Thriving Under Pressure

The world of tech is a fast and Dynamic environment which comes with many stresses. Hear from two incredible Women who lead their teams to success throughout the global Pandemic.

In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, the tech industry and high-pressure environments seem to go hand in hand. After the amazing launch of ‘The Answer is Women’ first Women in Tech event with Jo Graham (CIO/IT Director, GHD) we hosted our last event with guest speakers Samantha Robinson (Associate Director, Live Services at NHS Digital) and Sally Bogg (Head of Service at NHS live Services).

Succeeding in the face of challenges

It was inspirational to be walked through NHS Digital’s process of testing, and vaccinating the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Not to mention the additional job of keeping us all safe, with the roll out of COVID passes. As listeners of these motivational talks, the thought of how much pressure our speaker, Samantha Robinson and her team must have been under crossed our minds several times, and we wondered how they dealt with it all. With humour (enter Mrs Giraffe) Sam inspired us all by highlighting that in leadership, people matter, we should have a sense of humour even in difficult situations and to celebrate the wins…no matter how small!

Tips and Tricks

We were then lucky enough to hear from Sally who discussed with us her top tips and tricks for thriving under pressure. She emphasised the importance of; having a circle of trust, decision making, reframing situations, maintaining focus and control and looking after yourself.

1. Have a circle of trust - it is important to have a network of people you can trust and lean on especially when things get tough. This includes friends in and outside of work.
2. Decision making - when it comes to decision making, start with good intent and make decisions based on the information you have at the time - avoid filling in gaps of information.
3. Reframe the situation - think about a negative or challenging situation in a more positive way. Be aware of catastrophizing!
4. Maintain control and focus - keep yourself and your team alert to the task ahead so that your attention does not get diverted toward distractions.
5. Look after yourself - sometimes it is okay to step back to get some clarity, reflect and ask for help. Recognise the signs of stress and value the need for self-care. You can’t do your best if you’re not feeling your best!
   

The ‘Answer is Women’ was set up to connect, inspire and empower women. We can safely say we all felt pretty empowered after hearing from two powerhouses! We will be back soon with our next event - can't wait to see you there!