Anita Sands On Board Service And Being A Leader

Powerful Conversations: Insights from leaders, coaches, and entrepreneurs on living a life that matters

Being the only woman in the boardroom doesn’t have to be a bad thing. In fact, thinks this situation can actually be something positive and memorable. It’s all about making a difference, standing out, and being recognized, something every professional woman should aspire to. Anita has created a portfolio career for herself after leaving the banking industry. She sits on multiple tech boards in Silicon Valley. Anita is sharing her experiences as a woman in boardrooms and tech and how you can get the most out of your experiences. Especially in the constantly changing tech scene, remaining current, educated, and relevant is essential to actually make a difference from a board point of view. Anita explains how you can stay relevant. She also shares how you can be a better mentee to make the most out of a relationship with your mentors. Anita says that the most valuable business investment you can make is your network. Your network truly is your net worth and can open up opportunities for you that you might never have even considered. How do you nurture and grow your network? Being on a board means you have a responsibility for talking about and asking the hard questions. Anita explains how she takes on this role in order to question, stay relevant, and address underlying issues that might be at play. But as sometimes the only woman in the room, Anita has learned what gender inequality looks like. She talks about how she’s combatted the unequal playing field and actually has reframed what this role entails. For Anita, she uses her unique space in the boardroom to her advantage by being even more memorable. One of the biggest factors in business is gaining recognition and being recognized for your hard work. After all, how are people going to know who you are and what you do if you don’t tell them or celebrate your successes? Lastly, Anita talks about how having a sense of belonging in the workplace is so important for your success. That’s part of the reason she left the banking scene, she didn’t feel comfortable, welcome, or in any way that she actually belonged to that work. Anita encourages you to rethink your work situation if you don’t feel a sense of belonging. Do you feel like you belong at work? How do you make sure you’re getting the most out of the relationship with your mentors? What do you do every day to remain relevant? In This Episode: Why you have to remain current and relevant to make a difference on the boards you sit on How you can be the best mentee for your mentors Why your network is one of the most valuable things you can invest in What responsibility board members have to talk about the hard things What can happen when you’re the only woman in the room How we can tackle gender inequality in the workplace Why it’s so important to gain recognition for your work How you can reframe being the only woman in the room as an advantage The importance feeling like you belong at work has on you mentally & physically Quotes: “Life is not about learning a lot from a small number of people, it’s about learning a little from a large number of people.” (12:40) “The job of a good board director is to ask the right question at the right time in the right tone.” (21:53) “You have to work in a place where you feel, on some level at least, that you really belong.” (40:49) “Being an authentic leader is being yourself, comma, skillfully.” (42:12) Links Find Dr. Anita Sands on | | Find Powerful Conversations on | | |