10 inspiring leadership quotes by women in tech

“Soft skills will reign in 2020 and beyond,” according to a recent LinkedIn Learning report. Leaders surveyed for the report identified leadership and management, creative problem solving, and communication among the highest priority skills for their workforce.

To help jumpstart your leadership efforts in 2020, and in honor of International Women’s Day, we compiled 10 inspiring leadership quotes by women in tech from our Women in Tech series.

What it takes to lead in CX

“I always say great CX first is a team activity. And every team and every team member needs to buy in to why we’re providing great customer experience. They need to know where they sit in the customer journey, and what they need to do to make sure the customer journey is seamless.”

-Dainah Kibera, Sales Operations Manager, Kenya Airways

Dream outside the box

“Sometimes we tend to put ourselves in boxes and I think those boxes are just in our minds. There’s no boxes around people. You can do whatever you want to do, and if there’s something that interests you, go for it and don’t limit yourself by what you think you should be or the box that you think you should be in. I’ve had several career changes and it’s always a learning experience. It’s very exciting to do that. There’s always challenges. You’re always challenging yourself and you’re always learning. I think people can do what they want and there shouldn’t be any limitations that we put ourselves in.”

-Susana Zoghbi, Co-Founder and CEO, Macty

Don’t be lured by a paycheck

“Don’t just be lured by the big paychecks in certain industries. Work out what it is that will make you tick, because if you excel in any of the industries, then you’re going to do well.”

-Jenny Griffiths, Founder and CEO, Snaptech

Find your passion

“When you’re pursuing any career really, but especially in one in technology, find your passion. And don’t let anything stand in your way.”

-Alyssa Johnson, VP of Applications, Keste

Question yourself less

“If I was going to give my younger self a piece of advice, it would probably be to question myself less. I often find myself questioning whether or not I should make that bold move or take that step forward, or if it’s the right step forward. I think as long as I recognize that I was taking steps forward, it’s okay to take a misstep.”

-Audrey MacIssac, VP Business Operations, Oracle Data Cloud

Continuously set goals

“Never stop trying to improve. Even when you feel really happy that you got to a space or you hit a milestone, set goals for yourself. Because it’s going to push you further and it’s going to make you maybe approach things in a different way.”

-Callie Reynolds, VP Account Management, Oracle Data Cloud

Educate yourself

“You read the books you need to read. You have to do some networking and cold calling, if you will, in the early days, but there’s no reason not to pursue a role you want. Ultimately, it’s about who has the right experience, so if you can get the experience, the education, and the internship where you don’t get paid — whatever it takes. Go do it. If you know what you want, nothing’s going to get in your way.”

-Liz Walton, Vice President of Marketing, Yext

Initiate conversations with your leaders

“It’s super important to have really good conversations with your leaders and your mentors, because through those conversations, you’re going to get all of that great advice that helps you best highlight your career goals. Then leverage data as part of the way that you highlight your career skills so that people view you as a potential technologist.”

-Carolyne Matseshe-Crawford, Head of Fan Experience at Fanatics

Be authentic

“I’ll never forget my current boss. I remember one of the first roles that I had with him — I said to him, ‘What should I do?’ There were so many things I could think of in terms of, ‘How can I try to be the very best at what I am and what I am capable of being?’ He looked at me and he said, ‘Anasuya, just be yourself. That’s why I hired you.’ I think it’s really important as you progress in your career, and as you evolve in terms of your experiences and what you know and understand, to take a moment and stop to remember who you are. Be authentic, be yourself, and own it.”

-Anasuya Strasner, Vice President of Strategy and Business Development for Oracle

It’s ok to zig and zag

“The path to a career in technology or digital marketing isn’t necessarily a straight path. There’s a lot of zigs and zags. You don’t have to be in traditional STEM to have a STEM degree, if you will. There’s a lot to customer experience and analytics that you can use both your left and right brain for. So, if you’re someone who enjoys the arts, you can still enjoy that in the space of a marketing or design function. There’s just a little more math involved if you choose that route.”

-Sarah Bryowsky, Global Digital Marketing Director with Zebra Technologies

This content was originally published on SmarterCX by Oracle. It has been adapted for the Oracle Customer Experience blog.