So glad that you're here today, and I'm very excited to talk to you about what are the do's and don'ts in corporate America as a high performance woman executive.And the things that we'll talk about today are the things that, you know, usually you will not hear about and that are not usually mentioned. I like to be kinda off the script. I will kinda share with you tips and tactics. But before we get going, let me share a little bit about myself. So my name is Divya Smith. I currently manage a a real estate portfolio, actually, of 250,000,000. I am an ex corporate executive at Target Corporation, US Bank, Hilton, and UnitedHealth Group. In all of those spaces, I have built, some really large, revenue systems, including as managing Target Corporation's, target.com, so their online website. I was at US Bank.

I launched a mobile app to about 4,000,000 customers in nine months. And then at UnitedHealth Group, I was, asked to be on to run their telehealth program. So I launched that in 38 states, again, in just about twelve months. So my goal here is to really share with you how did I get to where I I did, but then also the tips and the tactics I, used, throughout the process. So now I'm not only a real estate investor, I'm an entrepreneur, and I also do some executive consulting on-site. So that is something of my passion, and I continue to kinda give back to the technology community. If you do end up looking for me or searching for me on LinkedIn, you will see I'm closely, working with a lot of women in technology.

I just have a huge passion for women in tech. So really championing those women with, you know, high performing kinda women leaders who are ready to kinda go to the next step. So I've been, you know, in this space for two decades, navigating corporate boardrooms, high stake teams, and then breaking the barriers at the companies I mentioned. But the one thing you will learn today is really the real life lessons that you usually will not find in handbooks. So my goal is to share how do you lead, influence, and also thrive in a high performing exec as a high performing executive woman. But let's talk about winning without burning out. So with that, let's jump right into it. There are four main things I will talk about.

I know our session is only twenty minutes, so my goal is to at least touch surface of some of these. And then if you have specific questions, keep, putting them in the chat, and I'll try to answer as I go along. So first one to talk about, you know, as you enter a room in in boardroom or whether it be big meetings, really the first thing to talk about is how do you command respect without over explaining. And one of the things as a women in general, we tend to over explain ourselves, and this will take practice. So one of the things that I would ask you is, let's say you're doing a presentation, take time to pause. Take time to really think about the words you're trying to say. Speak with clarity. Speak with confidence. Pauses are okay.

They make us uncomfortable, and I'm purposefully actually pausing right now. So you can see that I'm really thinking about what I'm saying, but I am intentional with my words. So really think about that. The second thing to think about is when you're at that table. Let's not apologize for table. Let's not apologize for being at that table. One of the things I still consistently see is, as women, we tend to say sorry very easily. Oh, I'm sorry. Oh, that's not my spot. Oh, I didn't mean to sit here. Oh, is this where you need to sit for to be able to present? What I tend to do, and I will share with you a very specific tactic, is as you enter in these rooms, I will go five to ten minutes ahead of time, especially if it's an important meeting. Or let's say if there's back to back meetings even in the room that you're going in, try to find a spot where you'll have good access and visibility to every person in the room.

So and then as soon as the meetings are going in and you will go sit in the room, you'll find that spot to sit in. Now I know a lot of these meetings today are virtual, so see if you can join on time and just say hello to everybody. And just as folks are joining and you know that most of these meetings tend to have two to three minutes delay. Hey. Hello. How are you doing? You know, sending little chat messages in in the the chat if you're in a meeting, but then also verbally saying it out loud. Now the third and most important thing is make sure your voice is heard. And when I say make sure your voice is heard, it does not mean that you basically get into the meetings and say, yes. I agree with you.

Great if you agree with them. It's like, thank you for your point, John, or thank you for your point, Paul. But, hey, I would really like to add this one, specific item. And here are the three things or two things I've been thinking about, and here's how it would get to the next outcome or result. So it's okay to agree with them, but make that part really short and your point longer. Because end of the day, people wanna remember your voice that it is getting heard. Now let's say if you're in a room full of people and they're trying to give you pressure to explain to yourself for your point of view or, you know, a strong leadership is coming on, just say that's a great thing.

I will go back and look at it, but here's what I have researched so far. And from my point of view, here's how it works. Leave it at that. No over no over explaining. So another point here, make sure you do not say the words I think, I am not sure, but. Well, just an idea. Speak instead speak directly with confidence. I have researched, and here's what my findings are. So be very clear about it. You did the homework, and now you've come here prepared and kinda share your point of view. You don't need to say I think or I know or just like you said. I think it it reduces the value you're trying to say. So make sure that you're really trying to, get your point across. So remember those few words.

No more I thinks, no more apologizing, and make sure your voice is heard. Now one thing I will share being in corporate America is I have a pet peeve of too many meetings. So if you end up in a lot of meetings and you just have to attend them, figure out really which ones you need to attend and which ones you do not. And the ones you are there and if you can't be there in person, make sure you make a point to be listening and then actually articulate something important to say back. Alright. Number two, which is you have to stay in the rooms where the decisions are happening. Now this is critical. This is very hard to find, but I cannot stress this enough. You have to stay in the rooms where decisions are being made.

