2024 WICT Leadership Conference Recap

Last month, I had the opportunity to attend the 2024 WICT Leadership Conference, focused on "Fueling Your Power and Purpose." As the opening of Diversity Week 2024, the conference featured speakers from across industries, academia, and thought leadership. They shared insights on building resilience, adaptability, and authenticity—essential qualities for effective leadership in a rapidly changing world. I'm happy to share the tremendous amount of opportunities I learned.

Chapter Leader Roundtable: Inspiring Collaboration

One of the most rewarding experiences at the conference was the Chapter Leader Roundtable, a rare chance to connect with WICT board members from across the country. I left the session feeling inspired and energized by the dedication of other leaders and moved by their stories and experiences.

Representing a large WICT chapter in Philadelphia, it was insightful to hear how others tackle challenges in multi-state regions, industry shifts, and maintaining outreach in an evolving landscape. Our chapter has many advantages, and this roundtable showed me how we can leverage these strengths to enhance our impact, particularly as we continue adapting post-Covid.

Meeting board members who actively engage audiences, recruit new members, and learn from their communities sparked countless ideas I'm eager to explore with our team in 2025. I'm especially grateful for the openness and generosity of everyone I met, and I look forward to building on these connections and collaborating with these inspiring leaders in the future.

DE&I Insights and Leadership

The opening keynote at the conference set a powerful tone, blending inspiration with practical insights on DEI and leadership. Kicking off with warm introductions from Maria E. Brennan and Leigh Woisard, followed by remarks from Dalila Wilson-Scott, Part 1 of the keynote conversation with Siri Chilazi and Carla Harris delved into the data-driven effectiveness of DEI, strategies for maximizing success, and impactful leadership insights.

Siri and Carla discussed the concept of fairness, acknowledging that while life inherently involves inequalities, fostering an inclusive environment is a shared responsibility. They highlighted the academic view that failing to address gaps limits innovation and potential for growth. True success, especially in research and product development, requires intentional, thorough inclusion of diverse perspectives, ensuring that testing and exploration aren't hindered by narrow focus or overlooked experiences.

This focus on DEIB/DEIA (DEIB stands for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, while DEIA stands for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility) reflects the role of diversity as a cornerstone of innovation—ideas are rooted in perspectives, which in turn stem from lived experiences. To drive meaningful change, we must not only embrace these diverse viewpoints but actively cultivate a culture that values them. Siri and Carla argued that while we can't engineer life experience, we can foster partnerships and inclusion in ways that inspire fresh thinking and reveal solutions to challenges we've yet to imagine.

Finally, they discussed the role of privilege and power in creating equity. While inclusion is everyone's responsibility, Carla acknowledged the human tendency to protect certainty—often leading to the instinct to guard opportunities or knowledge. Yet, real growth and stability come from strategically sharing power, which builds stronger foundations for equitable progress. In a world shaped by rapid change, a mindset that values collaboration over competition can lay the groundwork for a more inclusive future.

These insights from Carla and Siri left me reflecting on how intentional efforts in DEI can transform not only our workplaces but our broader communities, inspiring us to push beyond individual limits for collective advancement.

Clarity & Awareness

The breakout sessions explored a range of ideas, but two key themes emerged: clarity and awareness. Awareness spanned self-reflection, being present, gathering the right data, and addressing issues that truly matter. Clarity, meanwhile, emphasized focus and integrity, both crucial to reshaping how we think and envision solutions.

One of my college professors used to say, "garbage in is garbage out," referring to how low-quality content leads to weak visual storytelling. This concept was echoed here on a broader level. Too often, as leaders or teams, we define unclear problems, propose vague solutions, or craft stories that serve broad objectives without identifying true priorities. At first glance, it might look polished, but with closer scrutiny, gaps and unnecessary elements appear—flaws caused by a lack of focus at the start.

In setting goals—whether for pitches, negotiations, or employee engagement—it's vital to clearly understand the real objectives. With clear goals, you can pull the right data, engage the right people, and make decisions that align with integrity and long-term impact. Too often, we see the surface of large issues but struggle to pinpoint the core problem, or we cling to solutions that might not address real needs. We can find ourselves spinning in circles, addressing vague challenges, when we'd be more successful by tackling a specific issue with complete focus.

As leaders, we're aspirational, often drawn to solving big problems. But if we clearly identify the right objectives and apply focused effort with the right resources, we open up multiple paths to success. This intentional approach allows us to be both faster and stronger in our impact, achieving meaningful change with lasting relevance.

Curiosity, AI & Impact

"You can't be curious and fearful at the same time"—one of the most resonant quotes of the day. AI has undeniably transformed the tech industry, bringing both excitement about new efficiencies and a sense of uncertainty as it reshapes jobs, skills, and education. One key takeaway is the importance of embracing "play"—intentionally setting aside time to experiment with new tools and develop new skills, allowing ourselves to be inspired. But true curiosity cannot thrive in an atmosphere of fear. As an industry, we face a crossroads: we can approach change with curiosity or let survival mode drive our innovations.

For AI to truly advance alongside us, it requires diversity in every sense—new perspectives, inputs, experiences, and voices—feeding the system so it can continue generating value. This highlights the need for strategic inclusion, ensuring that the tools we develop align with our values of intentional innovation. AI, like any groundbreaking technology, must be allowed to fail, repeatedly, if necessary, to grow. Yet, in environments lacking psychological safety, we often avoid failure altogether. To move forward, we need the space to balance success and failure without fear. As we continue adapting, leaders who engage with AI, whether with confidence or cautious curiosity, will find themselves better positioned to lead in this evolving landscape.

We are human and inherently resilient, having come this far through collaboration, courage, and growth. As leaders, we can create a series of meaningful moments for ourselves, our teams, and our communities. Moments that invite curiosity, encourage learning, and embrace the full spectrum of human experience. As they say, "moments create momentum," and with enough momentum, we can build a future of new, bold, and innovative possibilities.

To learn more about The WICT 2024 Leadership Conference, visit here.