Sarah Atito
Women's History Month is the time to reflect on female empowerment and self-advocacy.
As Women’s History Month draws to a close, I have found myself particularly inspired by women.
In my K-12 career, Women’s History Month usually meant classroom activities revolving around Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, or Susan B. Anthony, who led the charge for the women’s suffrage movement.
Beyond the typical arts and crafts paired with these activities, I never felt particularly connected to the month’s purpose because I did not feel I was its target audience in my adolescence.
Women like Earhart and Anthony were mesmerizing to me, accomplishing things that felt like they were straight out of a story book; they felt so impossible for me to be the same species I nearly considered them fiction. However, as I begin my journey into adulthood and begin to treat myself as a professional, I finally feel the spark igniting my connection to the month and see that a bit of that capacity for accomplishing impossible things in everyone.
This week, I was inspired by a particular woman, Angela Mangiapane, president of Mars Global Services, the company behind popular snacks like M&M’s and Snickers.
The Zoom event “Breaking Barriers and Building Careers,” which took place on March 21, brought together about 20 women across the country. I virtually sat in the company of other like-minded women in their early college careers seeking advice on how to build their future.
As I gathered the courage to raise my hand and speak up, worried my thoughts wouldn’t resonate or make sense, I began to hear my questions echoed through the voices of the other college attendees. I don’t think these women were mind readers, but the questions they asked felt like they were plucked from my train of thought, reflecting that despite being separated by miles, we were going through the same phase of life, of trying to figure out how to stand out on a planet of eight billion people.
While it might feel safe to stay in the same place, making a home of the role you are in means that you miss out on what risks can reward. Mangiapane shared an anecdote about taking on an atypical project, unlike anything she had done before for her job. She credited this jump to playing a role in advancing her career, that stepping out of her comfort zone let her step into another level of her career.
When an event-goer, Michelle Cantre, asked Mangiapane what motivated her, the president emphasized the value of proactive diligence.
“We tend to say, ‘If I work hard my boss (and) others will notice and then they will let me know where I should go next,’” Mangiapane said. “(But) the reality is, they have many people … so you have to raise your hand and say ‘I want to do that.’”
It was at this moment when I realized that my assets are not defined by my manager’s or coworker’s approval, but my commitment to going the extra mile in everything I do. Just because your coworker got a promotion, it doesn’t mean that you are any less skilled, but rather that they raised their hand and made their presence known.
The worst you can do is not advocate for yourself, assuming someone else will. It is easy to feel like if something was available it would be offered to you, and if you ask for more, you are taking more than your fair share. However, it is important to break these people-pleasing beliefs instilled in us since childhood.
LaRaeZ Snoddy, the host of the webinar, said, “When you’re a person who has such experience as you (Mangiapane) have, it’s really easy to say, this person was always successful. This person is always set to be this type of leader.”
However, no one is born a CEO; everyone has to start somewhere and work their way to the top. Looking back, every single role I have ever held was because I asked for it. I wouldn’t have earned my first job if I didn’t put myself out there and apply. It feels so obvious. yet too simple to feel true.
For many women, earning a title means imposter syndrome begins to set in with the constant need to ask “Am I doing this right?” A productive way of harnessing this feeling is pursuing constructive feedback.
Mangiapane outlined her typical multi-step process for effective team communication. She stressed the importance of connecting with your manager — they’re invested in your success, after all — and setting up recurring meetings to develop a productive working dynamic.
Her framework included these key questions: “In the past few weeks on this project, what worked? What is not working, yet? What is missing and what is possible?”
The final piece of advice that visibly caught the attention of many in the audience is that your career may never be linear, and that’s alright. Instead, what will keep you on track is keeping your values clear. Put to paper the values you have, then seek a career that can offer them.
If you want something ask for it, and if you get a no, ask for feedback so next time it is a yes.
Asking for what you want is not being pushy, but rather a natural step in advancing your career that some wouldn’t even second guess. Sometimes a no is a lesson for what you can do better, or a sign to find your place at a more welcoming table.
Mangiapane also describes herself as curious and perfectly put into words the thought that curiosity should amount to something, a push to take action instead of inaction.
”That’s been my motto … so you got to be curious,” Mangiapane said. “When you stop learning … that’s when you grow old.”