From social media to emails, podcasts to presentations—technology affects every facet of our lives at work. And it’s changing every day.
We wanted to know how some of our favorite technology leaders and entrepreneurs are using technology to build brands and products, as well as how the women behind that technology made it happen, so we teamed up with our friends at Dell last week to host the #DellExperience Power Players pop-up chat at CES. We loved listening to Alicia Quarles chat with Rachel Tipograph, Kimberly Bryant, Rakia Reynolds, Gerri Tunnell, and Stephanie Hallford about how their careers have evolved—and how they’re shaking up the industry themselves. Below, a few of our favorite tips from the pros:
Their best piece of business advice…
“Invest in your voice. Your ability to be a powerful orator will get you much further than any other skill.”
- Rachel Tipograph, founder & CEO of MikMak
“Step into the unknown. As women I think we’re always trying to think 10 steps ahead and always know what’s next, but where the real growth and opportunity lies is in the unknown.”
- Kimberly Bryant, founder & CEO of Black Girls Code
“Understand that things take time. We see so much glory through social media, but more people have to tell the story behind the glory. If you understand that things that time, you compete with yourself less and less.“
- Rakia Reynolds, founder & CEO of Skai Blue Media
“Vote with your heels. If you’re at a job you don’t feel is working, walk in and be vocal, or go find a job that will reward you for being you. Too often, people stay in a place where their skills are not fully realized, and you have to know the time to either walk in and ask for change or walk out.”
- Gerri Tunnell, SVP of Marketing, Dell
“It’s OK to say no.”
- Stephanie Hallford, VP & GM, Business Client Platforms at Intel
On starting a new venture…
“The part that I love about my job is the part after you’ve learned a bit but you don’t know everything, and you have just enough time to think about things in a really different way from everyone else.”
- Gerri Tunnell
“Your setbacks are a setup for a really great comeback—and everybody loves a comeback. Look at it as an opportunity to innovate and build something new.”
- Rakia Reynolds
On inclusion in the industry...
“We need to look at what it means to be a black woman, or a gender-nonconforming person, or a disabled person in technology. Where that intersectional line happens is where we see the biggest gap. We can’t solve that unless with have a broader discussion around what inclusion and diversity looks like across the spectrum.”
- Kimberly Bryant
“We all have unconscious biases, and it’s so important to understand what those are so you can come from a place of understanding and action.”
- Gerri Tunnell
“Great leaders make other leaders. I’ve had people pour into me, and I’ve gotta pour support back into others.”
- Rakia Reynolds
Dell’s new XPS 13 is thin and light with an innovative top mounted HD webcam and has up to 21 hours of battery life. The XPS 13 is a beautiful and powerful product that helps powerful women get the job done.
On the future of tech...
“I want to see a young woman that has risen through the ranks of the tech industry and is the CEO of an emerging field. I want them to be able to break the barriers so much so that there won’t be a need for a Black Girls Code in the future.”
- Kimberly Bryant
“Young women are so socially-conscious about what they do and the mark they leave on the world. In the future, these women will be in places of power and will use technology for good.”
- Kimberly Bryant
CES 2019 was a hit and we were so happy to see so many of our Create & Cultivators there. This was our first time at the event and we’re so grateful to have had the opportunity to partner with Dell, who has been a real champion of women in the tech space. Same time next year? Sounds like a great plan to us!
This post is sponsored by Dell.
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