Late last month, I received an email from Beckie Taylor, CEO of Tech Returners extending an invitation to the Reframe Women In Tech (WIT) at The Old Trafford Cricket Ground, Manchester.
I’ve been interested in Tech Returners' work since the end of 2021 and felt it was crucial to attend to get a real-life feel for exactly what their brand represented and understand a little more about their mission. That it was hosted at the finishing line of my one and only marathon (to date) and where my husband managed to achieve his good for age position for London Marathon 2019 made me want to attend even more. I have such fond memories associated with this area of Manchester, I knew deep down only positives would come from attending. It turns out I wasn't the only one who had a strong attachment as Beckie took the stage to open the event and shared a personal story as to why the cricket ground had called to her as a venue (Beckie - I'm sure your dad would have been beyond proud of your achievements in a place that was so close to his heart!)
To embody the essence of the day, I feel it matters to outline the journey that led me here. Over the past year, I have worked as Operations Director for a start-up marketing agency - MiM. I have a very diverse working background which has given me a plethora of experience (very similar to the experience of Amy Wild, who lead the breakout session, 'Honesty is the Best Policy: The Value in Authentic Leadership'). I know many employers view this as a negative; however, the way I and Rowan Williams (Managing Director and Founder of MiM) see it, I come with wider, transferable skills and experience. I have seen how companies across various industries work and it gives me the ability to read situations and handle them accordingly in a way others, with more vertical experience, may not. It also enables me to bring the best of each of these experiences to MiM and be able to pick up most business tasks and run with them without too much stress. Imposter Syndrome, which has haunted me previously, has stayed nicely at bay whilst working for MiM as I've been empowered to affect changes and have been supported through learning new skills. Finally, I can lead my team as, touching on Amy's session, I can impart insights from my experience for them to pull on whilst giving them the opportunity to be truthful with me as a leader within the company.
Every speaker on the day was pure class. I felt I resonated strongly with keynote speaker Sarah Ellis, Co-Founder of Amazing If, who guides people not to think of their careers as a ladder but more of a squiggling line that intersects at various points and potentially becomes knotty. At that point, we take all the skills we've embedded during the 'good times' and utilise our resilience reserves to help work through the 'knot' to untangle it and move forward. (Also, shout out to Co-Founder Helen Tupper, who it transpires managed Rowan, as mentioned earlier, during their time at Microsoft!) Also, it goes without saying that Katy Leeson, Managing Director of The Social Chain, I feel it is safe to say, spoke to the heart of every single person in the room as she spoke candidly about her career journey leading her to work for and subsequently lead the UK's number one influencer agency. Katy said of her fear of 'being found out’ and the steps she went through to manage her then crippling Imposter Syndrome. It is my honest belief that very few of us get through life unscathed by this frustrating situation, and it is always reassuring to hear even those most respected within your industry, workplace, social circles or media often can't quite believe themselves how they manage to be successful regardless of all the facts pointing towards their talent, hard work and dedication!
My biggest regret of the day was not bringing my team with me. I didn't know how this event was going to look and feel. Still, I knew within minutes of Katie White taking the stage to partake in her first real-life public speaking session, in a room of over 500 hundred people no less, that I had made a grave mistake by not signing up my colleagues. I thought of those within MiM who could benefit from seeing a young woman wracked with nerves talking about the number of times she'd broken down and pulled herself together to write a piece ready to present to the delegates at the WIT event. My regret was only compounded by Jennie Johnson, Chief Executive Officer at My First Five Years Limited. She explained the learnings and steps she had taken to create a solid team in her previous business by putting them first through a series of open-door policies and techniques which made them feel appreciated and listened to. I realised I had massively dropped the ball on this particular occasion; particularly for someone who prides myself on embedding a positive culture in any work environment I find myself in.
My overwhelming feeling of the event was gratitude. During a week in which International Women's Day had been a massive topic of discussion for our company, for many reasons, I felt this event helped to confirm my self-worth and belief in myself to excel at all walks of life. The mantra of #BelieveYouCan with the underpinning theme of being true to your authentic self, gave me food for thought on topics I'd been mulling over for some time. Conversations with the likes of break out session host Amelia Bampton (Slowing Down to Speed Up) and Panelist Parul Singh confirmed my career desires and assisted on how to overcome more personal situations such as supporting a friend with her bid to get an ADHD diagnosis.
The day's main point was to understand more about the Tech Retuners' mission, yet so much more value and depth was derived! Sarah Knight, the Breakout Host of Look After the Beating Heart of Your Business and Stay Sane, asked, 'How many of you thought you were too busy to come today?' If I'm honest, I was (am) stupidly busy (aren’t we all?), but as I'd committed to travelling from Bracknell to Manchester, I also hadn't even considered not going! And for this, I am glad. You can never put a value on taking time to learn; taking the time to sit with where you are currently and where you want to be is crucial, and many of us don't do it enough. You also can't underestimate the importance of expanding your network. You never know who you're going to meet and where (I'm looking at you, Team Spectre!) and what potential opportunities that may bring to you (personal or business).
So, my advice to anyone reading this - if Beckie Taylor invites you to something; Go! Take your team with you! You won't regret it!