So, so thank you very much for for joining, and I'm really thrilled to be here at the the Women in Conference, today.And, with the pleasure discussing the the courage to use your voice as a topic and the subject that I'm deeply passionate about. My name is Natalie. I'm, the vice president, of executive recruitment and global talent marketing at NTT DATA. And I'm not sure whether you you know the the the the NTT DATA. We are roughly 190,000, 100,000 people, that are spreads in 50 countries, in the 50 locations. And, basically, from the it's a IT services organization, the number three, globally, IT services provider. I believe that one of the cool fact that I can share is that back in 1999, NCT invented emojis and so completely changed the, the the way how the the the world communicate in these days with the thumbs up, down, and smiley faces and all of that.

So maybe with that, if I can also take the opportunities. And so if you put, into the chat function how you are feeling today, whether it will be a lot of smiley faces, and so yeah. Arbeni, welcome. Pilar, thank you for the smiley face. So, Fyodah as well, it's great to see that engaged audience and so so many happy faces. So thank you for for sharing that into the chat. And, and bless me. Oh, thank you. That's so great. Obviously, it it looks that the event is amazing, and you are enjoying the time that you are spending with the women in tech, which is which is great. And, and hopefully, you will find this session also, in spirit defense, and informative enough, and and get some, some benefits out of that.

So let me just give you, little bit of intro about myself. I have roughly 25 of experience through different organizations, whether we are talking smaller, family business, mid sized companies, or, the the bigger global corporations. And so from the very beginning of my journey, I have been either working for the IT organizations or directly working, in the IT companies. And, as I was progressing through my, career, I found some ways, to be more heard and use my voice in building, up my confidence. So let me share with you today some of my learnings and some, which, you know, that may be helpful for you, and you may want to consider, those trying, in your professional or in in your personal life as well. And so let me start with, with my personal story and, share a little bit more.

At the at the beginning of my career journey, like, way back, I was working, in the still, in the in the IT IT, IT and recruitment industry, and I was very successful in, delivering results. And, multiple times, I was awarded, as a top performer within The Czech Republic, then within the Europe as well. And continuously, I was recognized for the achievements that's, that I was making. The the role was very much target driven. So every quarter, I got a target, and some and there were not small target at all. But I was able, pretty much on the continuously basis, either to meet the targets or overachieve what basically was expected from me. Then after some time, the company opened the team leader position.

So I applied for the role because I wanted to move my career into the, more like a managerial path, and I was selected. And and once I was selected, obviously, like, you know, I was super proud, and, and it was really, like, a proud moment for me that's that I was able to to get the job because there were multiple candidates who applied for the role. But then I also, started to, to doubt myself and wondering, you know, whether I am the right person for the job. So I wasn't really confident that much. There was that that lack of, you know, confidence. I feel a little bit, like, you know, unsure. And then I just realized, like, you know, wait a minute. Like, you know, I am the top performer. People are asking me for, for guidance, for advice. You know, they are coming naturally to me. And I have a good relationship with my external clients, as well.

And then I was just thinking what can help me just to to to kind of not doubting myself even when I haven't started the job yet. So I took a pen and paper, and I start writing down, my achievements. And keeping the list of my accomplishments, it was really great confidence booster. So so what I'm doing until now, obviously, the achievements are changing as you go through, your, professional, professional journey. But keeping that, as I call it, my personal hall of fame and capturing the great stuff, that I delivered, I'm I'm proud of, is something that is helping me a lot. So when, basically, I in the in the past, when I applied for the new role or I volunteer for the new project, or even when I'm having the performance reviews with my manager, I never forget to go through and basically put together what are some of the achievements that I accomplished, and that helps me a lot.

So maintaining the confidence and that resilience, especially when, you know, I believe and you are feeling sometimes overlooked and maybe you are not sure whether you will succeed. It definitely starts with your self belief. So so, basically, with my whole fame, I'm reminding myself on the skills, achievements, the value that I'm bringing to the company and to the team as well. And it that this mindset is pretty much helping me up to speak up and and and and and be heard as well. So so what I would if you haven't tried it and you don't have the, the the list, created, I highly recommend that because, me personally, it helped me a lot. And it doesn't have to cover, as I've mentioned, the professional achievements.

