Shwetha Umesh

I would say a very supportive partner who truly believes that it doesn't matter, we both graduated from the same college, we both had very similar career trajectory, but making space for me to make the calls that helps me grow in my career. I have an amazing, supportive partner. And of course, the leaders I work with, giving me the opportunities to learn, experiment, and knowing that there are some things I will have to invest to go achieve success in a program, they still took the chance with me, and I proved myself.

Somebody said this to me when my manager at that time said this to me when I was just starting my career 2 years in I was asked to lead a team with over of 20 people, and they were varied experience, many folks having a lot more experience than I did, just being two, two and a half years in the industry. And he said, you can lead people only when you put them before you. And always being that selfless person, solving it for making sure my team, is winning, and they get the credit for all the wins, and never ever, you know, criticize anyone in public, and always make sure that you're putting the team before you.

I think they are more AI native than other folks, so that's a win for them. But knowing that when you enter industry, some things you learn from experience. Asking those questions, seeking help, and being vocal about what you're looking for, I think is one of the most, empowering things that could help them, navigate the industry. It's extremely difficult for, women, to enter and then to grow a career in IT. One thing I would tell them is definitely seeking advice and then knowing what they want and being very vocal about it.

We are at the cusp of where we need to know where we need to invest, learn AI related skills and how do you apply yourself in that phase, but also knowing that we have to take people along with us to be successful because AI gives you the opportunity, the builder mindset needs to exist and the bar of entry into anything that you have not done before is super low right now. That is needed to solve a business problem comes with years of experience. It doesn't replace the people part, right? You take the people you've worked with who have this context, who know what the problem you have to solve and how, getting them to go apply their knowledge and use AI to solve it along with you, rather than it is people or AI as an investment.

I think how we make people feel. Because in an industry that changes every minute, every day. Technology comes and goes, you're solving problems differently today than what you did maybe last week, last year. But when we are dealing with people, their careers, and there is an impact to everything in terms of promotion, letting go someone, giving them feedback. How do you make people feel, I think, is more important, and that is what sticks with you. Throughout. So, if I go back through my 20-plus years of career, and look at whom I remember as awesome leaders I've worked with, it's always the people who made, the leaders who made people feel important. They leaned in to help. They made sure that empathy, leading with empathy, is not optional.