Now I will share with you when I was managing target.com, before I was offered that opportunity, I was in room where at that time, and this is about twelve, thirteen years ago, I was only at a senior manager level at that time. But I was invited in the room where directors and VPs were there. Why? Because I was not afraid to share my opinion, but I was very strategic with my words. So, again, ask where the decisions are being made. So number one there is to identify. Are you in these high impact conversations? Identify where those are happening. This is where they're discovering, let's say, what is going to be in next budget for the next year, what projects will move forward, even if they're talking about key specific roles that need to be hired. See if you can start to have those conversations with your manager and say, hey. I would love to be part of those conversations even if just as an observer.

Even as an observer, the good news is you are there and everybody's watching you. These are higher level leaders, and they're getting to be there. Second thing, and this does not get done enough. So I'm gonna share with you, you do not need permission of your manager to skip level and go to the next level. Set up a fifteen, twenty minute coffee conversation. Hey. I would love to set up time with you to get to know you and also understand from your strategic point of view how you see things moving forward. And it's a really good compliment to that leader that you're reaching out because you wanna get to know them, but also you value their strategy and opinion that you wanna seek to understand how we can help them.

So really critical. This doesn't need to be, I would say, more than once a quarter, but even if you can kinda just do quick connect for once a quarter for fifteen to twenty minutes, and you just say, hey. I would love a quick fifteen minute check-in. Most of the times, they'll end up giving you thirty minutes. So it's really good to identify these leaders and start building that relationship. So it goes right into that number too. You know, build those relationships. And I specifically called out power brokers. I didn't say leaders. I didn't say managers. I didn't say VPs or directors. Power brokers. What you will realize is there are some people that truly have that power and have a lot of good relationship with other people, and they can start to make introductions for you.

So those are the power brokers you're really looking for. Now align yourself with these opportunities that are coming. So you found the right people. You're building relationships. And as you're having conversations, make sure you take a note of upcoming opportunities, upcoming, high revenue, projects that are coming up. Once you start making note of these, you start asking questions either from those leaders or your own leader to say, hi. Hey. I heard about this project. Very interesting. Can I get involved? Can I volunteer? Whatever it may be. Now the good news is your manager might not even know in some of these cases, and with you knowing, it actually puts them on radar too. So it makes them look good as well. And then finally, talk about the results you're gonna deliver and then actually deliver.

Now I kinda said it the other way if you realize it. I didn't say deliver results and then talk about it. Talk about the results first and then you deliver because you're talking about what you're gonna do. You're generating that excitement. And, again, nobody's perfect. Even if you get to 80 or 90% of what you said you would deliver, there's a story to be told. So if there is something missed, why was it missed, and what did you learn? End of the day, if you can always show what you learned, that is the most critical part. Number three. Okay. Know when to push, know when to pivot, and play along the long game. This is very hard for us. Okay? So I'm just gonna say it.

The reason is we really want things to be done well, and there's a little bit of perfectionism that's in all of us. So recognize there's power in silence and when the action needs to be you know, some action needs to be taken. So be really careful when we wanna be silent, but then we wanna take action. Now here's the good news that works especially if you are in person, and I think a lot of us are going back in person in office. But if you hear something that you agree with, look at the speaker and nod at them. These nonverbal cues, really critical. Do not look at your laptop. Do not look down. Again, I will remind you, my pet peeve is to be in meeting after meeting after meeting. So how do you kinda pick and choose?

You pick the most important ones. That's where you're gonna focus. And if you can delegate the other meetings, then you delegate the other meetings where you do not need to be present. Now second thing is not every battle is yours. You don't need to, say, be right of about a very specific requirement or, let's say, a specific product feature. It's not your battle. So pick and choose where it makes sense and let there whether it be, let's say, a financial strategy to which specific project gets funding or which specific project gets moved forward, if you do not control it and you will not, get impacted by it, let it go. Unless you are being asked to be supported by somebody, let that go. Now be bold, but always be calculated.

So this is one of those strategic, I would say, power move as a woman. So think about being bold, sharing here here's what I'm thinking. Here's a radical idea. Hey, guys. Hey, team. I really thought of this. This is really critical. I think we can really move forward. I know we can move forward based on all these data points I have. I would love for you to kinda jump in and tell me what you think. Now you've shared your strong idea. If the team jumps on, regardless of who else did the work, but it is your bold idea that moved forward. So be calculated and always humbly ask for who else wants to help and think to improve that idea. So it really doesn't need to be loud. So every move doesn't need to be loud, just needs to be smart. And last one.