It could be also great personal stuff or something that you it was really hard for you and you were able to to achieve that. That definitely helped to to build up that confidence and and then basically to to also, you know, help with with being heard and and and your voice being heard in in different situations. And then, one of the key moments in my professional journey, was also the first mentorship. So, so when basically I, like, you know, obviously continue grow, I kind of felt that that I am very much alone, and and I'm doing the job as much, you know, in the best possible way. But I was, like, you know, missing the external perspective and and sometimes some advice. So then I applied for the mentorship program. My first mentor was the country manager of Google, many years back.

And I must be honest, like, you know, every session that I had with her, I was mentally exhausted. Like, I must say that I was so like, you know, I felt that the time I spent there, it was definitely shifting my thinking. It completely changed the approach, you know, I had until now, but it was very, very difficult, you know, parts being part of the session and mentally think completely different way. But those sessions were so valuable and helped me in growing my career significantly. And then after some time, I also started to add additional mentors. So I wanted to have a little bit more diversity in terms of the guidance and, and then and and also kind of have people with a different strength as well. So various, skills that are essential to my role, whether I'm talking the technical expertise, whether I'm talking the communication and negotiation skills. So all of that was super important.

And those mentors provided me with the career guidance. They gave me sometimes the feedback, you know, when I asked, you know, on my skills or my performance. Sometimes even when I assigned for some key strategic projects, they were able to guide me a bit and and give the feedback on that. So I would definitely highly recommend, if you don't have those yet, definitely identify your potential mentors. Those could be within your organization. It could be outside of the organization in your broader professional network. And and and having also the male and female mentors, you know, will help and give you a little bit more variety in terms of the different perspectives and the unique, you know, insights that you get. So so look at the, you know, programs within the company.

You can look at outside, you know, ask your friends or ex colleagues, you know, who can support and, and definitely give some advice in terms of, you know, what mentorship programs are great. And then, basically, I've done all of that. Then I started to give back as well. So basically, from Menti, I become a mentor and so and and felt that I definitely need to give back and support other colleagues as well. And so and I know that there are a lot of mentorship programs that are mainly touching the the current, population that are actively working. But I'm also suggesting, if you are considering be a mentor, looking at the universities, looking at the little bits, in brackets, younger generation. And, and the reason why I'm saying that, let me let me share with you one one story, that actually happened a few months ago.

I have a 13 year old daughter and a typical daughter that age, talking a lot, you know, extremely extrovert. But, she came back from school and saw it was completely different feeling, and and something happened. When I asked her, she pretty much shared a story. She was talking to her classmate, like a boy guy that basically they discussed something. When probably they were a little bit longer in that discussion and and maybe that he didn't know what to respond, he he responded to her, go back to the kitchen where you belong. And she was so frustrated. You know, she she asking me the questions like, why he mentioned something like that? She obviously doesn't see and have that experience, you know, in in our ecosystem. So, you know, I have my career, My husband always supporting me.

I'm supporting my husband as well. So so so I try to explain, and I'm trying to get her confidence back as a as a as a being in that, like, quite critical age. So mentoring kids, you know, and and being the role model and and share great, great examples of the successful female leaders. I believe it's so important for the kids. And and just to to to kind of understand, those kids' students are going to enter the labor market in the few years. And I strongly believe that if if we are able to influence that approach and the way of thinking while they are a little bit more even agile and and kind of accepting that that feedback is is so important. So so that's just one one suggestion.

You know, in case you are considering becoming the mentor, definitely highly recommend to, to be a mentee, as I mentioned, getting little bit more perspectives. And at least for me personally, the mentorship programs helped me with being heard, to be a little bit more confident, to build my experience, and also to give me the opportunities then to help others as well. If I go beyond the mentorship program and look a little bit wider, I've come to understand that I also need to build up the strong network. Supportive individuals are so critical for your career. And these connections not only give you the, the supports, but they can also help you to be heard in the situation when you need that support. So so my suggestion and recommendation is definitely find someone who understand your world and you can, reach out to if you need.

