Joanne and I met many years ago at Microsoft. Reorganization’s were quite common at Microsoft and Joanne joined the OEM sales team as Chief of Staff and I held the role of Senior Business Manager, working for her and our VP. Over the years we worked together we learned a lot from each other, taught each other many things and all in all had a good working relationship which continues today.
Joanne brings a variety of positives to any company not the least of which is her ability to define, discuss and detail diversity. As any discussion on diversity today will tell you, we still have a long way to go. Joanne has some thoughtful input on this topic. Please enjoy the following interview with Joanne.
You have been involved in corporate America for over 20 years. Tell me a little bit about the highs and lows of your career thus far.
The highs of my career have come when I can make a lasting impact for the good. An example would be working to create the Gates Challenge which ultimately endowed United Way of King County with over $200 million to fund their community impact outcomes over the long-term.
My lows have come through disappointments in the people and leaders I have worked with. These scenarios usually relate to the times when I have seen people treated unfairly.
You have been consistently involved in community outreach and diversity. Why is being involved on a personal level important to you?
My life goal is to make a difference in the world through using my assets to drive positive change. This aspiration coupled with early family examples mapping to helping others leads me to believe that we can all make a positive difference through engaging in our communities.
My focus on Diversity comes from having been a military child who lived in Germany and around the USA. Faced with having to deal with continual change and often being the new person, I learned early the sting of being an outsider. This insight leads me to feeling compassion for others and a desire to decrease the distances between us.
I also learned that my transitions were easier if I could focus on the similarities, I have with others instead of the differences.
How did your success in corporate America prepare you for this work?
Working with others in mutually successful ways is one of my strengths. I approach each person assuming their bucket is full. On some level, the real goal for Diversity programs is to enable everyone to be seen and valued as who they are. I’ve worked hard to do this and its core in my work with others.
What did you find most challenging about your various roles in corporate America? What did you find most rewarding?
I’ve had lots of jobs and find that the challenge of getting my arms around the role—really seeing the opportunities and gaps in front of me—is the most essential and difficult task. Core here is understanding the political tea leaves—how and why people in the environment engage with each other the ways that they do. My rewards come from having positive impact on people and systems coupled with achieving the established goals.
In addition to your roles in Fortune 500 companies, you have also been involved extensively with board work for a variety of companies. How has your work as a board member impacted your ability to be a better participant in corporate America? What impact has you work with diversity and inclusion had on your work as a board member?
I believe all my experiences combine to make me the person and leader that I am. I joined my first board at age 24 and see board experience as another way to give-back and grow. I am always striving to see the world with open, clear eyes that are non-judgmental of others. My board experiences provide insights into organizations and cultures coupled with additional ways to develop and learn. These experiences have combined to give me insights from vantage points that I would not have had otherwise (without board service).
Think ahead to five years from now. Where do you envision you would like to be?
At this point in my life, I hope to be happy, healthy and continuing to grow. I also want to be helping younger women on their journeys by sharing my perspective.
You’re a busy person. Businesswoman, mom, wife, board member. How do you measure success while achieving work life balance?
I don’t really have “balance” and live with a goal of striving to feel that I did my best each day. There are days when I am discontent due to my own humanity—need to rest, being overloaded or being distracted—and need to do better the next day. I strive to take the long view—ask myself how did the week turn out—instead of the day? Have I been able to make the people close to me feel valued? Did I use my time well? How is my spirit feeling? Am I sleeping well? Now it’s about taking it day- by-day.
Having affective role models is important for both men and women. What advice can you offer others to ensure we leverage both being role models and having role models? What figure has influenced you the most in your life?
My role models were close at home. Parents, grand-parents, siblings, cousins and family. Teachers were key. From there, the people I read about—Amelia Earhart, Madame Currie, Harriett Tubman, Madame C.J. Walker and many others. As a fairy tale reader, Cinderella was always close in my head. When I was young, there were fewer examples of prominent Black women. I connected with role models in my world and found great inspiration from the many books I read. As a 4th grader, I set—and came close to achieving—a goal of reading every fairy tale in our local library. My head was full of dreams, parables and visions of possibility.
What are the top 1-3 pieces of advice you would give your 20-year-old self?
1) Push yourself to excel—even if you’re not sure you can. 2) Dream big and work hard to make these visions come true. 3) Marry someone who has values like yours.
What is the best advice you would give hiring managers to ensure they create and maintain a spirit of inclusion and diversity?
Having a diverse slate of interviewers and candidates is top of mind. Of course, it all works better if the company leaders are diverse so people see folk like them can be successful in that environment.
If you could change one idea about diversity and inclusion, what would it be?
Diversity and inclusion maps to all of us—not just people of color—and so many aspects of our differences aren’t visible. Recently, I was part of a panel interviewing a candidate who looked like a white man. Toward the end of the discussion when he was asked about Diversity, he told us his mother is Black—and I’d never have known without him sharing this since he looked Caucasian/white. It was a reminder that we really can’t tell who people are until we know their stories.
How may people connect with you?
The best way to connect to me is via LinkedIn.
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