Attendees and mentors alike, all mentors for each other at WiT Regatta CO-STORM 2018

Written for WiT Regatta blog.

Five years ago, Shelly Dallmann, director of Information Technology for Expedia, said she wouldn’t have felt comfortable assuming a lead role as a mentor or getting up on stage and sharing advice with others.

“I would have turned beet red and fled,” she shared.

Today, you’d never know it as her leadership skills shined as she deftly moved from one group to the next, imparting pearls of wisdom throughout the Women in Tech Regatta’s 2018 CO-STORM Interactive: Connections that Make Things Happen event April 25.

The concept of CO-STORMING originated when WiT Regatta organizer, Melody Biringer, was tapped by one of her friends as a sounding board for her business and likewise her friend reciprocated, working through Biringer’s business concerns as well.

“It gave us a chance to brainstorm for each other to help with our respective businesses, and see things we sometimes have blind spots for,” said Biringer. “And I thought hey, this could be really helpful to others.”

Since then, Biringer has organized dozens of CO-STORM events, resulting in clarity and connections for hundreds of participants.

At the April 25, 2018 Regatta CO-STORM, the more than 140 registrants comprised mostly of women and a few men were organized into tables of four at Expedia’s 645 Elliott Avenue location. In each session, participants provided an elevator speech and had about 27 minutes in “the hot seat” to share a personal or professional wish, goal or issue to work through. Group counterparts then suggested positive solutions and asked clarifying questions to help frame solutions to effect change.

Dallmann, and her 13 colleagues from various companies, then switched tables after each 30-minute period to act as moderator and proffer their own two cents. Inevitably though, the aha moments came toward the end of the participant’s turn in the hot seat.

“Like therapy, magic happens in the last minute,” espoused Biringer as the soft whir of trains passed by Expedia’s windows before the eager crowd.

As Dallmann traversed from group to group, CO-STORMERS examined everything from just starting out in the industry, shifting careers, inclusion, upward mobility, being your own advocate, allowing your team to take risks and fail, to just being a good mom.

With Expedia for about 15 years, Dallmann was amazed at the vulnerability and support she witnessed in each group, including for the mentors. “I was surprised in a safe setting how quickly participants became vulnerable with people they met five minutes ago,” said the Spokane, Wash., resident.

Intently listening to each member at the table, Dallmann made a mental note of each person’s concern and waited for everyone to share their thoughts. Then she wrapped things up and took the time to go around the table and imparted nuggets for each.

“When I was first asked to do this, I didn’t like the word mentor, as it places a lot of pressure on you to have all the answers,” related Dallmann. “Hearing that we were all mentors for each other, well that was really freeing.”

The mom of two said, it just reinforces the concept anyone can be a mentor at any time. Dallmann, herself, volunteered to be a mentor to challenge herself and continue her own self-growth and expand her connections outside her industry.

Having overcome the self-doubt of her younger years, Dallmann revealed she felt proud she could step out on that stage with confidence, as a leader and a mentor and know it’s okay not to have all the answers.

But she did have them all along as did her counterparts who at the session’s end shared gems such as:

• “Be direct about help when you need it.”
• “Blown away by the willingness and acceptance of people here today. Don’t stop. Keep it going.”
• “Look at who your influences were in your life.”
• “Don’t be afraid to take risks. Try to learn from it.”
• “It’s a great time to be a female entrepreneur, especially in tech with all the advancements in VR, Blockchain and AI. If you want to leap, take it now.”
• “When you struggle with transition, give yourself freedom to take a risk.”
• “Remain curious. Keep asking questions. Be willing to reach out and take risks.”
• “Outside of work, create some accountability with yourself or someone who cares about you.”
• “Find a collaborator, partner or friend to help you create your elevator pitch to take you to the next level.”
• “You’re all amazing and you’re not going to know until you start, so just start now.”

Dallmann finished these insights from the stage with a thought she’d raised during her table sessions, “Advocate for yourself with intention. Seek someone out to help you reach that next goal and don’t be afraid to do so. As a leader, a mentor and an individual, it really helps me assist with what you want, when I know what you’re after.”

As I Ubered home from the event and passed by Anthony’s Home Port, I glimpsed a sailboat’s Spinnaker citing, “Dare to lead.” The more than a dozen mentors and 140 participants did just that today, offering sagacity participants might never have gleaned otherwise.

Anecdotally, Dallmann noted afterwards three of the attendees from different tables she mentored have reached out post the event.

“It was really encouraging to know they felt valued enough to follow up and how quickly you can build connections. I feel like I made three great allies,” said Dallmann. “Relationships really are the true currency.”