And those could be the people on your level. It could be small, senior, or on the other hand, more junior to you as well. But creating those, informal networks, whether those are like a physical lunches, coffee, or virtual one, doesn't really matter. It's now very much a hybrid world we are living at, is definitely important because to have that relationship with the broader profession, even within the different fields, is so great. And the the networking is not just about, the professional growth. It's about the personal support as well. So so, you know, if you have someone you can, like, tap into when you need help, definitely can make a significant difference. So so think about, you know, the, the network, the team, that you have, you know, around you.

And if if not and sometimes, you know, you know, people are not that confident doing that and and making the effort to connect with someone regularly. But definitely do that, because I believe that it's, it's it's super important. Even today, it's such a great opportunity to network, to exchange experience, whether you do it through the chat or then you connect after after the sessions. But these interactions can lead into such a valuable collaboration and sometimes even the friendship that can definitely, enrich both the professional as well as the the the person life. And so and I I I strongly believe that the most diverse network you have, like, you know, from the experience perspective, different fields perspective, it definitely gives you more opportunities. You will have to learn and grow.

And so if I if I just move on to to some other lesson or or something that's pretty much I learn as I as I progress my my career, I found that the most impactive way, how we can thrive and assure that's, that our voices are heard is by supporting each other. And I know that that's what we are doing also here, while sharing the experiencing and and experiences and learning from each other and, and trying to create a more inclusive and supportive work environment. But, you know, one of the thing that I believe we can also use for supporting each other, and let me share with you one practical and an example that happened to me. I must say that that was the situation a few years back when it happened to me personally, and my colleague at that time helped me a lot. That's something that I pretty much adopted and doing in these days in case I am in those situations. It doesn't necessarily be only in your work environment, but also outside.

I often find myself in the meetings, where basically we have different colleagues or different people, whether are male or female, discussing on the, the various topics. And sometimes, I believe and not you know, I I mean it with the with all respects, to, to our male colleagues, but the female are, sometimes a little bit shy and maybe not that speaking up that much as as as we should. And, and so I was in the situation where I was sharing the idea. I believe it was a great idea at that time, but I was probably not clear enough what I mean, and so I was probably also not loud enough. Shortly, what happened is, you know, it was somehow like it was overlooked. People were not reacting to whatever I was saying. Then my, at that time, male colleague pick up my idea and start presenting that as idea of his as his own.

And what my colleague done at that time, she pretty much stopped that person saying, it's great, and I'm now making this up. Like, it's a it's a great, Peter, for example, that you are sharing that. I believe it's the same what Natalie mentioned just few minutes ago. And she turned the focus on me and said, Natalie, can you elaborate a little bit more what you meant, and and and and let's let's give it a little bit more time so so we understand, you know, your point. And I started so first of all, I was included. I was back in the meeting. I was heard. Then I was obviously also more confident because I started to share what I meant. The brilliant thing that the colleague done at that time once I finished, she turned the focus on Peter, and it's a fake name.

It's I don't know what was the name of the guy. I don't remember, but the person. And, and she asked him, is there anything else you would like to add on top of what Natalie mentioned? So he was included as well. And he added some some other bits and pieces into that. And but doing that, I believe we support, each other and helping build the confidence of us, of our colleagues. And it's so critical to to to acknowledge and amplify each other's contributions and ensuring that everyone gets the recognition they deserve. So I believe that this approach, and it was such an amazing learning for me, because it doesn't foster a sense of belonging, but it also encourage the culture of mutual respect and collaboration.

