And being a part of this conversation and this conference. So let's just jump right in. My name is Selu Gupta.I'm an engineering manager at Tektronix, and the title of my talk today is give yourself permission to lead. Alright. So how did it get started? Why would I name my presentation what I did? So, about seven or eight years ago, I was exploring this opportunity to step into leadership, find a new role for myself, understanding where my career was gonna take me. And, you know, I was doing some things, trying to figure all of this out. And then I, you know, talked to one of my coworkers who, was a leader, was in a general manager role.

And as she was leaving the company to go to another better, opportunity, I asked her, so what do you think I should be doing, you know, to as I I move forward in this career, and focusing on leadership, wanting promotions? What do you think I should do? And her feedback to me at that time was that, you know, Selu, you're doing everything right, and you are a leader. You have those leader instincts. The only thing missing is that you just need to give yourself permission to lead. And that just really hit me heavy. It's like, what what are you saying? And she just repeated that. It's like, you need to give yourself permission to lead. And that one sentence really changed how I saw myself and really changed my perspective on how I was gonna move forward as a leader and develop my career and develop myself in the process. So first step in in this journey was really just, you know, accepting my reality, which came with some harsh truths. I I won't deny that.

And, you know, some of the things that I learned was, you know, I am an introvert. If any of you, have read the book Quiet, it was recommended to me, and I read it, and I I read it, I'm like, oh my goodness. I'm an introvert. I've been an introvert my whole life. I just didn't know that. And there are certain qualities that are that come with being an introvert that, you know, is is may be, limiting in some ways. So understanding what those things might be and working on them and finding ways to overcome those limitations is really what the strength, requires. Culture and tradition have an impact on how I show up. I'm South Asian Indian.

And as as, you know, outgoing and nontraditional as my parents were in raising me, I still, you know, grew up with a lot of traditional expectations. And, you know, they they play a role in how you show up and what you think you're capable of doing or what you think you should be doing. And, that's just something that you have to really understand and and accept. It's okay. You know? It's it's just how humans are wired. And, but understanding that and knowing that allows you to do something about it. And, that was a that was a pretty interesting discovery I made about myself. Impostor syndrome, I know it's talked about a lot. Is it real? Is it not real? For me, I feel it was real. Being a woman in a very male dominated field as an electrical design engineer, Mostly the only female on my teams.

I was the only female in all of my engineering school classes. And, that I just thought differently. I solved problems differently. I designed differently. And, you know, it just kind of made me wonder, am I really even doing this right? Am I really supposed to be an engineer? What if somebody finds out I'm not solving these things the same way? I'm getting the the result that everybody's expecting. And those constant doubts, you know, have always been a part of my career. And accepting that and understanding is like, wait a second, but I'm here. Right? I went through engineering school just like everybody else. And, you know, working on that reality and developing from it was really important. Another thing I learned after, you know, working in the industry for a few years is that, you know, sometimes you feel like, oh, you know, I'm I'm gonna work really, really hard and my work will speak for itself.

The reality that, came there was that, you know, you your work will speak for itself, but that's not all that will speak for itself. You have to speak for yourself. You have to let everybody know what you're doing, how you're doing it, problems you have solved. Unless you share that knowledge, nobody's really going to know it. Right? And, that was a that was a reality that I I also had to accept. I and being an introvert, that that kinda scared me too. So, yeah, we'll get to that in a little bit. And finally, the realization that no one is coming to save me. You know, that's part two of the previous bullet where, you know, thinking about all the opportunities, was like, well, why why didn't they know, right, that I am capable of doing this thing?

Why did I not get this lead opportunity, or why did I not, get this project? And, I was just hoping that somebody would just magically, see all of my skills and talents and everything I bring to the table and take me to that position, take me to that place where I would be, you know, that's where I need to be. Right? And so that realization that, you know, nobody is really gonna come to save me. I'm gonna have to do what I have to do. I'm gonna have to be the change to in order to move forward. And, these are some of the things that really helped me. It was a lot of self reflection, but, also, it helped me understand who I am and how to move forward, with these things that now I knew about myself and how to overcome them and become the leader that I wanted to be. So another interesting thing that, I think I learned, along the way is that, you know, leadership is a journey.

You know, I was thinking of, well, leadership, I'm gonna get promoted. I'm gonna have this title and then that title. But leadership really is a journey. It's not something that happens overnight. And this is something you have to work towards. If you are reading a book, if you are creating a plan, if you don't have action behind it, if you don't have a process behind it, there really nothing is gonna happen. You are not gonna move forward. So leadership is learning. Leadership is taking action. Leadership is learning from your actions and then doing more actions. And it takes it like I said, it doesn't happen overnight, but, you know, continuous actions will eventually lead you to the place where you want to be as a leader. And it may be a title. It may be a position of, leadership and ownership. It it just depends what you're looking for. But it is a journey.

