Liza Miller

I attribute my success to my mom. I have amazing parents who have been married for almost 60 years, and my mom became this incredible role model for me. She went back to work and started out-earning my father, then pursued her master's degree while working full-time as a social worker for the state. I remember getting ready for school and seeing her textbooks on the kitchen table from the night before where she'd been studying. Nobody in her family had ever graduated college, and only a couple of her brothers even graduated high school. Some of her sisters didn't make it that far. To see that we have it within ourselves to go as high and as far as we want to, we really are the only things standing in our own way. There were plenty of people who told my mom she was crazy to go back to school after so much time off, to try and balance being a mom and pursuing a master's while working full-time. And she did it. So the only thing that can ever stop you is you, and I make sure that I stay out of my way. I know my value and what I'm able to accomplish because I had such a strong role model. There's a funny part of me that wants to say I'm trauma-driven, but the real answer is my mom showed me that if you have a model like that, you can achieve anything.

The best career advice I've ever received is just ask. Just ask. A lot of times we hold ourselves back from opportunities because we assume the answer will be no or that we're not important enough. I have two incredible examples of this from my work with employee resource groups at Duck Creek. I came across Minda Hart, a bestselling author, on LinkedIn while we were reading her book for a book club. I thought, this woman is probably not even going to read my message, but I sent it anyway. I told her my company was reading her book and how incredible it was to hear the perspective from another woman of color. She not only responded, but she offered to come to our last day of book club and meet with our group, giving us a heavily discounted fee just because I reached out. The same thing happened when I reached out to Alexis Kerr, the VP of Mahogany Brand Hallmark Cards, on a whim during Women's History Month. Not only did she respond, but we stayed connected and she's actually offered to be my mentor. You just never know. Just ask. Just put it out there. What's the worst thing that could happen? Nothing. You're still doing what you're doing today. But if you ask and an opportunity presents itself, a door opens, a connection is made, you find somebody you can build community and network with. Now this person has access to a whole other table that you never could have imagined yourself sitting at, and because they're sitting there and your name can come out of their mouth, what endless possibilities could present themselves. You just have to ask.

Ask for opportunities early and often, build your network with intention, and never underestimate your value—even in rooms where you may feel underestimated. Be prepared to navigate code-switching and gendered dynamics, but lead with authenticity and vulnerability, lifting others as you rise and building connection through trust.

The biggest challenges right now are retaining top talent, fostering a sense of belonging in a remote-work environment, and addressing the unique workplace dynamics faced by women of color. Key opportunities lie in improving processes and platforms—like our ServiceNow redesign—which allow for faster client response and stronger service delivery.

The values most important to me center around building community, showing empathy, and leading with vulnerability. I believe that work doesn't just have to feel like work. It should feel like you've built some community, and when you invest in that community, people want to invest back. Happy workers work harder. We're all trying to overcome something, survive something, get paid, do our jobs right, and keep our names off the risk list. So what do we do to stay safe, successful, bring value, and also keep our personal lives in a place where we're happy? That mindset is critical. I start my leadership with vulnerability. If I tell my team about something I've recently had to overcome or deal with, it opens the door for other people to say 'me too,' and then we get to the root of a problem and move forward together. That person doesn't feel so alone. I also believe strongly in giving ourselves grace. We're so quick to comfort others and have empathy for them, but when it's us talking to ourselves, we're our own bullies. We don't give ourselves any grace. Whether it's at work or in my fitness classes, I try to teach people that we're in this together. I keep my belly because I want everybody to feel comfortable. If I can do it, you can do it. Let's do it together. Understanding empathy, especially after surviving something as big as the pandemic, shapes how I handle smaller situations every day. You never know what anybody's going through or why a top performer might be having a bad week. As a leader, I need to know where to toe the line, always make myself available, be transparent, and help people feel valued and respected.