1 00:00:00,090 --> 00:00:00,640 Computer. 2 00:00:04,150 --> 00:00:08,382 Hello, and welcome to another session with Career Conversations. 3 00:00:08,446 --> 00:00:11,522 Today I'm talking to Megan, and we are going to talk about 4 00:00:11,576 --> 00:00:15,060 surprise, surprise career Conversations. Megan, welcome to the show. 5 00:00:15,430 --> 00:00:18,994 Thank you, Janice, for having me. Can you just let us know 6 00:00:19,032 --> 00:00:22,226 a little bit about yourself before I dive in on the first question? So I 7 00:00:22,248 --> 00:00:25,458 guess when I say that, because that's such a loaded question, I would like name 8 00:00:25,544 --> 00:00:28,746 and what you currently do, and if you wish to tell us which company you 9 00:00:28,768 --> 00:00:32,570 currently work for. Sure. My name is Megan Bazuto. I currently 10 00:00:32,640 --> 00:00:36,330 serve as the president of the International Association of Women. I also 11 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:40,126 just stepped into a new role that will kind of combine what 12 00:00:40,148 --> 00:00:43,502 I do at IAW with heading up marketing for our parent 13 00:00:43,556 --> 00:00:46,270 company professional diversity network, 14 00:00:49,410 --> 00:00:52,030 because I just, like, adding more on my plate. 15 00:00:55,570 --> 00:00:58,558 She's laughing because my face is like, what are you doing? What? I just spoke 16 00:00:58,574 --> 00:01:02,258 to you months ago. Okay. I saw you in person. 17 00:01:02,344 --> 00:01:02,980 Yeah, 18 00:01:05,430 --> 00:01:08,770 we might talk about this. When opportunities 19 00:01:08,850 --> 00:01:11,654 present, I feel like you have to go for them. And there was an opportunity, 20 00:01:11,772 --> 00:01:15,640 and I raised my hand and said, yeah, I can help there. 21 00:01:19,050 --> 00:01:22,794 It has put me in a place where I will be leading more 22 00:01:22,832 --> 00:01:26,314 brand initiative and strategy for our parent company, but I will not be 23 00:01:26,352 --> 00:01:30,446 stepping away from what I love doing here at IAW. And so 24 00:01:30,628 --> 00:01:33,934 it's kind of the best of everything. Gives me a 25 00:01:33,972 --> 00:01:38,286 career advancement play while also still getting to do everything 26 00:01:38,388 --> 00:01:41,520 that just fills my soul. So it's good. 27 00:01:43,830 --> 00:01:47,330 Back to a previously scheduled programming. 28 00:01:47,670 --> 00:01:51,374 Are you an introvert? We're coming back to that. Don't you worry. 29 00:01:51,502 --> 00:01:54,946 Are you an introvert? So I 30 00:01:54,968 --> 00:01:59,478 like to say yes. Like, when I do all the online 31 00:01:59,564 --> 00:02:03,186 assessments, whatever, I score very introverted. But I'm 32 00:02:03,218 --> 00:02:06,870 also a people person. I do enjoy being social. I enjoy 33 00:02:07,020 --> 00:02:10,346 being in places where I'm surrounded by people. But I 34 00:02:10,368 --> 00:02:13,754 think a lot of it is energy levels. And when 35 00:02:13,792 --> 00:02:17,658 I'm out and about and mingling and constantly around 36 00:02:17,744 --> 00:02:21,034 other people that are loud and vocal, I have 37 00:02:21,072 --> 00:02:24,686 to come back to myself and spend time alone. I need quiet space, and I 38 00:02:24,708 --> 00:02:28,702 think that I'm refueled by the quiet space I'm refueled by 39 00:02:28,756 --> 00:02:32,094 when I can spend time alone. But I 40 00:02:32,132 --> 00:02:35,026 kind of like to say I'm kind of an extroverted introvert. Like, there's a little 41 00:02:35,048 --> 00:02:38,194 bit of both. Okay. And so the follow up question always 42 00:02:38,232 --> 00:02:41,634 is, so what does introversion or being an introvert mean to 43 00:02:41,672 --> 00:02:45,366 you? So