It's it's not something that happens overnight. So, you know, the how how can I share what I've learned with you? So these are some steps that I would encourage, based on my own journey. Of course, this is not, you know, said and done. This is just my own experience and things that I know that I've been able to, you know, develop in myself, learn for myself, and also some of the folks that I've been mentoring that I've shared the same information with them, and it has helped them too. So just going into that a little bit. So first up is, you know, if you want to be the change, you have things need to start with you. That is my biggest discovery in this whole process is that, you know, there's, you know, the the work environment, the industry, the world, so many things happening around us. But, you know, when when you're moving towards this leadership journey, the first step is change with you, how you show up, how you think, what you bring to understanding what you bring to the table, and, then moving forward.

So first step in being the change, understand your story. I mean, I've told you a little bit about the truths that I had to face and understand and and, you know, self reflection. And that is something I would recommend to you. Just understanding who are you? I mean and what are your strengths and weaknesses? We all have them. Sometimes we recognize them, sometimes we don't. And just taking a little bit of time, looking at situations that, you know, stand out to you in your career, take a look at those, understand what your strengths and weaknesses are. How do you work as a team? How do you inspire others? How do you show up for other folks?

And, you know, that is essentially a lot about what leadership is, is providing that path. Right? Providing that support. And so understanding how you do it or how you would like to do it is is really important. And then, you know, why do you want to lead? I mean, if you're in an, you know, in an design role, in an individual contributor role, and you are looking to move into a more challenging leadership opportunity or leadership role, why do you wanna do it? You need to understand that because when you have that why in your pocket and you understand it, that will give you strength and power to actually move forward and deal with the, you know, the uncertainties and uncomfortableness that may come through in this process. And, you know, also take a look at the managers that you've had. Which manager really had an impact on you? How did they lead? And, which manager did not really resonate with you?

And and learn from all of those things and kind of come up with your own personal, leadership style that you would like to become. Be the leader that you would like to become. Right? So the next part of being the change is being confident. I once again, you know, being a part of this very technical, male dominated industry, it's not always easy to be confident, to speak up, to believe in yourself because there's always that self doubt. Right? Did I am I really an engineer? Am I doing everything that I'm supposed to be doing? Is this the right way to do it? But, you know, there's a point where you just have to believe in yourself. Believe in your skills. Believe in what you bring to the table. And as you move forward in your career, believe in your experience, things that you've experienced, things that you have learned, people you've interacted with.

All of these are contributing to the person you are and to the leader that you will be, and that is something that you need to own. Right? And, and especially as an introvert and especially as a woman in STEM, like I mentioned, these are things that you really need to just, it it's not the easiest thing to do. I will be the first, to admit that because, you know, as it's just hard, right, thinking about yourself, believing in yourself, understanding that, you know, I've got these skills and I know how to use them. It takes a little bit of stepping outside your comfort zone, if you will, to to really just own a lot of that. I'm not talking about arrogance in any way, but just, you know, believing in yourself at a very simple basic human level. And that little bit of confidence will grow into a little bit more confidence.

And slowly, you will see how, you will show up as a more confident person and more and people see that. Look around yourself. Look at the leaders that you may be working with. You the reason that you may be drawn to them is because of their confidence. They don't have all the answers. They may not always be right, but they are, you know, confident in what they are trying to do. Their mind is in the right place. Their mindset ends in the right place, and so they are able to move forward. The next part is, you know, being courageous. Like I said, stepping outside of your comfort zone, not easy. Not easy at all. But, you know, when if there's an opportunity where you can lead and I'm not talking about just a promotion.

Opportunity to lead, in in a project, or, you know, if you have a very specific function like the I was a hardware lead for a product development, and I that that was a leadership opportunity. Did I have direct impact, or was I managing any of the engineers directly? Could I control their performance review? No. Absolutely not. But I was leading. I was leading the design. I was leading the decision making. And that you know, you just start with those opportunities and build up. And, yeah, new accept that new situations and actions will make you uncomfortable. But as I heard in one presentation a while ago, leadership is about being comfortable with being uncomfortable, and, that is really something that will carry you forward. It's yeah. Being uncomfortable is never fun. You may even, like, be, you know, not able to, sleep sometimes because you're like, oh, I can't believe I did that.

