Betsy Bland, Director of User Experience at The Motley Fool

The Develop[HER] Show

When Betsy Bland (Director of User Experience at The Motley Fool) identified an opportunity for improvement within the business, she approached the CTO and was inevitably asked to lead up the team of designers – her peers – to implement the change. In Episode 3 of The DevelopHer Show, Lauren and Betsy unfold the challenges behind transitioning from peer to leader, and what strategies tech women can utilize to own the strides they make when moving up in the industry. #1 If you identify a business need, speak up. Growth and redevelopment can only take place if the person who recognizes the need brings it to the attention of the appropriate superior. Doing so may open doors for career advancement, if you wait to be asked. Doing so will open doors, if you have the confidence to say what you want. #2 If you want your peers to be invested in their work, get stakeholder buy-in. Take the time to understand the challenges and desires of your teammates in order to help them determine how they may contribute to the company’s overarching goals. Grant the opportunity for people to feel heard and they will put their full heart into their work. #3 Realize that sometimes you may have to let success speak for itself. Rather than trying to move a boulder, go around it. As a leader, it can be challenging to get your team 100% on board. Present your ideas and goals, shoot for the small wins and let those that are uncertain observe the insights on their own. #4 You don’t have to have a huge collection of reports to be a leader. A leader is someone who has influence and who gets things done. “Leader” isn’t necessarily a title, a position or a number of reports; it’s someone who as the ability to make impactful movements across a team and a company as a whole. #5 Everyone makes mistakes. It’s what you make out of those mistakes that shape you. Don’t wait around for things to go wrong or for opportunities to pass you by; take your mistakes at face value, learn your lesson and use them as tools to improve upon future actions.