Women leaders urge others to find their voice during Women Shaping Our Region event
CRANBERRY TWP — Victoria Kush said there is only one way to fail in the business world.
“The only guaranteed failure is quitting and getting out of the game is the fastest off ramp you will have in life,“ she said.
Kush, a shareholder with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC, was one of six panelists sharing their insights at the sixth annual Women Shaping Our Region event on Friday, Oct. 17. Hundreds of women and men from the region attended the celebration, held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh.
The Butler County Chamber of Commerce and Pittsburgh Business Exchange organized the networking event and WPXI-TV news anchor Lisa Sylvester moderated the panel discussion.
This year’s panel featured women from the business, education and health care industries, offering advice for aspiring female leaders.
Panelists began the discussion by talking about their professional experiences and how they got to where they are today in their respective fields.
Kiya Tomlin, owner and designer of Kiya Tomlin, a women’s clothing design business, said she taught herself how to sew at 10 years old when her mother bought her a sewing machine, but where she is today is not the path she originally had planned for herself.
She originally wanted to go to medical school, but since her husband is Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, his job demanded a lot of travel and later in life she decided to change gears.
“Someone told me to figure out what you love to do and find a way to make money doing it,” Tomlin said. “I loved fashion design and doing it for other people. I set out to design school and opened my own custom design business.”
Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity, said she was raised in a very small community with the values of faith, family and community in that order, and there is something her dad once told her that has stuck with her all these years.
“My dad always told us to not let anyone tell us we can’t achieve our dreams,” Garrity said. “Winners never quit and quitters never win.“
After their introductions, Sylvester began asking questions about advice the panelists would give to young women leaders in the audience.
Megan Coval, who recently started her first semester as president of Butler County Community College, said she realized early on that if she was going to be successful, she was going to have spend her first year cheering on her leadership and respect what and who came before her.
“I think a lot of leaders come in their first year and they feel like they need to make all the changes and show everyone what their mark is,” Coval said. “My overarching goal was to provide steady, stable leadership throughout the year and keep the ship moving along.”
Coval also mentioned the importance of saying no sometimes when it comes to certain requests she gets from within the college and how that has allowed her to be more stable in her decision making.
“I don’t like to think of a no as shutting a door, but as me preserving space to have time to think and plan as a leader,” Coval said.
Kenya T. Boswell, president of the Highmark Foundation, also echoed the importance of saying no and why it can actually be beneficial to those around you.
“I have thought about why I hesitate to say no,” Boswell said. “Maybe it’s the fear of disappointing someone or maybe the fear you won’t fit in. If I can’t do something I will say no, but then I will say, have you considered this or that person? It can turn into an opportunity for others.”
Jennifer Bertetto, president and CEO of Trib Total Media & 535 Media, said it is important to find your voice and be confident in what you say, but sometimes people are just not given many opportunities to do so.
“I work hard to make sure that young women in our organization lead a project,” Bertetto said. “I ask them to lead a board meeting to build that confidence and amplify their voice and be a part of the larger discussions. I am willing to talk to anyone who is looking for pointers. I often look at those relationships as mutually beneficial.”
Bertetto said failure is part of learning and finding your voice as well, and women in leadership should not be afraid to fail if they are giving it their all.
“Failure only happens because you are moving forward and you are trying,” Bertetto said. “Try anything you can dream up and no idea is too crazy. Let’s talk about it and make it happen.”
Garrity, who previously had a career in the Army and the manufacturing industry, knows a thing or two about rising to the challenge, especially in mostly male dominated fields.
Garrity said she once had a former boss when she worked for a tungsten manufacturer who was a new hire and appeared underqualified for the position and got the job over her.
Instead of getting sitting back and being angry at the situation, she took a different approach.
“I thought I have a choice here,” Garrity said. “I can either sit back and say good luck. Or I can make him the best manager I can. I decided to make sure he was successful. It was hard, but at the end of the day he did a good job and we became great friends. It’s all about how you handle setbacks.”
Kush listed preparation as one of her keys to success when handing high stakes scenarios like she does everyday, negotiating multi million dollar settlements and lawsuits.
“At the end of the day, preparation is the best antidote to anxiety and the stress of these situations,” Kush said. “I would not be in this chair if I didn’t prepare each and every day.”
Kush also explained the importance of trying to stand out among your peers and that following along is not always the best course of action.
“You can take notes from other women, but don’t feel like you need to work in parallel with someone you see out there succeeding,” Kush said. “Look at what makes you unique and that will be the foundation of your personal brand.”
