BCLC brings women to the table to discuss talk values and work-life balance
Earlier this month, four women from BCLC sat down for a roundtable discussion to talk values, work-life balance and life after Minerva’s Women Leading the Way™ program.
Heather, Caroline, Lindsay and Abby from BCLC are all graduates of Women Leading the Way™, and work in finance, communications and marketing roles.
![Minerva_Group](https://minervabc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Minerva_Group-1.jpg)
See some excerpts below (quotes have been condensed and edited):
What’s one piece of advice you would offer women who are starting their career?
Lindsay: Take more risks. I was extremely risk adverse and maybe limited my opportunities at the time because of it. And I would also say have an external perspective. It’s really easy to get angry when someone doesn’t solve a problem the way that you would. But it’s really important to develop that external perspective and respect someone else’s way of solving a problem.
Caroline: I think it would have been helpful if I’d gone out to seek mentors, and not taken such a formal approach. It’s not just in difficult times that you need your mentors; it’s actually in really good times. It’s important to have someone you can go to all the time.
Heather: Be way more forgiving of yourself. You’re only human. And if you aren’t kind to yourself, nobody else will be.
![Minerva_Group4.1](https://minervabc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Minerva_Group4.1-1.jpg)
How did learning your values impact your approach to leadership?
Heather: Knowing my values made a lot of things in my life make sense to me. I used to have this overwhelming sense of guilt because I thought I was the worst mom ever, because I really loved being at work. And I couldn’t understand it. But when I understood my values, I was like “This makes sense. I’m driven by achievement”. I also value family, but just having that perspective made me feel so much better. I was more able to understand what drives me, and use it in decision making. I’m able to bring my values to work every day, and it’s helped me find a lot more satisfaction in the work that I do.
Lindsay: I discovered one of my values is balance. So now I make sure that I’m healthy, I’m fit, I’m meditating and that I have time for myself outside of work. And it makes me a happier person in the workplace. I also value achievement, so it was good to be able to articulate to my manager what I needed from him so that he’s able to have a better relationship with me.
![Minerva_1](https://minervabc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Minerva_1-1.jpg)
What is one thing you learned from Women Leading the Way™ that influences you work?
Heather: I developed my leadership vision. And it’s great because it gave me this stake in the ground of who I wanted to be as a leader. And it came out of my values. I used to think success was about me. And now, understanding a little more about my values and my leadership vision, it’s about seeing others fulfill their potential. I feel successful when I see my team doing well and being happy.
Lindsay: I’m starting to have conversations with my team, and ask “what makes you feel strong?”, whereas before work was very tactical in nature. So now they’ll come to me and have a closed-door session, and say “this is how I like to work”. And I find that amazing. I have a sense of calm and clarity, and can be that person for the team no matter what’s happening. I have a much greater team perspective. I’m more invested in the development of not only myself, but the entire team.
Caroline: The resources that are shared – especially in terms of tools and books and techniques – are so valuable. You take them away from the course, and your work is not done.You can continue on for a long time.
How has working for an organization that supports leadership programming and diversity intiatives benefitted you as an individual?
Heather: There are things at BCLC that check the box for all of my values. But there are also people who I can talk about issues with. And it’s not all women. I also think we do pretty cool work. And we do awesome things for the province. It makes me feel proud, and I took that for granted before I understood my values.
Lindsay: It’s amazing. You’re constantly being challenged and being given opportunities. It’s the people as well, forming friendships across the enterprise and working with different teams. Mentor/mentee relationships elicit themselves across the whole organization.
Caroline: For me it’s having this amazing network. And this is something I’d like to crack even more, and have even deeper conversations and connections.
![Minerva_Group4](https://minervabc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Minerva_Group4-1.jpg)
How do you handle your Imposter Syndrome?
Abby: I actually feel the most like an imposter when I receive good feedback and high performance ratings. But at BCLC, I have someone who I would define as a sponsor. And I can cope better with confidence and my imposter syndrome, because my sponsor believes in my performance and supports me to believe in myself.
Lindsay: Going through this program, having Heather mentor me, and just being able to have these conversations increases my confidence. And I feel more comfortable being myself, and what I can bring to the table. A female’s approach is different when it comes to leadership, and we learned a lot about that with Minerva.
BCLC is a proud signatory of the Minerva’s Diversity Pledge and is committed to changing the Face of Leadership™.
Interested in learning more? The next cohort of Women Leading the Way™ begins in September 2017. Apply now.