An interview series spotlighting global tech influencers, disruptors, visionaries, and of course, innovators.
In 2015 PwC EMEA Technology Program & Product Leader Janet Phan founded Thriving Elements, a Seattle-based global nonprofit that matches underserved, underrepresented girls with STEM mentors. Through Thriving Elements, Phan develops and empowers young women leaders in STEM to make a sustainable impact in their communities and inspire the next generation of women leaders. While Thriving Elements’ primarily focuses on high quality STEM mentoring, the program also provides opportunities for leadership development, networking, job shadowing and site visits so that students can experience the day-to-day life of a professional working in a STEM-related field.
A global technology consultant for PwC, Phan now lives in Zurich, Switzerland and continues to advocate for mentees and inform other professionals about the value of mentorship, especially for minorities, and the significant impact these connections can foment for those considering and entering into STEM careers/studies. Phan notes how some of her own high school, college and especially professional mentors’ positively influenced her life and her career success and also inspired her to launch Thriving Elements in order to provide similar guidance for nextgen young women leaders. She credits her early journey of success — from working KFC double shifts and Hollywood Video night shifts to becoming a PwC Technology Program & Product Leader — to her mentors. Phan also shares her personal story of growing up in a household where her parents were not equipped to make the choices that would guide her through the US education and career systems. Her first book, Boldly You, which will be released this fall, explores how her past experiences in education, professional career, and personal life contribute to her continuing growth as a leader.
I had the pleasure to connect with Phan via email to learn more about a variety of topics including her vision for Thriving Elements, women in tech, her forthcoming book, tips on how to be an effective mentor/mentee and increasing the number of women leaders in STEM. Our interview follows.
EKMH: “Oftentimes I am the only female at the table....”
Janet Phan: And I’m determined to make sure that won’t be the case for future generations of women in STEM fields. There are a number of reasons why women are underrepresented in STEM careers, and I’ve made it my personal mission to tackle them in the way that I know how, using the resources I have. The trajectory of my life changed since my childhood when I realized that the more I voice what I hope to achieve and my challenges, the more people around me who knew the system were willing to help. Having access to excellent mentors who saw more potential in me than I saw in myself helped propel my career in technology. Mentors opened my eyes to the possibilities in technology beyond the stereotypes of computer programming.
I truly believe that if more girls and women understood the breadth of STEM careers available to them, we would see our numbers steadily increase. If there’s a young girl out there who tries programming and realizes it’s not for her, she may associate that technology is not for her, either. This is a problem because we leave out a large talent pool if we continue to message technology in this way. In order for tech products and services to serve diverse populations and needs, we need all personality types and varying skill sets, and we need mentors along the way to help guide in that journey.
EKMH: How does mentorship, especially for those with lower social capital without access to informal career networks and the so-called “hidden job market,” impact those entering STEM careers?
Janet Phan: I am the perfect example of the power of mentorship for young people with lower social capital or the access that you often need to get those great internships or entry level jobs – or even to know what opportunities await. My first mentor was a high school teacher and it wasn’t until later that I realized that’s what he was: he looked at his role as helping to open doors for me and providing access to opportunities that I wouldn’t otherwise have had. I believe mentorship provides a key resource that helps underrepresented populations thrive beyond what they might otherwise imagine is possible.
The role of mentorship is multifaceted. Many people look at mentors as someone to give career advice, and they are certainly that. But what I found growing up as the daughter of Vietnamese refugees was that mentors often saw something in me and opened brand new pathways–ones that I had not thought to go down and pursue. So a great mentor, for folks with lower social capital, can completely change their lives.
Mentors are also there to give others a seat at the table to which they might not otherwise have had access. You need to be able to stand on your own two feet, but it is extremely helpful to have an advocate on your way in, and that’s what a mentor can provide. I have had mentors advocate for me as I went after new positions where I wanted to make an impact. They helped me gain visibility with hiring managers and create roles that didn’t exist that optimized the use of my skills.
#wetechtogether
EKMH: What past experiences, including mentors, have not only helped you grow as a leader but also led to your launching Thriving Elements?
Janet Phan: I believe all of my past experiences in education, my profession, and personal life have built upon each other to help me grow as a leader and there’s still so much more for me to learn and become a better leader. My forthcoming book, Boldly You, provides more insight into this loaded question.
However, one pivotal moment was when my IT internship mentor, Joseph Peck, carved out a piece of his statement of work and handed it over to me to deliver. My job was to talk with the legal team, communications team, marketing team—every team—and get them on board with using a new system for managing information about their department that they needed to share with the rest of the company. He trusted me to lead the project.
While I didn’t know what I was getting into, I also knew I didn’t want to let him down. He provided me the flexibility to approach the project creatively: he recognized my strengths, harnessed them, and set me free to lead the company’s intranet redesign initiative. He recognized that I was good at engaging with different types of people; quick to pick up on technical concepts so I could communicate feedback from the business partners to our developers, and able to translate technical functionality into language business people understood. I got things done.
