For our last Coffee Hour of the semester, Colgate Women in Business welcomed Colgate Alumnae Lauri Curtis Hadobas ’77 and Becky Bye ‘02 to talk about their experiences in navigating the workforce as a female. They also challenged the members of CWIB to reach out to someone on the Colgate Link to start the process of networking and getting in touch with alumni.
Meet our Panelists:
- Lauri Curtis Hadobas ’77, vice president, American Airlines (retired)
- Becky Bye, DDS, JD ’02: director of global operations and assistant general counsel, GISAID
What are some challenges you have faced as a female in the workforce? How have you overcome them?
Both women talked about the challenges of being a female in typically male-dominated fields. Some of these challenges include others assuming that you are in an administrative role or not taking you as seriously as their male colleagues. Lauri offered an interesting perspective as she spoke about being a student at Colgate in the early years of co-education, saying that she experienced unfair standards but kept working through them, and is hopeful about generational differences between her time at Colgate and Colgate now. They suggested that a way to overcome this is to be assertive, work hard to show what you know, and be confident in yourself. They also encouraged us to remember that other women are our greatest allies. While unfortunately not all women act that way (what they referred to as “queen bee syndrome”), having female mentors, colleagues, and friends can give you strength, and opportunities to grow and challenge each other.
Have you ever experienced imposter syndrome?
Both women answered yes. They remarked that Imposter syndrome happens more than they would like to admit. However, they said that the best way to overcome imposter syndrome when you start to feel it creeping up is to remind yourself of why you are there! You can figure out any roadblocks that come your way with our incredible liberal arts education from Colgate. They pointed out that we can think critically enough to figure things out that we might not know, and hopefully the voice of doubt will die over time.
What advice do you have about speaking with confidence?
One issue that many women face in a male-dominated workforce is that they are concerned with coming across as aggressive in situations where a male might be praised for being effective or direct. When speaking with confidence, Lauri and Becky said that they use strong but kind words. For example, instead of using “I’m sorry, “but”,“perhaps”, or “this might be a dumb question”, come off as more direct and eliminate filler phrases to be perceived as more serious and strong. They advised us to not use light or flowery words that you don’t intend to use, which come out of a fear of being perceived as mean. A way to be assertive and sound more confident is by being intentional about the words you are using, and replacing these flowery words with a more decisive statement.
How have you used your Colgate network and connections? How would you suggest that current students use their networks?
Colgate alumni are very willing to help Colgate students and graduates, and the alumni network is a great place to build professional and personal relationships. There are many professional networks, such as in law, commercial real estate, business, and other fields. There are local networks in many cities as well; Lauri spoke about how she has planned alumni networking events in her hometown, and Bye recounted a story about meeting up with a Colgate alumnus in Australia! A great place to start networking with Colgate’s alumni is on the Colgate Link, such as through the 50 Years of Coeducation Page here.
What do you feel were the most beneficial or influential tools from Colgate that you were able to use in the workplace? What do you wish someone told you when you graduated?
Both women were grateful for the liberal arts that Colgate provides. They said that this education teaches you how to learn and ask questions, as well as how to use critical thinking skills. Colgate prepares you for the next step, whether that is grad school or learning a unique skill set for a new job.
Finally, some pieces of advice they have for their past selves: Use criticism to make yourself better and build yourself back up. And make sure you can take a step back to learn about yourself and what you want outside of college; don’t put restrictions around yourself, just be confident and think broadly.
Thank you all for coming to this event, and for a great year!
Colgate Women in Business 