Unveiling Your Authenticity: Being Seen, Valued and Heard at Northwestern Mutual

MILWAUKEE, WI / ACCESSWIRE / May 10, 2024 / Northwestern Mutual:

Originally Published by Northwestern Mutual on May, 2, 2024

Feeling like you're valued for who you are and what you contribute is important at work. But it doesn't always come easily. There isn't a magical point in time where a lightbulb goes off and you feel heard and accepted. It's a constant journey.

We recently heard from several employees at Northwestern Mutual's internal WISE Women's Summit - attended by over 2,400 employees live and virtually -- on how to stay true to yourself, how to take advantage of the people around you who are willing to invest in you, and how to use the resources in front of you to build your career over time. All to ensure you are seen, valued, and heard.

ON BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

Sheila Jackson, Lead Product Manager

It's so important to make your presence known. When you're at the table, ask questions, have conversations with people outside of meetings, set up coffees, let people around you know what your interests are and what your aspirations are. That's how you build those relationships that are critical to helping you in your career.

ON ADVOCATING FOR YOURSELF AND CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT YOU CAN THRIVE IN

Kindle Robison, Assistant Director Systems Engineering

This was a very hard lesson for me to learn, and I'm still working on it, but you are responsible for actively participating in creating the environment that you need to succeed. You have to be authentic in order to do that. What I mean by that, is when you're in a meeting and someone talks over you, or someone makes you feel like an "other," you have to speak up. It's your responsibility to advocate for yourself and to have those hard conversations. And slowly but surely it becomes a little bit easier, it's not as uncomfortable, and you'll have the environment you need to succeed because the stuff that makes you pause, the stuff that makes you feel bad, isn't going to be there as much anymore.

ON OVERCOMING THE FEAR OF BEING DIFFERENT

Monali Mardikar, Assistant Director Software Engineering

I was born and brought up in India. And when I was a 7th grader, I encountered computers for the first time. I was so fascinated by them, that then and there I decided I wanted a career in computers. But when I was starting out I was the only girl. Then later, after moving to London and then United States after that, I still remained different. I was from India, I was a different color, a different ethnicity, a woman. And coming to work was frightening for me. But I had a leader who recognized I wasn't being myself, that I was afraid, and he told me "you're doing well, you can't doubt yourself." And having that mentor gave me the courage to keep going and overcome that fear. I knew I was there for a reason and the relationships I built around me at work helped me find courage.