Getting Honest About Work-Life Integration
Authenticity, Allyship, Self-Confidence, and Wellness
Allowing ourselves to be human and encouraging the next generation to feel safe to do the same is a vital lesson, Erin Pullman and Helena Rother learned.
“If men are part of the problem, they must also be part of the solution.”
- David Lossignol, Novartis International AG (Switzerland)
In introducing David Lossignol, Global Head, Legal Brand Protection, Novartis, (Switzerland), the moderator of Thursday’s Integrating Work and Life Workshop, Lara Kayode, Founding Partner, O Kayode & Co., (Nigeria) posed the question: “Why is a man moderating this panel?” The workshop was hosted by INTA’s Women’s LeadershIP Initiative (WLI) with a strong focus on challenges mainly facing women with professional careers.
Once the laughter died down, Mr. Lossignol emphasized how everyone, not only women, can and should participate in the WLI’s various activities, to share allyship, cultural sentiments, and mentoring values within our communities. He expressed why he believes men should be encouraged to show interest in the experiences of women in the workplace, emphasizing how he “immediately raised his hand” to participate in the WLI, in the belief that, “if men are part of the problem, they must also be part of the solution.”
Mr. Lossignol went on to moderate a panel where attendees had the opportunity to hear from leading women from both inside and outside of the intellectual property world about their experiences, positive and negative.
“When you are able to express yourself fully and that expression is meaningful to others, you become a leader.”
- Uma Thana Balasingham, VMware and Lean In Singapore (Singapore)
Jennifer Jones, President of Rotary International (USA), shared her story about how she gained the confidence to become the first-ever female president of Rotary International in its 175th year. She provided tips on how to change attitudes towards women leaders, particularly in an international context.
Ms. Jones emphasized the importance of recognizing we are all human, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic. She highlighted how showing up as one’s authentic self as a leader is vital for setting precedent of and establishing company culture. Her message to fellow woman leaders: “Give yourself permission to be vulnerable!”
A pioneer in the technology sector, Uma Thana Balasingham, Vice President, Partner & Commercial Sales Asia Pacific & Japan at VMware, and Co-Founder of Lean In (Singapore), described the unconscious bias she experienced and the value of connecting with other woman to find her voice as a leader and working together across industries to create inclusive workplaces. Her advice: know yourself and leading by example: “When you are able to express yourself fully and that expression is meaningful to others, you become a leader.”
The importance of incorporating personal values into one’s leadership style was also promoted by Carrie Fan, Director of Global Communications, Tencent (USA). Ms. Fan shared her identity as a first-generation Asia-American woman working in tech. She encouraged women to hear her experience and ask themselves how internal unconscious biases and limiting beliefs shape their experience in the workplace. Ms. Fan concluded by emphasizing how becoming a leader is an exercise in building self-confidence over time and offered examples of how she continues to take measured risks to build these skills.
“If you can’t be who you are where you are, change where you are, not who you are.”
- Auma Reggy, McKesson (USA)
Rachel Armstrong, Partner, Gowling WLG, (United Arab Emirates), who is originally from the United Kingdom, has worked in both the government and private sector in the United Arab Emirates and doesn’t feel that being female held her back in her career. At the same time, Ms. Armstrong related to the other panelists’ experiences of having to redefine her personal definition of success to include setting boundaries to protect her mental health. “I have been forced to be boundaried in my life,” she said, sharing a personal story about being hospitalized due to the physical effects of burnout. Following her return to private practice, she made it a personal mission to model healthier self-care behavior for the next generation. “Look after yourself. You will be your own biggest advocate if you are well rested.”
Introducing herself as a “Kenyan African American woman,” Auma Reggy, Chief Trademark Counsel, McKesson Corporation (USA), emphasized the importance of being your authentic self at work, even when embracing your cultural identity leads to inappropriate questions and comments from ill-informed colleagues. As one of only a few black women heading an IP desk at a major company, she embraces both “the blessing and responsibility” that come with her success. She loves mentoring young women and people of color, recognizing that being comfortable with who she is empowers her teammates to bring their own authentic selves to the workplace. She then shared message she lives by and shares with her mentees that a mentor her told her early in her career: “If you cannot be who you are where you are, change where you are, not who you are.”