that's a good question, because I 44 00:02:45,388 --> 00:02:48,402 think that a lot of people have some preconceived notions 45 00:02:48,466 --> 00:02:52,120 of what an introvert is. And to me, it's really 46 00:02:54,170 --> 00:02:58,214 the person who wants to spend time alone that needs that 47 00:02:58,252 --> 00:03:01,706 alone time, that needs the quiet time, that is not the loudest voice in the 48 00:03:01,728 --> 00:03:05,178 room, that isn't necessarily the one throwing the 49 00:03:05,184 --> 00:03:07,820 party all the time, being out and about all the time. 50 00:03:08,510 --> 00:03:13,534 And I think that for me, it's sometimes 51 00:03:13,652 --> 00:03:16,830 feeling like I need that space to just be alone. 52 00:03:17,570 --> 00:03:21,520 If I don't find time to recharge by 53 00:03:21,890 --> 00:03:25,074 spending some time, whether it's outside on a walk or just 54 00:03:25,112 --> 00:03:29,234 a day at home in my office with no meetings, I'm very particular about 55 00:03:29,432 --> 00:03:33,010 buffering my schedule so that I get that time to recharge. 56 00:03:33,510 --> 00:03:37,654 All right, so I'm going to just dive straight into that. So as part of 57 00:03:37,692 --> 00:03:41,654 buffering your meetings, tell me what your calendar average calendar day might 58 00:03:41,692 --> 00:03:45,174 look like all week? Yeah, I mean, it really 59 00:03:45,212 --> 00:03:48,614 varies depending on the week. I used 60 00:03:48,652 --> 00:03:52,214 to be really good about blocking Monday morning and Friday afternoon 61 00:03:52,262 --> 00:03:55,210 so that I had space so that I wasn't. 62 00:03:55,550 --> 00:03:59,306 I find if I show up in my office at 830 Monday 63 00:03:59,338 --> 00:04:03,162 morning and I have a call at 09:00 A.m., that overwhelms 64 00:04:03,226 --> 00:04:06,574 me. So I have blocks of 65 00:04:06,612 --> 00:04:11,280 space that allow me 66 00:04:13,890 --> 00:04:17,298 I i do a number of things through IAW, where I have to 67 00:04:17,304 --> 00:04:21,118 be on camera doing interviews or hosting webinars. 68 00:04:21,214 --> 00:04:25,154 So those I always have buffer before and after. So if I have 69 00:04:25,192 --> 00:04:28,686 to be on and being super polished 70 00:04:28,718 --> 00:04:32,674 and super professional, I buffer my space around that so that I have breaks 71 00:04:32,722 --> 00:04:36,006 before and after. So I'm not just run from one meeting to one meeting to 72 00:04:36,028 --> 00:04:39,446 one meeting. I also with my team calls. 73 00:04:39,478 --> 00:04:42,646 I tend to stage them in one day so that I can kind of knock 74 00:04:42,678 --> 00:04:46,666 everything out one by one. But then I 75 00:04:46,688 --> 00:04:50,250 guess week to week, it's not always 76 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:54,158 predictable. And so some days I get to the 77 00:04:54,164 --> 00:04:56,746 end of the day and I think, oh, that was a bad day. I didn't 78 00:04:56,778 --> 00:05:00,346 protect my schedule, but I'm 79 00:05:00,378 --> 00:05:03,834 way more intentional usually, about making sure there's 80 00:05:03,882 --> 00:05:07,762 time blocks that give me space to get outside for a walk, 81 00:05:07,816 --> 00:05:10,914 to give me space to prep for a meeting, to give me space to actually 82 00:05:10,952 --> 00:05:14,262 get tasks done, because if you're on calls all day long, you're not getting things 83 00:05:14,316 --> 00:05:17,846 done. And so you said you used 84 00:05:17,868 --> 00:05:20,994 to be really good about blocking off Monday mornings and Friday afternoons. 