Jill Hall - Robinson

More than anything, it has been being able to be a leader for women. I have been in very male-dominated industries - construction, real estate, IT - and so it's always been being able to be that inspiration, or be that leader to show other women, hey, I did it. These were the challenges I had, and these are the things that I had to overcome, and so you can do this. It is a very lucrative place that women can build a career. That is really what drives me - being able to be that mentor, that inspiration, that guiding hand to other women in the industry to help them expand their capabilities and their vision of what their careers can look like. A lot of women say I want to be a lawyer, or I want to be an accountant, and they never evaluate IT as an option. I've also been incredibly fortunate to have two people who have been instrumental in my journey. Scott J. Cox was my boss at Covestic and then Milestone, and he really was huge in helping me break out of my shell and really live and own who I was as a person and as a leader. He's been beneficial even to this point - I talk to him on a weekly basis about all of these ideas that I have, and he gives me very constructive feedback. The other person is my husband. We met through work and worked together for 13 years until I started this new company. He is my biggest supporter, but also my biggest critic. We complement each other perfectly - the things that I'm really good at and he's not really good at, I'm really good at, and vice versa. So we're this perfect pairing for each other in our strengths and weaknesses, not only personally, but professionally. He's always been there and had my back, never doubted me, and reminds me every day how fierce and intelligent and amazing I am. On the bad days, it helps me continue to just put one foot in front of the other.

My advice to them would be to always be true to yourself, and be innovative, think outside of the box, and don't be afraid to lead from the front. A lot of women, unfortunately, get imposter syndrome and lead from behind, and operate from a place of fear, so they're always afraid to speak up, they're always afraid that they won't be listened to. And if you lead from the front, and you lead from a point of data and a point of fact, and you can have the data and the analytics and all that behind you, it gives you that extra leg to stand up on. A lot of women are just very fearful to do that. So my advice is don't be afraid to step outside of the box. Don't be afraid to share your ideas, and don't be afraid to believe in those ideas and believe in yourself.