On behalf of all those who helped make this day possible, the WiT Regatta team would like to thank all our attendees and mentors, especially Shelly Dallmann for allowing us to follow her throughout the CO-STORM event:

• Helen Bakker, VP, Technology, Expedia
• Mamtha Banerjee, director of Technology, Expedia
• Nicole Buchanan, executive director, Ada Academy
• Connie Chung, senior director, Global Product Management, Expedia
• Shelly Dallmann, director, Information Technology, Expedia
• Leslie Ekas, VP, Technology, Expedia
• Gina Fresquez, founder, Women’s Side Hustle Society
• Lori Hofmann, director, Engagement Strategies, Expedia
• Dilpreet Kaur, founder, Think.Act
• Elle Lin, director, Technology, Expedia
• Keela Robison, VP, Global Product, Expedia
• Liz Sheperd, VP, Enterprise Platforms and Services, Expedia
• Ambika Singh, CEO, Armoire
• Wendy White, VP, Marketing, Expedia

Inclusion and work life balance topped the conversation at WiT Regatta 2018’s Leading with Vision is Vital workshop

Written for WiT Regatta blog.

According to NBC’s The More You Know segment, more than half of girls say they’re interested in math and science, but only 14% are engineers.

This fact along with work life balance seemed to come up over and over at the 2018 WiT Regatta Leading with Vision is Vital session.

Initially, Theresa Schaefer, VP of Product Management at New York-based Olo, a mobile and online food ordering platform for popular restaurants such as Applebee’s (DIN), Chili’s (EAT), Five Guys Burgers & Fries, and Wingstop (WING), had thought her focus during the workshop would help her motivate her team as well as cross functional teams.

Inspired by Stephanie Landry, VP of Amazon Prime globally, she wanted to emulate the powerful female leader. “She could really rally the troops,” said Schaefer, a former Amazon team member for six years.

“I wasn’t prepared for this to take a personal bent,” said the Seattle University alumni.

That shift happened nearly immediately though as session moderators, Susan Gibson and Siraj Sirajuddin, co-founders of Temenos+Agility, kicked off the afternoon explaining why we were all there.

On deck? We were to listen to our hearts to bring out the personal vision that’s inside every one of us—let it emerge.

“It’s vital to our being and what we want every day,” shared Gibson with joy. “Building our leadership muscle is how we can articulate in a connected way. It starts with the spark in the heart.”

That catalyst is what spurred Schaefer to envision her home life, as a mom of two, including a daughter who has an avid interest in coding, and how to strike the right balance of time investment alongside the demands of the work environment.

Next, all 175 registrants were asked to divvy up into groups of 10, or our “container,” and reflect on and jot down the first thing that came to mind in terms of one’s visions, ideas, thoughts, images, words or diagrams.

True to a product manager, Schaefer chose to flowchart a scale depicting work vs. life balance as it stands today and how she might change her prioritization strategy for work requests and personal requests in the future.

Then we were given the gift of listening to each other while one-by-one, every participant revealed her personal vision. To Schaefer’s surprise, she wasn’t alone. Many fellow moms among our circle had the same worry.

“Sometimes I get up in the morning and I only have time to heat up leftover mac and cheese for my kids’ breakfast—does that make me a bad mom?” Schaefer asked rhetorically.

For the Seattle area resident, redefining what it means to be both a successful working mom and having a personal life was the key.

“Is work my life or life my work?” she again pitched open-endedly. Then she thought through aloud how she could reframe her thinking to perhaps work life harmony, weaving it in all the time to achieve balance.

“The struggle for balance is more visible to me now that the kids are older. They call me out and notice every time I prioritize work first. Before kids, I didn’t have to worry about that,” she shared.

Then, our bubble of safety expanded as we were asked to mingle and find four to six more people to share our personal vision with.

Again, mothers feeling inadequate due to imbalance with work came up frequently, as did the lack of inclusion or seeing other women in tech at respective companies. One recent college graduate, said she ended up at the Leading with Vision session by default, because her company had tickets and she was the only woman in her department.

“That’s a big issue today,” said Schaefer. “I think about my own daughter who wants to learn coding, so I signed her up for classes. But she is the only girl there and can’t really relate to the boys who are rambunctious and very loud. We have to work toward inclusion and provide role models for these girls.”

As the workshop neared its close, moderator Sirajuddin ushered us into a huge circle encompassing our entire South Lake Union Thinkspace co-working room. Coincidentally, a float plane took off in the backdrop of the windows as he said, “Now. In our circle, cite your vision aloud. If you fly, we’ll catch you.”

With confident voices, each attendee took turns disclosing her vision.

What started as a professional, continuing ed opportunity for Schaefer, ended with a personal breakthrough.

“Hearing I’m not the only one who has these concerns about the perceived societal definition of a “good mom” versus an introspective definition, makes me feel like I’m a lot closer to work life balance than I thought,” she said.

And with moms who are so self-aware and committed to improving their lives at home and within the workplace for women, perhaps Schaefer’s daughter will see a day when 50% of girls not only like math and science, but go on to become engineers and scientists. We can envision it.