85 00:05:21,122 --> 00:05:24,690 What changed? I took on more responsibility, 86 00:05:24,770 --> 00:05:28,194 and I traveling. So the month of April, 87 00:05:28,322 --> 00:05:31,710 I traveled with my kids. I'm currently going through a divorce, so there's 88 00:05:31,730 --> 00:05:34,886 been lots of crazy stuff with that and just having to be places I don't 89 00:05:34,918 --> 00:05:38,166 usually have to be. One of my friends got married, 90 00:05:38,198 --> 00:05:41,862 so I was away for that and helping with that. And so I find that 91 00:05:42,016 --> 00:05:46,400 during the week, if I'm out of the office for other things, 92 00:05:46,930 --> 00:05:50,174 I open that space on Monday and Friday so I can accommodate the 93 00:05:50,212 --> 00:05:54,434 people who need me, so I can accommodate getting the work done. And so now 94 00:05:54,632 --> 00:05:57,954 I just finished a season of, like, April to early 95 00:05:57,992 --> 00:06:01,954 May, was crazy busy with family obligations, and that the 96 00:06:01,992 --> 00:06:05,874 last event was this past weekend. And now I'm right back to, okay, 97 00:06:05,992 --> 00:06:10,146 what's my calendar going to look like, for the next six weeks because I'm realizing 98 00:06:10,178 --> 00:06:14,040 that I've overdone it and I need to make sure I have that space back. 99 00:06:15,530 --> 00:06:19,180 Yes. Okay. That is great. So with 100 00:06:19,950 --> 00:06:23,402 the work that you do and the business that you work with, 101 00:06:23,536 --> 00:06:26,922 can you tell me some misconceptions about your 102 00:06:26,976 --> 00:06:30,286 industry, if there are any? 103 00:06:30,388 --> 00:06:33,710 Yeah, it's interesting 104 00:06:33,780 --> 00:06:37,630 because the International Association of Women, we support women, 105 00:06:37,700 --> 00:06:41,518 so we're a membership organization where we provide resources and 106 00:06:41,604 --> 00:06:44,660 benefits and tools and programming to women all around the world. 107 00:06:45,030 --> 00:06:48,594 And I think when I tell 108 00:06:48,632 --> 00:06:50,340 a lot of people what I do, 109 00:06:52,070 --> 00:06:54,820 there's two things. There's one like, oh, people, 110 00:06:55,190 --> 00:06:58,866 how does that work? Do people actually show up? I think they think 111 00:06:58,888 --> 00:07:02,194 that women just kind of hide in the corner, and they don't ask. They don't 112 00:07:02,242 --> 00:07:05,606 raise their hand and ask for help. And we coach a lot of women on 113 00:07:05,628 --> 00:07:08,762 how to do this because women are notoriously bad at raising their hand and asking 114 00:07:08,816 --> 00:07:12,266 for help. And so I 115 00:07:12,288 --> 00:07:15,834 think a lot of people think, oh, well, do women really need the help 116 00:07:15,872 --> 00:07:18,810 and support? And I think if you look at statistics, 117 00:07:19,390 --> 00:07:22,894 women are more likely to have confidence issues. They're more likely not to ask for 118 00:07:22,932 --> 00:07:26,880 what they want from a salary. They're more likely not to negotiate things. And so 119 00:07:28,450 --> 00:07:32,094 I say yes, women really do need the support, and we're here to provide that 120 00:07:32,132 --> 00:07:35,698 support. And so it's funny conversations sometimes 121 00:07:35,784 --> 00:07:38,900 with people who question, well, 122 00:07:39,350 --> 00:07:42,882 do you find that women show up authentically? Do they actually show up and ask? 123 00:07:42,936 --> 00:07:46,054 And I'm like they do. Once we've created an environment that 124 00:07:46,092 --> 00:07:50,066 fosters that community and comfort, where we're 125 00:07:50,098 --> 00:07:53,240 here to do exactly what we say we're going to do. 126 00:07:53,690 --> 00:07:57,282 Also, the idea that we're very much a circle, 127 00:07:57,346 --> 00:08:01,506 that anyone is welcoming, that we 128 00:08:01,548 --> 00:08:05,334 foster that environment where no matter who's coming into the room, whether it's a virtual 129 00:08:05,382 --> 00:08:08,890 room or in person room, they're going to feel welcome. They're going to be supported. 