The lessons I gained from my desk helped me find my voice at UG2
Even in the midst of the pandemic when travel is restricted, UG2 gave me the opportunity to learn important leadership and development lessons from an inspiring conference—without having to leave my desk.
In early October, I attended virtual sessions of the Texas Conference for Women, a forum that covered larger management and career issues, with a particular focus on the challenges that women face in the workplace. In addition to learning the importance of vision, creativity, vulnerability, and productivity, I found numerous takeaways, apart from the content of the conference itself:
- I’m not alone. This was my first conference, and the fact that it had so many sessions that resonated deeply with me made me realize why people attend conferences in addition to networking. I often identified with the challenges that were being discussed, and that made me feel understood and seen.
- Knowledge is meant to be shared. Several other women at UG2 also attended the conference from their desks, and we ended up swapping notes and having discussions about what we learned. This way, we had the benefit of getting knowledge from numerous sessions, but even more than that, the conference provided an opportunity to really share with one another.
- Access to growth and development is essential. Because UG2 gave us this chance to attend the conference, it emphasized the Company’s commitment to career development and skills growth for everyone in the organization. That made me feel supported and highlighted the fact that my career is important not just to me, but also to my team and the Company.
Of course, there were numerous lessons during the conference sessions as well. For example, as a woman of color, I appreciated the keynote by Issa Rae, an actress, writer, and producer, and her thoughts on being unafraid of “showing your hustle” and trusting in yourself.
I also soaked up breakout sessions on career advancement that offered suggestions like making small improvements to achieve bigger goals, embracing messy feelings so you’re not forcing yourself to be positive all the time—that’s a recipe for burnout—and recognizing when perfectionism is getting in your way.
That last one is an issue I struggle with in particular, since I’m a first-generation graduate, a minority, a woman, and working in a field that is traditionally male-dominated. The speakers at the conference helped me understand that it’s okay to feel overwhelmed, and struggle, and still show up as a professional.
This conference, and conferences like it, offer such a valuable opportunity to take a step back and learn from others, and I really appreciated the chance UG2 gave me to do that. After reflecting on these lessons, I feel like I’m able to see the bigger picture of my role in a clearer, more defined way.
I feel like I can speak up now in a way that I couldn’t before, that my ideas and questions are important. I give credit to the speakers at the conference for that prompt, but also to the UG2 leaders who encourage professionals like to me to use our voices.
I’ve learned that leadership doesn’t just come from the top down. When employees like me are empowered through education and support, leadership develops throughout an organization, and I’m looking forward to continuing to develop my skills and help others to do the same.