So when I was in that situation, and it's it's it's few years back, Whenever I am in the similar situations and whether it's, as I've mentioned, in the personal life or in the professional life, I'm using that technique or the, you know, experience that I had. And it's, and it's bringing you back the people who are your you support as well, and and and then also growing your network. So so that's another example. Think of that whether that's something that you would like to, to test and practice in case you are in such a situation in the future. One more thing that's all of more that I would like to add. How basically to stay, I would say, more relevant and really to be heard. Especially, it's such a pressure in today's fast paced industry, especially in the technology. I believe that the continuous learning is so essential in staying relevant. Investing into your ongoing education, not one, you know, curves here and there, but continuously.

Looking at your skills and how you can develop those, it definitely enhance your own capabilities and position yours your yourself as adaptable and forward thinking individuals. So So that basically, that stuff demonstrates your dedication to your personal growth and professional excellence, and definitely is highly valued by any organization. So what I'm doing, and I'm not saying it's a best practice, that's what I do, and obviously, everyone can find slightly different way. But there are some peak and quiet period, right, during the, during the the year. I typically take the quiet period around Christmas. As I said, that's me. It it's not that what what I'm suggesting, but I barely get any phone calls or Teams calls within the organization. I barely get any email. So I'm using that as a opportunity to upscale myself with a little bit more difficult certifications, for example, or something that takes a little bit more time.

So last December, I completed the 60 black green belt certification, which was quite time consuming, I must say. A lot of different assessments than, obviously, the certification at the end and a lot of learning and so and and absorbing a lot of information. But, but I was, you know, kind of interlinked committed that I I need to do that. Then regularly, whatever you have the access to, you know, or I have the access to, I'm basically looking at whether those are some different reports or there are so many different podcasts that you may, you may potentially use, whether it's within, your scope of work or even outside.

But, but, basically, what I'm I'm trying to do is to really keep myself relevant for the organization. So I know basically what's happening on the market. I'm informed about the industry trends. So basically, also more knowledgeable you are, more confident you are. Because when you attend any meeting, you know the stuff that basically, you can contribute to because you are constantly upskilling yourself. Then I believe last but not least are your achievements. This is something that I need to upscale myself. That's not part of my DNA. Promoting achievements and some stuff that you accomplished, and it's so important and critical. I believe that especially women tend to downplay the accomplishments. And so and so if you don't do it, no one else will do it for you or barely someone will do it for you.

And, and I believe that the recognition definitely validates your effort in influence your career as well, your progression into the different roles, or even assigning yourself into the different projects. You need to advocate for yourself. As I've mentioned, no one will do it, and even I am failing in that. Let me share with you one example because it was a massive achievement and I almost didn't do anything about that. It was couple of years back, I I pretty much volunteer in one project. It was around the talent marketing, part. It was a project where we, there were some KPIs set up, what what needs to be done. The internal team, as well as outside of my team, started to work on something. One of the metrics was the increase of the visits to our recovery site.

And at the end of the the project, and so I've been monitoring that for some time, we overachieved the the KPIs. We achieved the increase of 263% year over year increase in terms of the audience that we are getting to the carrier site. I look at the numbers and then I move on. Then basically I realized, Oh my God, this is all wrong. I need to celebrate it because of me, because of the team who was involved, because we cannot just move on. Then I create the one pager, very simple document, like really one pager for my manager, and then to inform him what was done and how and what was achieved. Then basically, I use different groups where basically I shared that achievement as well.

Then even I applied and submitted that for the Entity Data Awards, which is like a regular awards, big thing within the organization that different teams can apply with the interesting projects and something that they delivered. Then I even went external. I submitted with the one very prestigious organization. I submitted that as a program, and we were recognized externally as well. We got the badge, we got the awards for that one. My recommendation and pretty much the last suggestion that I would have, definitely never take any accomplishment as granted or as a standard. Regularly promote yourself, promote your team, your work, what what you have done because it's so important, and that will also help to build again your confidence and you to have more inner power to to to be heard and and and speak and and and be heard with your voice. So if I just very quickly summarize, I know that time flies. Definitely, it's about your confidence, about the mentorship, supports, and creating the network.

And then a lot of learning that needs to be done and your achievements as well that needs to