ISG Digital Dish

The path to career success is not a linear one, especially for women in tech. This episode of the ISG Digital Dish explores the power of following your passion, as well as some of the inherent challenges of working in this industry, where women are still hugely underrepresented. Taylor Card, Hannah Stapleton and Allie Woodcock join host Jeanne Cuff to share about their non-linear paths to their current digital careers. Together, they discuss what is needed to ensure women entering the technology industry thrive. What are the expectations of women in tech? And what does the digital future look like for them?

In this episode of the ISG Digital Dish, Jeanne Cuff and Lois Coatney interview their new co-host Missy Lawrence-Johnston. Missy is a Culture & Change Leadership expert with a passion for organizational effectiveness and human capital optimization. She shares her insights on why she believes companies should be examining their organizational cultures, values, empathy and diversity, post pandemic and in the context of the Great Resignation.   

In 2018, ISG Partner Lois Coatney launched the ISG Women in Digital program, now run by Kimberly Tobias. Her vision was to create a group dedicated to connecting, educating, empowering and recognizing women as they navigate the changing world of business and the IT industry and make the most of their futures.

In this episode of the ISG Digital Dish, Lois, Kimberly and Jeanne Cuff are joined by Lisa Graver, who recently launched LTI’s global Women in Tech program. With Missy Lawrence-Johnston facilitating the discussion, they chat about the ins and outs of setting up such a group. What issues need considering before starting out? What are the benefits for the women involved – and for the enterprise? How can men be involved? These are just some of the questions they cover in their conversation.

In recent months, much ink has been spilled over the rising numbers of people leaving their jobs. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt the workplace and the global economy, the wave of resignations is just another sign of the change. The trend originated in the U.S. in early 2021 and has been reshaping the global labor market ever since. It has simply become impossible to ignore the statistics. Recent data shows that 4 million workers in the U.S. quit their jobs in April 2021, and another 4.4 million in September. Who is driving this shift? And why?

Join Jeanne Cuff, Lois Coatney and Missy Lawrence-Johnston as they discuss some of the staggering statistics and fall out.

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, IT industrialization was already revolutionizing the way we do business. The pandemic has only increased the need for enterprises to improve performance and efficiency to retain competitive advantage. Tune into this episode to learn how a resilient, reliable and optimized IT organization is key to improving service, productivity and overall agility.

Joining host Jeanne Cuff to discuss this topic is Leslie Scott, VP & CIO, IT Enterprise Services at Stanley Black & Decker. Scott shares her experiences and lessons learned industrializing the delivery of IT services and managing a major transition – remotely – during the pandemic. Their conversation covers other current issues common to many global enterprises, including the supply chain crisis, staffing challenges and the future of the workplace.

The differences between men and women have been the subject of thorny debates for centuries. Still today, stories can be found in the media that vastly exaggerate these differences. Yet, much of modern research fails to support many of the gender-based stereotypes with which we are all familiar. Numerous studies have shown that the differences between men’s and women’s brains are far less profound than previously thought. If these differences are so slight, then do they really matter? And how do they impact women in the workplace?    

Our guest on this episode of the ISG Digital Dish not only believes they matter, she believes they must be recognized and managed so women can thrive as leaders. Join host Jeanne Cuff as she talks to entrepreneur and executive coach Marsha Clark. Through her leadership and executive development programs, Clark has supported and empowered many women to achieve their full leadership potential. Listen in as Clark shares her insights about how women can bring their best, most authentic selves to the table. She also discusses her recently released book Embracing Your Power: A Woman’s Path to Authentic Leadership and Meaningful Relationships. 

For many thousands of people across the globe, the COVID-19 pandemic was a catalyst for starting their own business. Despite the huge risks associated with launching a new venture during a global crisis, the number of newly created businesses has increased significantly in recent months. Data from the United States Census Bureau show that in January 2021 new business creation applications increased 73% year over year. Women have been key contributors to the entrepreneurship boom. Many who lost their jobs when the virus took hold in 2020 started a business out of necessity. Others needed greater flexibility as they juggled careers with childcare and homeschooling responsibilities. A recent survey by Gusto shows that 49% of entrepreneurs in 2020 were women, up from just 27% in prior years.

In this episode of the ISG Digital Dish, host Jeanne Cuff interviews Pam Kendall, founder of Qui Collection, a U.S.-based start-up fashion brand. Born from Kendall’s lifelong passion for clothing and vintage fabric, the venture was launched just before the world was disrupted by the virus. ISG co-hosts Lois Coatney and Julie Fernandez join the discussion on how the pandemic has radically shifted the entrepreneurial environment. Today, it might be easier than ever to create a business, but our hosts firmly believe that a desire to make money is not enough for success. Entrepreneurs first and foremost need to be driven by a deep passion for their project.   

Over the past year, many working women have faced intense challenges brought on by the pandemic. This has been especially true for women who have been trying to balance their careers with the needs of young children. Working from home has certainly provided the flexibility to facilitate that balance, but it also has thrown its own challenges into the mix. As the lines between work life and personal life get blurrier, it is no wonder many women have been feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. What does this mean for women’s professional development? How can women overcome the current challenges, gain the confidence they need to make their voices heard and continue to achieve?  

Our guest on this episode of the ISG Digital Dish believes that women have much more power than they imagine. Listen in as host Jeanne Cuff talks to Maxine Nwaneri, a certified executive coach, best-selling author, international speaker and founder of The Future is Greater. Nwaneri shares her personal story of turning failures into successes, demonstrating that we can not only survive, but thrive in the face of challenge. She believes that, with the right mindset, anything can be achieved. Finding your inner wisdom and believing in yourself is the first step!       

The pandemic not only accelerated the trend to remote work but forever changed the way we think about working remotely. With more employees than ever before now regularly working from home, employers and business leaders are having to adapt their management styles to ensure they stay engaged with their teams, wherever they are based. How can managers successfully lead their teams into the post-pandemic future? And how can they overcome some of the challenges arising from the new hybrid work environment?  

Our guest on this episode of the Digital Dish is Taruna Rai, Senior Director Information Technology at Relativity. She talks to host Jeanne Cuff about her experience of managing and transitioning a large, international team through a remote working environment during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Through their discussion, we learn how a balanced and flexible approach enabled Rai to create a positive work environment, promote innovation and empower her team to thrive. 

In an age shaped by technological advancement, it is alarming to see that girls are still vastly underrepresented in STEM subjects. U.S. data shows that 74 percent of middle school girls show an interest in STEM subjects and careers, yet only 0.4 percent choose to pursue these options in college. What is creating this disconnect between girls and STEM? One key element is the scarcity of relatable female role models in STEM fields, meaning that most girls likely lack inspiration and motivation to pursue these options.

In this episode of the Digital Dish, host Jeanne Cuff talks to Madelyn Nelson, a platform software engineer at Sprout Social and instructor for the non-profit organization Girls Who Code. Listen in as they discuss the importance of improving access to STEM education for girls and women as a key part of closing the gender gap in technology. Nelson shares insights from her experience of teaching technology and offers advice to women who are thinking of getting involved but may be reluctant to take the leap.

Co-hosts Lois Coatney and Julie Fernandez join the discussion on empowering girls and women to embrace and explore careers in technology.