“Asking in general is the most underrated tool. Asking for support. Asking for clarification. Asking for direction.”
— Belen Wagaw
 

The 2x Women in Tech Podcast with Chelsea Behrens

Belen Wagaw, Chief Storyteller, Siteimprove

Are you holding yourself back? Waiting for just the right time to seek your ideal job or promotion? My guest on this episode of the 2x Women in Tech Podcast is challenging women to give themselves permission. Permission to be scared, to feel underqualified or like an imposter

Belen Wagaw, Chief Storyteller at Siteimprove, has hopscotched through a series of challenging roles not because she was fully prepared in every case, but because she was willing to dare.

We discuss the many ways in which women edit or shy away from aspirations (decisively more than their male counterparts, stats shows). Belen’s decision to apply early in her career for a Chief of Staff role at SAP involved a stretch, but she was willing to do the work, ask the questions and learn the role. That included giving herself permission not to have all the answers and to seek help from a trusted manager or mentor when an issue merited it.

If you’ve ever deferred a dream because you didn’t think yourself quite qualified enough, consider making the leap anyway. If you’re waiting to be 100% ready, you’re probably waiting too long!

Key Takeaways:

  • What’s a Chief Storyteller? It revolves around telling the human stories of people at work or how products affect real people. Anecdotes that connect in a tech context.

  • Siteimprove’s mission is to optimize websites by:

    • Making design more inclusive and accessible to people with all manner of needs, such as larger fonts for older or visually impaired users. 

    • Improving SEO (search engine optimization) and leveraging data analytics.

    • Transforming content and campaigns into revenue.

  • Belen’s love of story originated as a child in Ethiopia. She was enamored of words and their magical messages (a passion she shared with her father) and adored reading. 

  • Belen’s Career Journey:

    • College set the stage for Belen, who did her undergraduate work in Missouri, also taking on a Resident Assistant’s role that taught her about the power of listening well, tailoring messages and shepherding groups. 

    • As a graduate student in Germany, Belen went to work for a subsidiary of SAP that introduced her to tech culture and communications.

    • Her first full-time job, also with SAP, led to a series of diverse opportunities with “a huge learning curve.”

    • The last role Belen had at SAP was as Chief of Staff to the President of Services, which entailed responsibility for some 18,000 consultants.

    • She moved with her last boss at SAP into her current Chief Storyteller role at Siteimprove – “a role that can elevate and show you a lot of things.”

  • Defining Enablement: Guidance as to how to deploy a product or update for optimal results through notifications, pointing customers to resources and ensuring they have the right tools. And also broadcasting back whatever feedback emerges as a result.

  • When she leaped into her Chief of Staff role, Belen aspired to a leadership position but had to overcome self-doubt based on her age and relative inexperience.  

  • Coming out of a company-wide reorganization, Belen spotted an opportunity with the new CEO at SAP and went for it – despite the competition and stretch.

  • Even though she had only 50% or 60% of the listed qualifications for her Chief of Staff job, Belen was not deterred. 

  • Belen urges women not to take job descriptions too seriously or feel obliged to meet every, or even many, of the requirements. If you feel like you can do it, then you should throw a hat in the ring. If you’re 100% ready, then you’ve waited too long!

  • Lessons Learned: Valued skills Belen leveraged in her Chief of Staff experience:

    • The importance of flexibility and adaptability on the fly.

    • It’s okay not to have all the answers, but rather act as a facilitator in finding them.

    • An ability to receive and communicate out information.

    • The ability to gauge, tailor and deliver messaging to whatever level of detail and through whatever medium, based on individual levels of need.

    • Be self-aware. Recognize strengths and weakness – then fill the gaps.

    • If there’s a question you can’t answer for yourself, don’t hesitate to ask for help.

  • Belen’s approach to fear: 

    • Reassure yourself that the feeling is okay.

    • Imposter Syndrome is real and worthy of challenge.

    • Turn fear into a positive. You’re doing something out of your comfort zone!

    • Voice concerns to (and/or solicit help from) a trusted manager or mentor.

  • Vulnerability is something to which Belen aspires, with her goal being to encourage everyone to share narratives that reflect authenticity and humanity.

  • A Passion for Coaching Women: Belen’s mission is to:

    • Normalize (and neutralize) fear, self-doubt and Imposter Syndrome.

    • Encourage big dreams without constraint.

    • Open women up to permitting themselves plans for greatness.  

    • Reframe how women define themselves and debunk self-limiting beliefs.

  • Belen’s Wishes for the Tech Industry: 

    • More bravery to tell the stories of failure and setbacks; the uglier side of things.  

    • More humanity generally.

    • More inclusivity that highlights people who are non-traditional or have non-tech backgrounds.

  • Greetings from Portugal: Belen loves that the tech industry (even pre-pandemic) offers remote-hybrid options and flexible hours that enable employees to control where they live and how they work.

  • A Parting Thought: Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. What holds us back is feeling that we have to be thoroughly prepared when we don’t.

Episode Resources

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