[PODCAST] Art of Leadership and Staking Your Claim

MARCH 6TH

WOMEN IN TECH LEADERSHIP

LIVE PODCAST RECORDING SERIES

About This Discussion:

Dr. Brenda Connor began her career in 1986 as one of two female engineers in a group of 400 at Ericsson. In the last 25 years, she has continued to take on new roles and has paved her own way to the top.

Her story was absolutely incredible, as she shared some of her most pivotal moments in her career, along with some of the biggest mistakes women make when it comes to controlling their own destiny within Corporate America.

About Dr. Brenda Connor:

Dr. Brenda Connor has been with Ericsson since 1994 and is providing thought leadership in Smart Cities, Intelligent Transport Systems, IOT/M2M and Business Enablement.

Dr. Connor creates new business through innovative and transformative approaches focused on diverse stakeholder needs. She provides leadership in bridging stand-alone systems into system of system architectures including cloud and public private partnerships. She is a change maker for the Networked Society, where every individual and every industry is enabled to reach its true potential. Dr. Connor holds a B.S. and a M.S in Computer Engineering from Boston University, a PhD in Engineering Management and has submitted 5 patents in the open ecosystem space.

Episode Highlights:

3:00 – The beginning – why Dr. Connor ventured into tech and joined Ericsson.
6:30 – One of the biggest mistakes women make when it comes to tech and leadership
10:00 – The keys to getting ahead in a tech role, and how Dr. Connor staked her claim (what’s the one thing you need to do to avoid becoming obsolete).
13:55 – Dr. Connor’s career move that helped to set herself up for success
17:30 – How she took a role that she had never done before and made it her own.
20:05 – Why growing your career is so much more than getting a few breaks (hint: it’s what you do with those breaks)
22:00 – Understanding the true definition of mentorship – And are you ready to actually be mentored?
24:00 – What’s the difference between formal and informal mentorship
28:00 – What does leadership mean to Dr. Connor, and when did she learn to apply it
31:00 – The transformation of leadership as millennials move into leadership roles
34:00 – The role of parents to raise great leaders
36:00 – Is leadership evolving and exactly how?
38:00 – What happens when someone stays in your lane
41:00 – Regrets – Does Dr. Connor have them?
43:00 – Work-life balance, does it exist, can it exist, and how do you make it happen?