For women in tech, there are myriad potential routes to success, but there is one correct path to take - being yourself.
That’s according to Ellen Chisa, who is VP of Product for Lola, a startup whose app delivers instant mobile access to human experts who share advice on making the most out of visits to specific locations.
Somewhat of an adventurer in her own life to date, Chisa is keen to stress that women in tech shouldn’t look to follow the paths taken by others and should instead focus on being themselves and sticking to their own strengths and virtues.
“You don’t need to change who you are, to fit what you think a woman in tech is supposed to look like,” she says.
Go For It
“If you want to be a senior technical fellow and not manage anyone, go for it. If you want to be an aggressive VP of Sales, go for it,” she advises women who might be considering, or who are already in the midst of, a career in tech.
“The more women we have pursuing different styles and careers, the more options will seem available to girls today.”
Chisa’s career path so far shows the benefit of combining specialized learning, a good deal of hard work and also a willingness to take risks in pursuit of new challenges.
“I’ve always liked the idea of being ‘T-Shaped’ - an expert in one area, but with a good understanding across the board,” she explains, having studied engineering, worked for a while at
Now working in an environment she considers a great place to be, Chisa suggests that good communications among engineers and mobile product experts doesn’t need to involve a huge amount of interaction.
“I’m really proud that right now most of our engineers have less than two meetings per week. Between myself, the cofounders, and the VP of Technology, we’ve created a process that lets people spend most of their time actually working,” she tells me.
Autonomy For Success
“We’ve also focused on giving everyone autonomy. I want to help grow a team where everyone is able to make small product choices on their own, and have them be right the majority of the time.
“No one should have to sit around and wait for input from someone who specifically does ‘product’.”
Reflecting on her experiences so far working in tech, Chisa says that there remains a tendency for women to be treated somewhat differently from their male counterparts as a result of being from an under-represented group.
But here again she is keen for individuals to learn from their own experiences and develop their own ways of dealing with situations as they face them, rather than to take on an approach that may or may not have worked for someone else.
The Right Mindset
Above all though she urges anyone with big ambitions in a tech-related field to maintain a “growth mindset” at all times and particularly when it comes to learning new skills and developing as an individual.
“Keep showing up every day and trying to get better. Don’t count yourself out,” she says.