130 00:08:09,330 --> 00:08:13,200 They're going to find people who will help them get to the next level. 131 00:08:14,690 --> 00:08:19,322 Okay. And so with those misconceptions 132 00:08:19,386 --> 00:08:23,114 and things that you think about, and you mentioned with your calendar 133 00:08:23,162 --> 00:08:26,626 that you try and put buffers, but you also mentioned you got a new job, 134 00:08:26,648 --> 00:08:30,500 and when opportunities arise, you say yes. Is there anything you say no to? 135 00:08:32,310 --> 00:08:33,780 Yes, there is. 136 00:08:36,550 --> 00:08:39,666 This is something I've struggled with my entire life because I'm a people pleaser, 137 00:08:39,698 --> 00:08:42,040 and I have a really hard time saying no. 138 00:08:43,290 --> 00:08:47,174 I've gotten really good about using my team at work to do 139 00:08:47,212 --> 00:08:50,226 things that so I used to think emails would come through, 140 00:08:50,268 --> 00:08:53,850 and I'd just respond. There's a perfect example. You sent one the other day, 141 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:57,754 and instead of responding, I forwarded it on to Tracy, who could help you more 142 00:08:57,792 --> 00:09:01,230 directly. And so it's not that I'm saying no to you. 143 00:09:01,300 --> 00:09:04,826 I'm just reallocating the work somewhere else because I hate 144 00:09:04,858 --> 00:09:08,954 saying no. Right. I do say no socially 145 00:09:09,002 --> 00:09:12,334 from time to time, if everyone's like, hey, let's go out on Friday night, 146 00:09:12,372 --> 00:09:15,714 and I need time to 147 00:09:15,832 --> 00:09:19,554 refresh myself. And if I go out and have dinner and drinks and social, 148 00:09:19,672 --> 00:09:23,298 I know that my energy isn't going to it's just going 149 00:09:23,304 --> 00:09:27,142 to drain me more. Whereas I have a group of friends who thrive on 150 00:09:27,276 --> 00:09:30,758 going out and catching up and sometimes I really need that, but sometimes I 151 00:09:30,764 --> 00:09:34,566 don't. So I say no. There's been 152 00:09:34,588 --> 00:09:38,486 times throughout my career where things have come across my plate, opportunities have 153 00:09:38,508 --> 00:09:42,410 come across my plate. There was an opportunity a few years ago 154 00:09:42,560 --> 00:09:46,506 and I had to say no because things within my personal life just 155 00:09:46,528 --> 00:09:50,022 weren't at a place where I could take on more from a career perspective. 156 00:09:50,086 --> 00:09:53,386 I just knew that I wanted to say yes. I wanted to 157 00:09:53,408 --> 00:09:57,514 say, yeah, give me a new role, give me more responsibility. But my husband 158 00:09:57,562 --> 00:10:00,046 at the time was very ill. We were having a lot of changes in our 159 00:10:00,068 --> 00:10:03,306 house, and I said, you know what? If I do that, it's going to overwhelm 160 00:10:03,338 --> 00:10:06,674 me and I have to do what's right for me. And at that 161 00:10:06,712 --> 00:10:10,082 point in time, it was prioritizing my family and my kids and making 162 00:10:10,136 --> 00:10:13,666 sure everything in my house was operating efficiently, even though I had to 163 00:10:13,688 --> 00:10:15,640 say no to the really cool opportunity. 