“Japanese saying: first you learn the rules; then you break the rules; then you make the rules.”
I had the opportunity to attend HUBSPOT CEO Yamini Rangan’s talk at the UC Berkeley Haas School. She has done an admirable job in Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity. For her, people should enter the organization with the intention of “add” and not “fit,” which demonstrates a true inclusive mentality where everyone fits and is valued for bringing their uniqueness.
One of the main points of improvement at HUBSPOT was the increase in women in leadership positions. Yamini admits there is still a long way to go, especially in senior leadership positions, but the numbers are growing.
Yamini took over as CEO unexpectedly when his superior had an accident in the snow that left him immobilized for months. He invited her to assume his position. Yamini’s initial reaction was uncertainty about accepting it or not. This doubt is caused by a widespread reaction called the “imposter syndrome.” Imposter syndrome occurs when people feel they don’t deserve their success and that, at some point, everyone will discover that they are nothing more than a fraud. Unfortunately, this feeling is more common among women. To deal with this challenge, she used her network to get honest feedback and opinions from people who knew her well. This mainly served to help her reaffirm her potential and talents.
During her career, she always seeks to have a Mentor to help her develop skills and a Sponsor who is that person who advocates for you in the company and helps you reach the next level. According to her, these two people are fundamental in career development, but many women do not use them as often as men.
For Yamini, the biggest challenge for women in their career growth is knowing how to transition to different leadership levels. She gave some tips worth sharing. It is necessary to understand that leadership demands that you ask more questions than provide answers, as in previous positions. Show people on the team how their work impacts the strategy. Maintain a transparent relationship so that people feel more comfortable being themselves. Do interviews to find out what makes people want to stay and what would make them want to leave. Be humble. They lived the company’s values in practice, even if they were few and simple. Yamini agrees that balancing family and professional life is undoubtedly a big challenge for women, and what helped her was the support and negotiations with her partner.
Yamini’s stories illustrate many women’s obstacles in transitioning to more complex roles. Although career advancements are justified mainly by technical issues, titles, and credentials, the way people navigate informal processes of influence in organizations plays a vital role in the growth of their careers. Studies suggest that one of the possible reasons for the lack of women in leadership positions is their low involvement in the organization’s “political arenas.” Knowing how to deal with the political complexities of their roles is essential for women to occupy this space and exercise their voices. It is crucial to support and develop this competence so that women can positively refine their awareness of the nature of their political engagement and make the necessary changes to alter structural gender inequalities in the corporate environment.