But, you know, that's that's the first step towards growth. Never let failure or rejection define you. You are more than that. You are better than that. It's situational. Right? The more you learn, the more you practice, the more you show up, the different environments you move in, that will help get you to the success you are looking for. So don't let just one failure or rejection change your perception, change the confidence that you are building. Know that that's part of the process. And except for imperfections, you know, sometimes as women, we, are sort of programmed to to be perfect, make sure everything is in line, you know, all our ducks in a row before we do anything, make sure, or say anything. It's okay. You know, it's okay to be a little imperfect and, try these things, try new things, and, experiment to get to the, so to get to the results that you're looking for.

And make sure you have a network. Create that network, find that network, and lean on it for support. Ask for help. Don't be afraid to ask for help and, get feedback early and often so that you know how to adjust and move forward. And finally, as part of being the change, be authentic. Don't change who you are. What you bring to the table is really what the world is looking for. There's nobody else in the world like you. I know you've probably heard that a a million times, but sometimes we think that our uniqueness, is really our shortcoming, but, really, our uniqueness, our authenticity is really our power. Right? Because our experience is our own.

They have shaped us, into who we are, and there's nobody else in the world out there who's had the same experiences that we have. And so, you know, just owning that, believing in that, and appreciating that, is really what this is all about. And the more authentic you are, the more you are, you know, comfortable in your skin. It will show up in your confidence. It will show up in your courage and, you know, lead you down that path of becoming the leader that you want to be. So this is a quote that, if you've read Indra Noohi's autobiography. So this is a quote that I I love. The an important attribute of success is to be yourself. Never hide what makes you you, and that is really powerful, and it speaks to authenticity.

And if you've, you know, had the chance to read that book, it is, you know, an incredible journey, of where she started and, you know, her her years as the CEO of Pepsi. And, you know, through it all, she stayed authentic to herself with lots of lessons learned along the way, but it's it's a really great study if if you are interested in reading that. Also, you know, part of being authentic is, like, know that you are not a fixed personality. There's some psychological studies that say that, you know, people change their personality every seven years, which, you know, that that could be true. But realize that what that is saying is that you're not in a box. You you're allowed to change. You're allowed to grow. You're allowed to improve and become somebody that you may not be right now.

And maybe all of those things are already inside you, and they just need to come out. Or maybe there are skills that you need to work on and develop that take you to that place of where you want to be and who you want to be, but that doesn't mean that you can't do it. You're not defined by the person you are in today's snapshot. You have the freedom to become and change and improve and grow as you feel needed. And, one of the key things also that I I truly believe in is, like, choose your own power and not somebody else's. So when you're authentic, true to yourself, who you are, you will be looking at your powers, your strengths, your skills, and really thriving because of that. If you look at somebody else's and try to be like them, that's not your story. You don't own that. You don't own that why that they have.

So how could you really own their actions or their story? So, just know that, you know, what you bring to the table is really, really important. Who you are as a person is very, very important. And that is the key to becoming the leader that you want to be. So as I conclude, what what are next steps? You know, this is a quote from, Jim Morrison. Expose yourself to your deepest fear. After that, fear has no power. And I included that quote in my presentation because I know and I feel it and I live it every day. You know, we all go through a lot in our lives. There's always fear at the next step, at the next new thing. But the moment we stop fearing and and kind of telling ourselves, no matter what, I will come out of this.

No matter what, I know that I have the skills and the resiliency to know what to do next in case this doesn't go my way. Or on the flip side, sometimes we fear, you know, the success. Like, what if I'm successful? What do I do then? How do I react now? That's okay. The the fear will always be there, but making sure that that isn't the power, that you overcome it, that you move forward regardless of that fear and don't hold back because of it, that is really how you are going to move forward. Being uncomfortable, is is is part of, you know, conquering that fear. So, that would be my huge recommend. It's so hard to do. I'm the first to admit it. Overcoming those fears, like, this is is this really how I wanna do this? Do do am I brave enough? And know that you are. Right? Know that you are. You you will find a way.

And, also, you know, as part of next steps, I know I was always looking for that great leader to just, you know, tell me what to do or discover me. You know? But, you know, I also realized that, later, that I needed to be the one looking for those opportunities. I needed the one who needed to be the one who developed myself and found opportunities to to lead, to learn from those opportunities. So, you know, actively start looking for opportunities to lead and just start being a leader. Nobody's born with all of these skills or or you can't take a pill to be a leader. So look for those opportunities where you can lead and from that, take, take learnings and grow as a leader and be the leader that you would like to be.

So that concludes my presentation for today. Thank you so much for being here. I really appreciate, your time and, attendance. Thank you so much. And