164 00:10:17,050 --> 00:10:21,010 And so follow up question to that, how did you let the organization 165 00:10:21,090 --> 00:10:26,874 know that it wasn't them and it wasn't the right time to 166 00:10:26,912 --> 00:10:30,106 say yes? Yeah. 167 00:10:30,208 --> 00:10:33,674 I'm usually pretty transparent with the people I work with and the people 168 00:10:33,712 --> 00:10:37,654 I work for without being overly 169 00:10:37,782 --> 00:10:41,610 sharing too much, but being pretty open 170 00:10:41,680 --> 00:10:45,086 about what's going on personally. And I encourage this with my 171 00:10:45,108 --> 00:10:48,366 team as well, the people I manage. I think that in order for 172 00:10:48,388 --> 00:10:51,806 us to show up at work as our best selves, we have 173 00:10:51,828 --> 00:10:54,866 to know what's going on personally as well. You don't have to 174 00:10:54,888 --> 00:10:58,946 know every single detail. You don't have to know every little story, but if 175 00:10:58,968 --> 00:11:02,580 there's big themes that are emerging, it's important information. 176 00:11:03,670 --> 00:11:07,026 At that point in time, it really was, hey, I love this 177 00:11:07,048 --> 00:11:10,086 idea. I want to support as much as I can, but I don't have the 178 00:11:10,108 --> 00:11:13,686 capacity to give that role the attention it needs right now. 179 00:11:13,788 --> 00:11:16,280 Let's revisit this in a year or so. 180 00:11:18,910 --> 00:11:23,398 I'm respected at work. I do a great job, and I think that's 181 00:11:23,414 --> 00:11:27,050 a big part of it is that if they know the reason 182 00:11:27,120 --> 00:11:30,746 behind it, I realize, hey, there's a role that needs 183 00:11:30,768 --> 00:11:33,742 to be filled and you're probably going to go find somebody else and I'm okay 184 00:11:33,796 --> 00:11:37,326 with that. But just so you know, I'm not saying no to 185 00:11:37,348 --> 00:11:40,606 this entirely. I'm just saying no right now. Okay? Yeah. 186 00:11:40,628 --> 00:11:43,866 And you were lucky enough to have the option to do that because I feel 187 00:11:43,908 --> 00:11:47,314 some people might feel that if they say no, that opportunity will never come by 188 00:11:47,352 --> 00:11:51,106 again. And the what if the different things. That people might think 189 00:11:51,128 --> 00:11:55,398 about it? Right? And so 190 00:11:55,564 --> 00:11:58,962 what is something that you have done regularly 191 00:11:59,106 --> 00:12:02,150 that has improved your career? 192 00:12:05,110 --> 00:12:08,258 Networking, really building 193 00:12:08,344 --> 00:12:12,114 relationships and spending time getting to know people and understanding 194 00:12:12,242 --> 00:12:15,762 what other people need, adding value to other people's career stories, 195 00:12:15,826 --> 00:12:19,766 even if it doesn't directly benefit me, but keeping my network really 196 00:12:19,788 --> 00:12:23,114 tight and close. I think that there's people 197 00:12:23,152 --> 00:12:26,220 I worked with when I started my career has gone. 198 00:12:27,150 --> 00:12:31,286 You talk about nonlinear career plans. My career has been this wavy 199 00:12:31,318 --> 00:12:35,194 line all around. I started in accounting and finance with a piece 200 00:12:35,232 --> 00:12:38,942 of technology. I went from working at IBM to working at a video 201 00:12:38,996 --> 00:12:42,714 game company. I then pivoted into marketing. 202 00:12:42,842 --> 00:12:45,726 I was a freelancer for a period of time. I had my own business and 203 00:12:45,748 --> 00:12:49,566 then ended up at IAW. And there's themes like I still stay in 204 00:12:49,588 --> 00:12:52,718 touch with people I worked with 20 years ago when I started my career, 205 00:12:52,814 --> 00:12:56,050 and I still support them in ways and they still support me in ways. 206 00:12:56,120 --> 00:13:00,046 And by regularly showing up and just checking 207 00:13:00,078 --> 00:13:03,222 in, it doesn't have to be every week. You're investing hours 208 00:13:03,276 --> 00:13:06,566 and hours in networking. But we stay connected on 209 00:13:06,588 --> 00:13:10,082 LinkedIn, we comment on posts, we check in from time to time. 210 00:13:10,156 --> 00:13:13,498 And the job I started 211 00:13:13,584 --> 00:13:17,050 at IAW like eight, nine years ago, 212 00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:20,700 and that opportunity presented itself 213 00:13:21,150 --> 00:13:24,794 because of my network. And I was in New York City 214 00:13:24,832 --> 00:13:27,854 visiting with friends. I mentioned what I was doing to somebody. 