But beyond his belief in me, Joseph was aware of something else: in meetings, white men are more likely than women and people of color to volunteer for projects in a big group setting. Men are more likely to speak up and say, “I’ll do it,” even before they have much information about the project and how to be successful. They assume they’ll be able to figure it out. Joseph made it his mission to seek out and nurture leaders who fall outside of that group—even though he is a white male. And, I learned much later, he saw that I was able to harness this “white male approach,” even though I don’t fit into that category.
As our mentor-mentee relationship developed, Joseph recognized other qualities he could nurture in me, like my willingness to ask for help. He understood I had a lot to learn but also saw that I was up for trying anything. I listened well and stayed open to critical feedback, and could look at myself in the mirror and accept without judgment where I needed to improve. While I enjoyed the work Joseph was giving me, I enjoyed being part of the team even more. I didn’t have the experience that I’ve heard and read about interns having at other companies. I was an extension of the team. Regularly, I’d ask him, “Am I moving in the right direction? What can I do to improve?” His feedback gave me the information I needed to continue to grow.
Many years later he was working with PwC and he asked me to join his team. I got the chance to work with clients across the globe. It was during the many trips from Seattle to Europe and Africa that I thought to myself, “How did I get here?” During long flights in business class where my seat turned into a bed, being served with real china and silverware, and a generous spread for dessert, I would wonder how a girl like me got here: surrounded by people who were 2-3x my age and primarily white men. It was my mentors who helped make this possible. This led me to think about how I can help those who are growing up like I did and create access to opportunities for the next generation of women in STEM fields. This is how Thriving Elements was born.
EKMH: Can anyone be a mentor? What can people do to become more effective mentors and mentees?
Janet Phan: I’ve been a mentor and a mentee, and I’ve matched dozens of mentor/mentee pairs at Thriving Elements. And yes, anyone can be and benefit from being part of a mentoring relationship - but there are certain things that great mentors do. I laid these out in a five-point plan for Fast Company recently. One area I think a lot of mentors don’t think about is being authentic. Many people want to present as perfect or ideal or have some sort of lesson ready for the mentee but the truth is we all make mistakes getting to where we are going, and all of us have things we’d like to change. I remind mentors to remain authentic because their mentee can learn from their candor and relate to them even better.
I also suggest mentors to hone in on their listening skills, and hear what it is that the mentee needs from them. Mentorship is a two-way street, and many mentors have and can learn from their mentees. By keeping that open mind and dialogue, you can build a stronger relationship and make more of an impact than you ever thought.
Finally, I always remind mentors that they are there to encourage and empower their mentees, and to open doors the mentee may not otherwise access. Mentors, of course, you want to set expectations and boundaries, but at the same time you’ve put yourself out there in order to help further your mentee’s career, so you should be looking for opportunities to do so.
On the mentee side, I recently shared my tips for finding a mentor with Harvard Business Review. Mentees should also come from an empowered place, leading the relationship in terms of scheduling meetings and providing feedback to the mentor between meetings. Mentorships need to feel positive on both sides, so I recommend nurturing the relationship. That means being personal and making meetings and calls something to look forward to with your mentor. The biggest thing for mentees to remember is to maintain the relationship. Follow up, send thank you notes, schedule the next meeting. Mentees, after all, you are in the driver’s seat so use the resources available to you to create your own future.
EKMH: How have you incorporated new or emerging pandemic trends affecting women in STEM?
Janet Phan: I am continuing to push forward mentoring through Thriving Elements, shifting to a virtual model. I also suggest to professionals to not let the pandemic hinder them from developing new relationships and deepening current ones. While we would all benefit from in-person mentoring sessions, we must stay vigilant in keeping ourselves and those around us healthy and safe. There are mentors and mentees from Thriving Elements who have developed their relationships virtually prior to the pandemic, and I would encourage others to do the same.
EKMH: In addition to Thriving Elements, you also work full-time at PwC. How do you encourage and lead others to become involved and be a part of much needed systemic change?
Janet Phan: PwC is an incredible place to grow professionally and personally, where I have received the utmost support creating my own career. PwC Advisory has a Women-to-Women group that sponsors and volunteers at Thriving Elements’ quarterly leadership team building events.
I make sure to empower the women who work around me to have a voice by creating opportunities in the areas where they want to make an impact and building the skills they want to develop. For example, I give women the space to lead their own way and to fail so they can learn from their own experiences. I make time to mentor women. I speak at firm events and meetings to share my story, the work I do, and how my colleagues can become involved. I am a vocal advocate for the work that I do with mentoring, and I am grateful to be building a platform where I can reach more people around mentorship through speaking, writing, interviews and podcasts.
I am writing a book, Boldly You, due out this fall. It’s designed to help empower young girls and women to discover what they are capable of accomplishing when they show up for themselves. Boldly You includes steps they need to take in order to reach their goals.
EKMH: And finally, which books, films and/or podcasts top your recommended list?
Janet Phan: I love reading and listening to Audible during walks along Lake Zurich. These three top my list:
A Promised Land by Barack Obama
Metahuman by Deepak Chopra
Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson
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