My parents left their home country to give me an opportunity. So, I took it. Moving from a culture that’s often cautious, hierarchical and save face to the complete opposite has shaped my attitude toward relationships, careers and life. I had to be curious and constantly ask questions about things like how to apply for college, apply for student loans and how to get a job.

Starting at Genesys right after college, I had no idea how to progress in my career. My parents didn’t have an idea either. So, I had to take the opportunity to figure this out and get it right.

And when you don’t know an answer to a question, you research; you find those with answers. In my researching, I found Janelle Dieken at Genesys — someone who has navigated her career through different roles and up to leadership. Perfect. After talking about this in the office, I learned that others were also interested in self-development — professionally and personally. I decided to share this opportunity by hosting an event and recording it. This was the start of it all.

I wanted to connect with more women and men and enable them to learn from each other — not at just the work level but deeper so we can overcome hardship professionally and personally, together. We developed the Genesys Women in Tech (GWIT) mission: “Inspire all Genesys to build a community, connecting and learning from one another, for personal and professional growth.”

I was so passionate and excited about this, but I knew that I needed help, especially from people who understood top-level processes and were connected to all parts of the organization so they could help influence and execute our mission — an executive leadership team for Genesys Women in Tech. I strategically picked three strong women who were customer- or employee-facing in different departments. I put my old sales skills to the test and sold my vision and mission for Genesys Women in Tech.

With a simple survey sent from one of my leadership partners, I gathered about 400 members (60% women and 40% men and allies). We also had 15 committee members globally who wanted to be a part of Genesys Women in Tech. Working in a global workforce, it was crucial to have alignment across GWIT but to also recognize local office traditions and knowledge.

In 2019, we hosted quarterly fireside chats with internal and external speakers globally and held activities at our internal and customer events. We also launched our Genesys Women in Tech Connections program, a peer-to-peer mentor program globally, led by Natalie Barbaresi, Senior Strategic Business Analyst.

As we continue to grow, we’ve paired with external non-profit organizations that align to our mission statement. Local Denver students of ChickTech, a non-profit organization that promotes and supports underprivileged women and girls to go into STEM careers spent a day at our main customer event Xperience in 2019 to attend a technology conference, network and meet with a couple thousand IT professionals, troubleshoot our technology, and more. This year, we’re working with Water to Thrive, a non-profit that builds wells to bring clean water to rural families in Africa. Join me; become a part of Genesys Women in Tech. Together, we can empower women and inspire growth.

As Genesys celebrates International Women’s Day, here’s your chance to get involved. Learn more about how Genesys Women in Technology is partnering with Water to Thrive to bring the sustainable blessing of clean, safe water to communities in rural Africa.

And continue the International Women’s Day discussion with our latest “Take a Moment” podcast to learn how two exceptional leaders walked the unplanned path to success. Barbara Gonzalez, VP, Global Business Consulting, and Janelle Dieken, SVP, Solutions and Product Marketing, share their philosophies on building high-performance teams and turning heartbreak into triumphs.