215 00:13:28,052 --> 00:13:31,758 She said, oh, I think I might have a role for you. 216 00:13:31,844 --> 00:13:35,858 She brought me in part time as a consultant and that's how 217 00:13:35,864 --> 00:13:39,666 it happened. And so I think about that one moment 218 00:13:39,768 --> 00:13:43,620 where I just mentioned what I was doing and she 219 00:13:44,630 --> 00:13:48,006 gave the opportunity. And that has expanded into more and more 220 00:13:48,028 --> 00:13:51,494 and more. But really networking is something 221 00:13:51,532 --> 00:13:54,950 I've done consistently. And so would you say 222 00:13:55,020 --> 00:13:58,422 that your network is broad or 223 00:13:58,476 --> 00:14:02,214 very specific and niche? Broad? My network 224 00:14:02,262 --> 00:14:05,562 is so broad and sometimes I wonder, sometimes I think, 225 00:14:05,616 --> 00:14:08,874 oh, maybe it's too broad. But because I've worked so many 226 00:14:08,912 --> 00:14:12,410 different places and I spent five years living 227 00:14:12,480 --> 00:14:16,282 overseas in Shanghai and Dubai, and so my network 228 00:14:16,346 --> 00:14:20,314 spans global, but it's also people from all different industries 229 00:14:20,362 --> 00:14:23,822 and all different jobs. And in some ways that's really great 230 00:14:23,876 --> 00:14:28,706 because I can find anybody to do anything. But when 231 00:14:28,728 --> 00:14:31,940 I think about kind of like the, well, 232 00:14:32,630 --> 00:14:36,402 do I have the specific enough network to actually benefit my 233 00:14:36,456 --> 00:14:39,990 day to day job right now that needs improvement? 234 00:14:40,890 --> 00:14:44,120 I would definitely say my network is broad at this point. 235 00:14:45,130 --> 00:14:49,266 And so a lot of people might think that introvert 236 00:14:49,378 --> 00:14:52,778 can't have networks and don't like networking because 237 00:14:52,864 --> 00:14:57,706 people ill people and 238 00:14:57,728 --> 00:15:01,334 some people might find it overwhelming because you said your network is broad, 239 00:15:01,382 --> 00:15:05,226 which implies that there might be hundreds or maybe thousands of people that 240 00:15:05,248 --> 00:15:08,734 you know. So what is one thing you do? At least once a month that 241 00:15:08,772 --> 00:15:12,286 helps you grow and or nurture your network. And can you be 242 00:15:12,308 --> 00:15:15,086 really specific about it? Yeah. 243 00:15:15,188 --> 00:15:19,178 So one thing I do every month, and we've done some 244 00:15:19,204 --> 00:15:22,546 content around networking for introverts because it's not impossible. I know 245 00:15:22,568 --> 00:15:26,242 it's overwhelming and I know it's hard. So one thing I've started doing 246 00:15:26,296 --> 00:15:29,574 every month, and I do this as part of an accountability thing I run through 247 00:15:29,612 --> 00:15:33,462 IAW is I'm very intentional about 248 00:15:33,516 --> 00:15:36,726 identifying five places I can network and 249 00:15:36,748 --> 00:15:40,582 it doesn't have to be. So maybe we'll attend one in person 250 00:15:40,636 --> 00:15:44,314 event during the month. I will find a Facebook group. I can go 251 00:15:44,352 --> 00:15:48,138 engage in a LinkedIn group. I'll find a virtual event. 