So this this is one of the things, that I love sharing, which is break the rules that no longer serve you. We have been kinda defined in a certain, specific role and especially me having worked in multiple different big corporations, what I would share with you is every company has their own culture. Every company has their own leadership style that they prefer. But here's the thing. If you were just like everybody else, how would you stand out? If you were like everybody else, how would you stand out? So you have to break the rules. On and I'll share some examples. For the longest time in, Target and in US Bank, everybody was wearing business casual, so was I, but I would rarely ever wear heels. I would all almost always wear Converse. And once they got a little relaxed, I would always have a a sport jacket on.

Now when I moved to Hilton, it was complete opposite. People had gone it was pretty much casual. So you you just imagine basic khakis and a t shirt, maybe. That was on a nice day. So jeans and a t shirt, that was usual. I still, to this day, is I'm known as the the leader who wore Converse and a sport jacket every single day regardless. So define your specific leadership style, whether that could be from the look, the way you talk with people. The other thing I was known for is I always like to do coffee or, walking one on ones. So every time my team member is like, hey. We have a one on one. We need to talk about it. I'd be like, great. Let's let's grab our shoes.

If you need comfortable shoes, we're gonna go for a walk around the block and talk about it. Could you not almost always, I got very good, conversations from every single person who reported to me, all those leaders, and they walked away feeling happier and excited and energized. So figure out what your leadership style is. It does not need to match what it what is going on in your corporate, today. Perfectionism, like I mentioned, does not exist. So don't worry about, let's say, being perfect email or perfect business idea or perfect presentation that people are looking at. 90% of the times, people don't pay attention to the details you are. They will pay attention to your energy, your voice, your confidence, the words that are coming out of your mouth.

They will pick up the 70% that is not being said. You probably heard that. 70% of nonverbal cues are the ones people are actually able to receive. Only the 30%, even me right now speaking, is the 30% of my actual words are making to you. That's just how we work as humans. So use that to your advantage. Put yourself in a position where you will be successful. And then lastly, re redesign your career. You know, make it for your own fulfillment. So I started out in corporate America. I had large teams of 200 people. And at one point in time, I decided I wanted to be entrepreneur, start my own, and I did that. So figure out what that next fulfillment looks like for you.

And if you need additional thoughts on that, you know, happy to reach out, you know, to me on LinkedIn, and we can talk through that. But final thoughts. So I know we are kinda running short on time. Final thoughts. So your playbook, lead boldly. Set boundaries. So if that means you only take meetings in certain time, you only are in meetings three hours of the day, I I did have those rules. Believe it or not, even with the 200 employee team that reported to me, I had boundaries. I would no longer take meetings for more than five hours a day. So figure out what those boundaries look like for you and make power moves. You know? Have have those critical relationships identified. Keep building on those. Keep checking in with these leaders. End of the day, they're humans. Everybody loves to work with people they have a good relationship with.

And you don't need to shrink for your success. You don't need to burn out to lead. You don't need to work ten, twelve hours a day in order to kinda be out there, be yourself, and really put yourself as a strong leader. You just need to make sure that you don't run by the old playbook of showing up in every meeting. It doesn't work, and it doesn't matter. I can tell you that from an exam from my own personal experience. It doesn't really need to work that way. With that, in case you wanted to reach out, my here's my phone number. I did share it with this group. Again, very passionate about women in technology, women who are in executive roles. Reach out to me through LinkedIn.

And, also, if you wanted to check out my website, it is wwwascendingavenue.com. But I want to leave you with this image. Find your wings. You have wings. We all have wings. Find your wings. Thank you so much. Any questions? So at this point of time, if there's any questions, I would love to take them in chat. Time went by much faster than I thought. Cara, thank you. Yes. Getting rid of hedging is hard. Agreed. It went by really good. I appreciate it. Thank you so much. Any advice around clothing color when everyone is wearing black, bland and black? Do not wear black. I purposefully did not wear black right now. I wore a red purposefully because you need to stand out. It is just it's just how it is. It's very hard to stand out to begin with.

There's so many employees, so many people, even the voices. Make your voice high energy and exciting. Colors, I rarely will wear I will wear a black jacket. But if you're gonna wear, black, I would say monochrome. That is the black that is working today, but a pop of color always works. So, yes, I would agree. And, you know, find something unique. Like, Converse was my thing, but I also got tired of walking, you know, six, seven times with my one on ones, so I ended up with Converse. So that worked well. Another thing to think about is always have a couple fun facts ready for you, something unique. Okay? So if you're doing these introductions and conversations, have a couple fun things that are non work related.

So, for example, on my profile, you'll end up seeing I love doing CrossFit, and I actually drink green tea, which is matcha specifically. It's on there on purpose because a lot of virtual conversations and connections for me. But find what are those unique things for you because you want a way for people to remember you, period. Doesn't matter in any interaction. So just remember, you know, whichever those are. I used to wear bright red heels so everyone noticed. See, that's awesome, Christy. That's wonderful. Or pink. I like that too. Like that too. Well, thank you so much, everybody. You guys have been a great audience. I appreciate it. And please reach out to me on LinkedIn. Happy to share any of this information with you. Have a wonderful day. Thank you.