TechWomen, Big Dreams and the Power of “Your WHY”
Going after your dreams is your “raison d’être”
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaking at the inaugural TechWomen lunch at the U.S. Department of State in 2011.
Last month I attended the tenth anniversary celebration for TechWomen, an initiative of the U.S. Department of State, that provides professional mentorships in Silicon Valley for women from 22 countries across the Middle East and North Africa, Central Asia, and soon, the Balkans. In 2010, I led the competitive bid at IIE for TechWomen. The Request for Proposals (RFP)’s concept note, provided a summary of what was a dream program to me as it married my passion for international and cultural exchange, women’s empowerment, community building and mentorship. It leveraged my experience partnering with tech companies, embassies and nonprofits, and designing international leadership programs for women.
I knew that TechWomen, MUST take place in Silicon Valley and the Bay Area. I also knew that most, if not all, organizations that would submit bids would be on the East Coast. My team needed to win the program so the international participants would have the experience of working in Silicon Valley, something quite special at the time. This program would also surely be meaningful and enriching for the mentors, teams and companies who would host them. The women were our WHY. We knew that this program would be important in the lives of everyone involved (including my team). Our proposal won!
Since 2011, nearly 1,000 women from 22 countries have been hosted by 1,000+ mentors at 122 Silicon Valley and Bay Area companies. The commitment and generosity of the mentor community has been powerful! My vision for TechWomen didn’t foresee the enthusiasm and the enormous contributions from so many people that have made TechWomen what it is today. TechWomen has had “magical momentum” and far-reaching impact in the people and communities it has touched.
Heather Ramsey, Trish Tierney, Shradha Balakrishnan, (left to right) at TechWomen 10th Anniversary celebration, October 20, 2022.
A friend and expert coach told me, “if your dream seems possible, it’s probably not big enough.” Our dreams become possible only once we believe in them. Whenever I have a big goal I want to go after or a major shift to make in my life, I think back to the TechWomen bid and, to what a long shot it felt like. How we had to pull out all the stops for any possibility of success. Now we are celebrating the tenth anniversary of TechWomen in the familiar Aspiration Dome with this amazing community.
How I go after my goals and coach my clients to do the same:
Create time and space to connect to your vision and WHY it’s important to you. This is where you want to dream big and not hold back. What do you REALLY want? Why is this YOUR dream? Visualize it as if it’s already reality. See yourself living it. Take some time with this. What values are connected to it or what meaning does it hold for you? Why is this important to you? (This will help motivate you when times are hard.)
Identify your strengths, resources, allies and partners. What resources are at your disposal to make this dream a reality? Who can you rely on as allies and supporters? Who are your potential partners? What strengths and leverage do you have? What makes you uniquely suited to do this?
Figure out what you need in terms of support, money and time and how it will fit into your life. This is important, and often overlooked. You want to be sure to set up your life so that you are able to go after and live your dream with the boundaries and support you need. Doing what you love is seductive, so it’s important to be intentional about this in order to avoid burnout.
Brainstorm your strategy and work through your steps, timeline and milestones. In thinking about your strategy, work from top to bottom with your vision at the top. What was the thing you did right before you achieved your dream? And what got you to that point? What did you do before that? And before that? Basically, you are working backwards from your vision (as if you’ve achieved it), tracing your steps and actions from success back to your first.
Act! Take one step at a time towards and in service of your vision. Be authentic. Keep your why and values front of mind when you run into challenges, doubt or confusion.
It can be hard to keep going, especially when it feels like a nearly impossible dream. This is when you turn to your vision and the WHY of it. Your dream and the reasons behind it must be vivid and compelling. If your vision isn’t inspiring, it’s probably not your dream. If your reasons for wanting it aren’t authentic and meaningful, they are likely not going to get you through the challenges that will ultimately lead you to success. Remember, the first step is getting in touch with WHAT YOU REALLY WANT and WHY. What’s YOUR big dream?