252 00:15:48,304 --> 00:15:51,786 I the also make a list of at least five people I 253 00:15:51,808 --> 00:15:54,918 want to have a touch point with. And a touch point doesn't necessarily mean we're 254 00:15:54,934 --> 00:15:58,366 going out and having coffee, but it might be go look at their LinkedIn and 255 00:15:58,388 --> 00:16:00,846 see what they've been up to and see if I can just drop a message 256 00:16:00,948 --> 00:16:04,382 or if I've read a good book recently, I might 257 00:16:04,436 --> 00:16:07,714 recommend they read the book. Just little touch points like that. 258 00:16:07,832 --> 00:16:11,186 And then I look to add at 259 00:16:11,208 --> 00:16:14,962 least ten people to my network every month. So I'll go 260 00:16:15,016 --> 00:16:18,110 through and find opportunities at the events I'm attending. 261 00:16:18,190 --> 00:16:21,666 I try to walk away going, okay, I'm not just showing 262 00:16:21,698 --> 00:16:25,446 up to have a cocktail and mingle, but who can 263 00:16:25,468 --> 00:16:29,702 I actually meet and walk away feeling like I have a relationship where 264 00:16:29,756 --> 00:16:32,506 we could follow up and collaborate in the future? 265 00:16:32,688 --> 00:16:36,202 So I try to be intentional about instead 266 00:16:36,256 --> 00:16:39,770 of just kind of showing up and seeing who falls into my LinkedIn. 267 00:16:40,350 --> 00:16:43,662 More intentional about where I'm showing up, when I'm showing up, 268 00:16:43,716 --> 00:16:46,960 and how I'm gathering those contacts and nurturing them. 269 00:16:47,970 --> 00:16:52,122 So a slightly different question. You mentioned the non linear 270 00:16:52,186 --> 00:16:55,890 path that your career has had. Would you 271 00:16:56,040 --> 00:16:58,450 consider yourself to be a leader? 272 00:17:01,610 --> 00:17:04,600 Yes, I would. 273 00:17:05,690 --> 00:17:08,966 This is a loaded question and you're laughing. I love 274 00:17:08,988 --> 00:17:12,966 the pause. It was like yeah, because I've 275 00:17:12,998 --> 00:17:16,822 struggled. So I've struggled with Impostor syndrome 276 00:17:16,966 --> 00:17:21,386 because I took time. When we lived overseas, I did not work. So I 277 00:17:21,408 --> 00:17:24,506 found out I was pregnant. My husband was offered a job in Shanghai and I 278 00:17:24,528 --> 00:17:27,690 said, Great, let's go. I can take some time. I can have the baby. 279 00:17:27,770 --> 00:17:30,714 I can figure out this being a mom, I can step away from my career. 280 00:17:30,762 --> 00:17:34,014 It was supposed to be 18 months overseas, so I could take 281 00:17:34,052 --> 00:17:37,934 that time to figure out mom and what am I doing from a career perspective. 282 00:17:37,982 --> 00:17:41,362 So 18 months turned into five years total 283 00:17:41,416 --> 00:17:44,814 overseas. Another kid, we moved home, we had another baby. 284 00:17:44,862 --> 00:17:48,014 I'm still not back to work. So I ended up with this eight ish 285 00:17:48,062 --> 00:17:51,958 year gap on my resume. And I really 286 00:17:52,044 --> 00:17:55,286 struggled to come back and feel like a leader because I felt like I had 287 00:17:55,308 --> 00:17:58,646 this gap and I hadn't stepped up in the 288 00:17:58,668 --> 00:18:01,914 same way that other people around me had. 289 00:18:02,112 --> 00:18:05,260 And when I reflect now, 290 00:18:05,950 --> 00:18:09,098 I've earned the respect of others around me. Some people I 291 00:18:09,104 --> 00:18:12,010 work with don't even know I have a gap on my resume, which I find 292 00:18:12,080 --> 00:18:16,014 hilarious. Why would I? Right? 