An excerpt from the book How to Be a Woman in Technology
Blog Post By Cheryl O’Donoghue MS,…
A sign of an emotionally intelligent leader is knowing when to chill…and how to do it. On one of my first phone meetings with Raquel Wiley, the focus for Chapter 8 in How to Be a Woman in Technology, she asked if I could hold for just a moment while she turned off her music. I then came to find that she uses music, especially jazz and gospel, to help her to “tune in and get realigned” with her own personal energy. It also helps her “get the noise out” of her oftentimes crazy, hectic day, allowing her to focus on the positive outcomes she seeks to accomplish. What a fabulous leadership strategy! Raquel is filled with sage advice. From taking chances in life, to holding herself accountable for her choices, she’s learned much and has a sincere desire to serve others by sharing her story.
Now, here’s the excerpt:
“I believe in being transparent and in sharing some of my personal stories—good, bad, and neutral—that helped shaped me into the go-getter that I am today,” relates Raquel. “And I have a real passion to serve and assist younger women on their journey. Another young lady may be challenged by the same things I experienced, and maybe she’s worried about not making it or not having other options. It may be a little difficult at times, and the journey will be different, but I want her to know that if I could do it, she can do it, too.”
Raquel is a big believer in taking chances and owning your life and the decisions you make. She authentically lives Irene Kassorla’s quote, “You must have control of the authorship of your own destiny. The pen that writes your life story must be held in your own hand.”
“Having my daughter at a very early age made me who I am today. She made me grow up. She made me more determined than ever. Failing her was not an option.”
“I took a chance and made one of the biggest decisions in my life when my high school sweetheart and I got pregnant in my first year of college, and we got married and started a family,” Raquel shares. “We could have made so many other decisions, but we took a chance.”
Raquel continues, “That decision grounded me a lot faster than if I would not have had my daughter at the time. Life got serious for me very quickly. Having my daughter at a very early age made me who I am today. She made me grow up. She made me more determined than ever. Failing her was not an option.”
Taking that chance also ultimately led to Raquel having the career she has today, though there were a few twists and turns along the way. Raquel opted to forgo her bachelor’s degree studies and pursue a two-year computer programming certification. It was right before the beginning of the dot-com era, and computers were booming. She wanted to make a choice that would provide career growth opportunities so she could take care of her family—as fast as possible. Upon receiving her credentials, she was determined to be debt free and pay off her college loans. She hadn’t received an offer to work as a programmer and was feeling the pressure to get a job. That pressure led her to take an excellent-paying job with AT&T’s customer service contact center team. Though she did well in her customer service role and was tapped to participate in the contact center’s leadership program, she still had her eyes on a technology career. Two years later her opportunity came when she was presented (and accepted) an offer to work for IBM as an AS400 specialist working with California universities.
At AT&T Raquel learned the basics of being a business professional, how to be accountable and seek additional knowledge. At IBM, she learned that having variety and change in her work was important to her. “IBM helped me put things in place and start setting my mark to build a career and not just a job. I would have stayed with them, but the long daily commute kept me from my family, and another good opportunity presented itself to return to AT&T, though in a different capacity. With this new opportunity, I was able to work my way up through the ranks, over the ranks, and into a different functional area, and I eventually landed in technology marketing. I’ve been with TPx now for seven years, and I can tell you that no two days are the same, no two interactions are the same, no two scenarios are the same…and I love it.”
“Yet, wherever you find yourself in your career, I really do believe that you have to learn how to take some risks and be okay with the outcome, especially if it’s not what you expected.”
While Raquel advises women to take chances, she also recognizes that some women will be hesitant, and for good reason. (Continued…)
To read Raquel’s complete chapter, How to Be a Woman in Technology is available on Amazon. All royalties earned from book sales are donated to Mission Sisters Who Work to help fund the nonprofit’s emotional intelligence programs, in addition to scholarships for underserved women pursuing business and STEM training, certification, and college education programs.
Cheryl O’Donoghue, MS is a longtime executive, author, and emotional intelligence leadership champion. In 2016 she began a series of personal and professional reinvention “reboots” which led to her leaving a productive career as a chief communications officer. She gave away most of her worldly possessions, moved out west to be closer to family, and began to write books focusing on emotional intelligence leadership. How to Be an Emotionally Intelligent Leader (while Crushing Your Goals) was just published; How to Be a Woman in Technology (while Focusing on What Matters Most) was released last year; and How to Be a Woman in Business (while Being True to Yourself) was published in 2018. All royalties from book sales go directly to support the humanitarian nonprofit Mission Sisters Who Work.
Mission Sisters Who Work was co-founded by Cheryl in 2018. Mission Sisters provides women self-empowerment and emotional intelligence resources, as well as scholarships needed to help take charge of their lives, so they are well-equipped to close their own gender, opportunity, and pay gaps. The organization has a special focus on serving those from underprivileged communities interested in business or STEM careers.
Cheryl also founded Emotional Intelligence Leadership Resources—a training, communications, and coaching company that transforms organizations and the results they achieve through proven emotional intelligence leadership practices. Philanthropy has played a prominent role throughout Cheryl’s life. All royalties earned from her book sales go to women served by Mission Sisters Who Work, in addition to a portion of all earnings from her work through Emotional Intelligence Leadership Resources.