Amy Bruce [speaker]: Hi, I’m Amy Bruce, and I’m a business partner here at Bandwidth. I first connected with NC State Executive Education through some of the senior leaders, and I was really motivated by the sense of community that they were building at a time where community was so important. I thought it would be a great opportunity, not only to enhance my skills personally, but also think about some other Bandmates here that could really be impacted by this wonderful group and community. What really stuck with me was the incredible amount of support and community that it provided. I was so interested in seeing that people were also navigating similar challenges to me in the technical space. It was a safe space to share the different challenges that we were all navigating together in the tech space, and really was an incredible opportunity for us to support one another. The program is incredibly well designed. And wow, the faculty is the special sauce that really differentiates this program amongst all the other programs that I’ve been through in my career. These faculty members are really there to help partner and nurture you through your career, even outside of just the program. I’ve seen the program really make an impact for folks here at Bandwidth. Not only has it provided them a bit more confidence community, but allows them to be more collaborative and take charge in their careers. I’ve seen many folks that have gone through the program that have come back and had this new sense of energy and inspiration that kind of lit the flame within them. It’s boosted our leadership culture and created a culture of vibrant women in technology that continue to drive innovation take on new challenges and encourage them to take on more in their roles here at Bandwidth.

So what I think is really important about the Women in Technical Leadership development program is that it’s not just a once and done spiel, like we actually do see you for a couple of days in person or remotely, and we learn and grow together. But afterward there are actually networking events. We also have things like reading circles, we are actually looking at research, some different courses, and and there’s actually coaching for participants as well. So we’re really working hard to build a community. We work hard to keep connected with the folks who’ve been with us since 2019, and we work hard to pull new people in and help them feel acclimated, and I think that’s what makes it a bit special, is I can still be connected to these folks that we met several several years ago.

In this opening session, we discuss challenges faced by women leaders, informed by academic research and participant experiences. This discussion frames the three-day program as an opportunity to identify approaches to address the challenges through enhancing and developing skills, adjusting mindsets, and developing and leveraging networks.

Research indicates that emotional intelligence is directly correlated with professional performance and just as critical to success as leadership skills like time management and effective communication. In this session, the instructor will guide participants through experiential exercises to help them navigate the spoken and unspoken motives and behaviors in a leadership setting.

In this session, participants will learn how to use design thinking principles to solve organizational challenges and build a career and life path that feels empowering and plays to their strengths. Participants will also learn a five-step design thinking process and how to apply it to their careers and real-world challenges.

Participants will learn and hone skills to listen, understand and communicate more effectively with team members and critical stakeholders based on their unique characteristics—to minimize miscommunications and maximize the team’s collective strengths. During the session, participants will become more aware of their own communication and influence preferences.

Negotiation is a routine part of daily life and leadership, and approaching it with confidence and skill continually signals that you know your worth. This session presents and analyzes negotiation strategies and focuses on the critical skills that leaders need for success, including a proven, four-step, systematic approach.

In this session, participants will gain hands-on experience by managing a simulated organization through a real change scenario. The simulation is an expert-guided workshop backed by over 20 years of research, industry insights, and results. It combines proven approaches with hands-on practice in an engaging, low-risk, high-impact experience.