293 00:18:16,052 --> 00:18:20,314 It's in my head. Right? It's in my head. And so I struggled 294 00:18:20,362 --> 00:18:23,582 with the am I truly a leader? And I believe I am. 295 00:18:23,636 --> 00:18:27,106 I believe I lead the community of IAW. I lead my 296 00:18:27,128 --> 00:18:30,226 team at IAW. I lead others around me. 297 00:18:30,248 --> 00:18:34,114 And I try to lead by showing good 298 00:18:34,152 --> 00:18:37,366 examples. Right. I try to foster environments where people can 299 00:18:37,388 --> 00:18:40,120 trust me and people know my decision making process. 300 00:18:41,130 --> 00:18:44,678 I would say, yes, I'm a leader. But I struggle with that question 301 00:18:44,764 --> 00:18:48,610 because my path to being a leader, 302 00:18:48,770 --> 00:18:51,974 I've doubted myself. And so I 303 00:18:52,012 --> 00:18:55,434 sometimes sit here and question, like, do I deserve to be here? 304 00:18:55,472 --> 00:18:59,226 And I've come to accept that I do. And I've done 305 00:18:59,248 --> 00:19:00,940 a lot of work in this area, 306 00:19:02,370 --> 00:19:06,320 but I think 307 00:19:06,690 --> 00:19:10,846 we can lead without a title. We can lead with a title. And so I 308 00:19:10,868 --> 00:19:14,878 do believe I'm a leader. I've just sometimes 309 00:19:14,964 --> 00:19:17,860 struggled to accept that along the way. 310 00:19:18,230 --> 00:19:21,662 All right, thank you so very much. This has been an interesting conversation. 311 00:19:21,806 --> 00:19:25,234 I have one final question for you before 312 00:19:25,272 --> 00:19:29,480 you let the people know where to find you, and that is is 313 00:19:30,090 --> 00:19:32,930 a hot dog a sandwich, 314 00:19:33,090 --> 00:19:34,790 in your humble opinion? 315 00:19:37,210 --> 00:19:40,466 No. And could you walk us through your thought 316 00:19:40,508 --> 00:19:43,610 process? I mean, technically, 317 00:19:43,950 --> 00:19:47,466 if I say a sandwich is something between bread, I guess, yes. But I just 318 00:19:47,488 --> 00:19:49,690 look at a hot dog, and I don't think sandwich. 319 00:19:52,990 --> 00:19:56,414 I suppose you could call it a sandwich, but I call a hot dog 320 00:19:56,452 --> 00:20:00,078 a hot dog. To me, a sandwich is two separate pieces of bread, and a 321 00:20:00,084 --> 00:20:03,422 hot dog bun is connected. All right, 322 00:20:03,476 --> 00:20:07,006 thank you very much for that. I appreciate it. Everyone has a different viewpoint, 323 00:20:07,038 --> 00:20:10,820 so it's wonderful to be like, wait, and the walk through it. 324 00:20:11,510 --> 00:20:14,740 Yeah, that's a great question. 325 00:20:15,430 --> 00:20:19,160 It has sparked debate over the years. I've led a lot of online 326 00:20:20,490 --> 00:20:24,178 co working, and that question has stopped 327 00:20:24,354 --> 00:20:28,358 anything work related, especially it's been, like, engineers or UX designers or 328 00:20:28,364 --> 00:20:31,410 anything. Just, of course, the whole rate. 329 00:20:31,500 --> 00:20:33,210 Oh, that must be fascinating. 330 00:20:35,950 --> 00:20:39,450 Thank you for joining us today. Please let the people know 331 00:20:39,520 --> 00:20:43,018 where they can find you should they wish to connect and be part of your 332 00:20:43,104 --> 00:20:46,138 growing, expanding network. Absolutely. 333 00:20:46,304 --> 00:20:51,082 So LinkedIn is the best place to find megan bazuto. It's B-O-Z-Z-U-T-O. 334 00:20:51,136 --> 00:20:54,446 If you just search that, it should show up. I'm also on instagram 335 00:20:54,478 --> 00:20:57,470 and facebook, but not quite as active in those places, 336 00:20:57,550 --> 00:21:00,626 so LinkedIn is best. All right, thank you so 337 00:21:00,648 --> 00:21:04,206 much. I really appreciate you being here today. This is janice 338 00:21:04,238 --> 00:21:07,362 at the career introvert, helping you build your brand and get hard. Have a great 339 00:21:07,416 --> 00:21:08,500 rest of your week.