaking her mind. One month after she started a plum job at a media company, the company was sold. Two months later, her department was dissolved and she was out of a job.

“I got no severance package,” she explains. “So, before I left, I said to the publisher at the company, ‘This is not how I would have handled it. You should keep in mind that I’ll run a company one of these days and I’ll remember this.’” To her astonishment, the next day, she found a check for four months severance pay sitting on her desk.

Develop a Positive, Confident Attitude
Who would you rather work or do business with: an enthusiastic, upbeat person or a grouch? The positive person of course! No one enjoys working with negative people and some won’t even tolerate it — life’s just too short. We naturally gravitate toward optimistic people. This is why cultivating a positive, “can do” attitude can make the difference between a career that’s fraught with difficulties and one that thrives.

Also critical is confidence. “The successful women in technology I know don’t believe in a glass ceiling,” says Pragati Grover, president of Indian Business and Professional Women, a nonprofit networking organization. “They can break through any barriers to succeed. Their confidence and willpower carry them ahead.”

Elizabeth Carlassare is a Silicon Valley-based writer, speaker, and entrepreneur. She’s the author of “Dotcom Divas: E-Business Insights from the Visionary Women Founders of 20 Net Ventures” (McGraw-Hill). You can buy this book at www.siliconindia.com/books