We hosted an online panel discussion with Anuvu senior executives to mark International Women’s Day on March 8. Estibaliz (Est) Asiain, Amy Horan, Kate Santoro, and Nancy Walker described their career experiences and some of their professional tips for success, while also taking several questions from the audience. There were a number of additional questions the panel was unable to address within the allotted time, so we compiled those and asked the group to respond.
What do you feel makes a powerful woman: Work, family, someone who stands up for themselves, etc?
Estibaliz Asiain, SVP, Media & Content – Strength, self-belief, “I can do” attitude, hard work, passion, multitasking.
Amy Horan, VP, Chief People Service Officer – Consistent advocation (for self, team, family, etc.)
Kate Santoro, VP, General Counsel – I recently read an interview with a powerhouse female athlete who said something that resonated with me. She said that people – trainers, family, fans – often tell her to be more confident. But she said that when she wins it’s not because she’s confident, but because she’s “self-assured” in herself and in her ability to perform. This resonated with me because I agree that being “self-assured” is different than just being confident. In my experience, I have often heard people say things like ‘just be confident and you’ll do well’ or ‘confidence kills.’ Those statements may be true to a point, but the reason I liked what this female athlete said is that being “self-assured” is more than just being confident. Being self-assured necessarily means showing up prepared, and being prepared provides the power you need to take on any aspect of life. Of course, being well-prepared takes work (often a lot of work!) and more often than not it’s very hard to find the time to prepare. But if you have the luxury of time, preparation enables one to perform at their highest level, have the confidence to defend a position or advocate for oneself or someone else, and so much more.
Nancy Walker, SVP, Commercial Aviation Connectivity – A person who is confident and a hard worker with a true passion for their work.
Can you offer an example of workplace discrimination you have experienced (if you have) and how you dealt with it?
NW – I have been in engineering since the early 1980s—discrimination was everywhere in the workplace. The examples are too long and numerous to point to here. I have dealt with them directly, as much as possible, if required as some were so subtle that they were hard to address straightforwardly.
EA – Unfortunately, discrimination still exists, especially in industries that have been traditionally male dominant, or countries where culturally women have not had the same opportunities as men. Whilst it is unfair and “hurts,” I feel the best way of addressing this, at least the way I have dealt with it when in this situation, is being vocal about it, explaining in a natural way what drives me and why I can be equally good or even better than a male candidate. Having said this, I feel we are extremely lucky as females at Anuvu, as it is truly a diversity-respectful organization.
What would be your primary advice to managers in our organization to best support women in their teams?
NW – Managers need to understand that the more diverse their workforce is the better it will operate, and these various backgrounds and viewpoints are KEY to making the company strong. Listen to workers who don’t look like you, don’t think like you and don’t agree with you. Truth lies by integrating all of the input.
AH – I believe all employees should be treated the same and absolutely agree that the more diversity you have (gender, thought, geographic, etc) the higher performing the team will be.
KS – Agree with Nancy, Amy, and Est! The more diverse, the better the team. I also think that offering flexibility for all employees is critical. While diversity is often key for a high functioning team, flexibility (where it can be accommodated) is often key for a happy/content team.
EA – The bigger the diversity, the wider the views, perspectives, inputs and outputs.
I think the key is being fearless—how do you stay motivated to be fearless?
NW – Fearless to me is spelled PASSION – and it doesn’t need to be just about exactly your current job – it is PASSION to be the best! And INTEGRITY–never, ever, ever give one inch on your integrity.
AH – Love Nancy’s response here – Integrity – never compromise and it will be your “North Star”. Add this to the fact that EVERY experience (good and bad) are valuable – don’t be afraid to learn from them all.
EA – Success is what keeps me motivated to be fearless. Success in accomplishing your own objectives, your own and collective goals. It can be a promotion, it can be winning a customer, it can be closing a deal with a partner or seeing people in your team develop. It’s the satisfaction of knowing you have given the best of you and taken a step towards winning that keeps me fearless.
KS – I wouldn’t characterize myself as fearless (good for you if you are!), but I can say that I’ve always been very competitive with myself, and I suspect that’s what drives me forward. I am genuinely motivated by an accomplished workday, and while not every day leaves me feeling accomplished, those that do are inspiring for me and leave me wanting to achieve more.
When and how did you identify your path to leadership?
NW – I can’t say I ever identified my path like a lightbulb coming on illuminating the yellow brick road. It just happened with decades of hard work and passion.
AH – Definitely an evolution – staying committed to the things that I have been good at and enjoy—you MUST love what you do!
EA – This is a difficult one. I have always been very bossy 😊, but I guess at some point I saw I could influence how people thought and acted and gave me a big satisfaction to do so.
KS – I’m very similar to Amy – my path has been an evolution. Some career path choices were made by me, and others were not! But I’ve learned from every experience and once I found what I liked to do, I pursued it.
Who are your role models and why?
NW – My role models are diverse, but my favorite is Red Adair—just because he is famous for he and his crew going in to fight oil rig fires. Everyone else runs the other way and Red says let’s go. I love challenges and I am willing to go where others flee.
KS – I’ve been asked this question before and I’ve tried to answer it before, but in all honesty, I don’t really have any. I think the reason for this is that there are aspects of many different people’s lives that I admire and may aspire to (some of these people are known, and some, like my grandmother, are unknown), but for whatever reason I don’t have any one person that stands out for me as a role model.
EA– I agree with Kate, I can’t identify any specific person, but multiple people. I have to say my parents have been fundamental in who I have become professionally. My mother as she pushed me to challenge the status quo and fight for my rights as a female, my father because I learnt from him almost all I know about IFE.
What in your life is the easiest to give your energy to, and what tends to be the hardest?
NW – My husband and family. Without my husband I would not have had the full support I have needed all along the way.
AH – My family is the easiest and non-genuine people are the hardest – I avoid this anytime I can.
KS – It is easiest for me to give my energy to my kids – I have endless energy for them. Probably unsurprisingly, it is hardest for me to give my time and energy to things I don’t think I do well or things that cause me stress for whatever reason. When I am required to do something that I don’t do well or that causes me stress (professionally or personally), I do my best to find elements that I enjoy or ways to tackle it that make it less onerous. Sometimes I succeed at this, but not always.
EA – My people and my job equally on the positive energy. I try to balance well between both, and whilst my job is very demanding in terms of time and being away from home, I really appreciate the flexibility Anuvu gives me. I obviously love spending time with my kids, hosting family and friends at home but get a lot of energy at work with my team, my customers and peers because the project we have at Anuvu is wonderful. On the negative energy, it’s uninteresting people that I find very hard to dedicate any minute to.
What is your favorite way to rest and recharge?
NW – I love to cook vegan, whole food plant based and I love to get outside and MOVE – hiking, biking, beaching it, mountains, etc.
AH – Travel, workouts (Orange Theory is my favorite) and the lake – love being on the boat
KS – I love to exercise and organize (my desk, life administration, email inbox – you name it!). Those are two things that always make me happy and ready to tackle the next thing that comes my way. But I also love a good vacation with a good book, and sitting by the pool.
EA – I love cooking and entertaining people at home. I love interior design, architecture, art, and flowers as well as nature, whether it’s the mountains or the sea.
