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Caroline Sonnen

30 September 2020

CLP – LDRS 450

Interview Assignment

A Genuine Leader

When reflecting on leaders I have had in my life I often view people who I want to

be when I grow up. I do not want to model them exactly, or even try to literally be them,

but I want to take qualities that I find very meaningful and work towards that in my own

genuine way. I often find myself looking up to women in technology as role models in

my life. As a women in technology, it can be difficult to find role models because I don’t

often see my identities represented in this space. So when I find someone I can

resonate with and have a shared experience with, I tend to hone in on that person and

want to hear their life story and any advice they have for a young woman in stem. I feel

almost that there is a mutual bond that happens automatically when I encounter another

woman in technology and it can be nice to know that even if we do not talk much, we

will defiantly keep an eye on each other and always be an advocate for one another no

matter where we are.

I chose to reach out to a leader in my life who I met over the summer. During the

summer I worked as a Software Developer Intern at Microsoft and often felt very out of

my comfort zone and challenged while in this role. The first day that I logged into my

email, I already had a message from my general manager named Laurel Reitman,
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welcoming me to the team! The general manager, I was so excited! Once I saw that the

team’s GM was female, I knew I was placed on the right team!

Throughout the summer I would pay close attention to how she would hold

herself in virtual meetings with a team of over seventy-five individuals, majority male. I

noticed sometimes people would talk over her or she would get interrupted in these

spaces. But I also noticed that she was able to take charge of a conversation by

respectfully and assertively guiding her team to an answer, which I really admired.

During our first meeting of the summer, I felt like we clicked immediately. She brought

up being a female in a male dominated community and we compared our similar

experiences. She talked about challenges she goes through and gave me advice on

how to navigate this new team. I knew from that first email we would have a long-term

relationship!

After a bit of introductory conversation, I asked Laurel if she sees herself as a

leader and if so how? At first, she started talking about how she was and currently is in

a position that gives her authority by being a general manager at Microsoft. But then

she turned this idea of being in a leadership position more into being given the

opportunity to impact people. She explained that she is in a position of power so she

can provide positive direction and be a leader in a leadership position rather than a

person with authority because they are in a leadership position.

When taking about her own leadership style, Laurel brought up the idea of

“leading without authority.” When she first mentioned this idea, it really stuck with me.

We have talked in class about the difference between having authority and being a

leader, but I never thought about it in this way. Immediately I asked Laurel to explain
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this more. She went on to discuss how there are leaders who lead with authority and

how they have to convince people to do work together and get their jobs done. Leading

without authority talks more to adaptive leadership, and how leaders can earn respect

when they choose to collaborate and fix long term problems with long term solutions. In

The Theory Behind the Practice the authors Heiftez, Grashow and Linsky explain how,

“Adaptive challenges can only be addressed through changes in people’s priorities,

beliefs, habits and loyalties.” (Heiftez, Grashow and Linsky 7) I think this really shows

what Laurel is explaining because in order to change team practices and team culture,

permanent solutions need to be implemented. It takes time for a team to adjust to new

changes and ways of working. Adaptive leaders guide others to fix solutions in a

collaborative setting and work together to reach their end goal, rather than telling people

how to fix a problem with one personal and subjective solution that will not fix the

problem long term.

Laurel and I had a similar high school experience. We were captains of sports

teams and robotics teams and she had a technical background in college, like me. She

later went on to work in project management roles and grew through a few different

companies and is currently working as a general manager at Microsoft. I have always

been striving for a similar path as hers, having technical skills but using these to help

challenge solutions and strive for the best results while working with a team of

developers.

Over the past summer, we talked a lot about the importance of a role model, and

I have always pictured this as “seeing what you want to be.” As a woman in stem it can

be hard to see this, because women are rarely seen in this field. So, like myself, Laurel
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owes a lot of her career and passion to other women she has worked with. In high

school Laurel had a math teacher who convinced her to go into a mathematics

competition. Originally Laurel would have shied away form this experience but because

her teacher was so adamant about Laurel’s math skills, she decided to join the team. I

have a similar experience where my AP Stats teacher asked me to be the team captain

of my high school robotics teams, and the only reason I accepted was because of that

teacher who continued to push me to pursue computer science. Laurel continued to

explain that in addition to having a mentor, the team culture can pay a large role in a

person’s experience. She explained how having a mentor and allies within the team, or

at least a team inspired to learn and grow into a more inclusive environment is vital. In

Your Leadership Edge O’Malley and Cebula explain, “Build relationships with others.

This is essential. The more you care about others, the more you share their

perspectives.” (O’Malley and Cebula 28) I think this is really important because the team

culture is created from within the group, changes cannot be made if the team does not

buy in as a collective whole to establish long term and lasting relationships. However,

she feels like she now has an obligation and responsibility to continue to fight no matter

what environment she is in to create more space for women in stem and to work harder

for women who will follow in her footsteps.

Laurel explained how the most important trait for a leader is the be genuine. In

Your Leadership Edge O’Malley and Cebula explain, “Human beings tend to elevate

themselves over the greater whole. Leadership happens when you do the opposite.”

(O’Malley and Cebula 79) When you lead naturally and as yourself, people will begin to

follow in your footsteps. She explained how sometimes we can take on the traits of
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people we look up to, or even change to better fit into a group of people; for example,

women in technology taking on more masculine characteristics while leading a group of

men in order to become more appealing. However, to become a stronger leader it is

important, and simpler, to be yourself. Laurel said, “All of us feel dumb, but it is

important to have a network where you can feel dumb together.” I have never related to

something more in my entire life. I often find myself in crowds or groups of people and

feeling alone because I don’t know the answer to something, or I am not understanding

a certain topic and I get struck with imposter syndrome very easily. But after talking to

Laurel, I realized the importance of being vulnerable with people who you trust. As

leaders we need to learn to be more vulnerable with each other and recognize that no

one has all of the answers no matter the position they may hold.
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Works Cited

O'Malley, Ed, and Amanda Cebula. Your Leadership Edge: Lead Any Time, Anywhere.
KLC Press, Kansas Leadership Center, 2015.

Heifetz, Ronald, Grashow, Alexander, and Linskey, Marty. The Theory Behind the
Practice: A Brief Introduction to the Adaptive Leadesrhip Framework. Harvard
Business Press, Boston MA, 2015.