Don’t see yourself as 'the woman' in the room. See yourself as a person that brings tremendous value and input to the table."

— Christine Thompson, Director of Business Process Improvement & PMO, Ricoh Canada

Last week, Ricoh Canada’s Diversity and Inclusion Council hosted their third installment of the Women @ Ricoh discussion series — this time on how to Elevate Your Career. Four female Ricoh employees in leadership positions joined the panel to share their insights on how they got to where they are now, their advice for those looking to advance their careers and why it’s important for women to raise their hands to opportunities.

The panel, moderated by Stephanie Sextus, National Account Manager, included Barbara Marinoni, National Director of Supply Chain, Christine Thompson, Director of Business Process Improvement & PMO, Marlys Brothers, V.P. of Commercial and Industrial Print, and Andrea Williams, V.P. of Technology & Emerging Solutions at Ricoh eDiscovery.

While each woman brought a unique perspective based on individual experiences, there was one clear consensus across the panel: it is critical to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. The event was hosted internally across our organization but, because of the importance of the topic, we'd be remiss not to share a recap of this powerful session to help inspire all those navigating their own careers.

This isn’t just a conversation by women, for women. It’s about diversity and inclusion for everybody." — Mike Fast, Chief Operating Officer, Ricoh Canada

Mike Fast, Chief Operating Officer at Ricoh Canada, kicked off the event by praising the committee for creating the opportunity for women to openly talk about their career development. “This isn’t just a conversation by women, for women. It’s about diversity and inclusion for everybody. As we all become part of the conversation, it gives us the opportunity to support each other.” True to this sentiment, over 30 per cent of the 100+ attendees of the online event were men. 

“Now, more than ever, we need to continue to empower women during these turbulent times,” Stephanie explained before opening the panel to questions. “The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed women’s participation in the labour force down to its lowest level in three decades in Canada. Rebounding will not be easy, and it is really pushing us back in all the efforts we’ve made for gender equality in the workforce.” We are fortunate to be part of an organization that gives its employees flexibility and support to accommodate the current work-from-home circumstances and recognizes that wherever there is change, there is opportunity.

Here’s what each panelist had to say on their career growth and advice to others:

How did you get to where you are now?

Marlys Brothers joined the industry working in an administrative position immediately out of university and has had several positions over the past 24 years — eight of which have been with Ricoh. Christine Thompson, who has been employed by Ricoh for 26 years, shared that she started off as a teacher but, when the time came for a change, she decided to pursue a career in finance and accounting. Andrea Williams, a 15-year employee of Ricoh, never could have imagined doing anything but sales. Now, she’s the V.P. of Technology & Emerging Solutions for Ricoh's eDiscovery division. Barbara Marinoni, who explained she joined the workforce in a predominantly male industry, said, “At the beginning of my career, ‘diversity’ and ‘inclusion’ were not in the corporate vocabulary.” As a Ricoh employee for nine years, her personal motto of “anything is possible” holds true as she now holds the position of National Director of Supply Chain.

Can you think of a time when you took a risk on a role or assignment?

Christine, now the Director of Business Process Improvement & PMO, admitted that she was hesitant to take on a leadership role in the beginning. “I was the only woman on the team which made me nervous.” She attributes her mentor at the time for challenging her to address the fear that was stopping her from moving forward by first looking within; advice that she carries with her to this day.

I took a lateral move and I’m so happy I did. It pushed me to learn an entirely different side of the business and it ended up being a foundational move for me." — Andrea Williams, V.P. of Technology & Emerging Solutions, Ricoh eDiscovery

For Andrea, it was the opportunities she was hesitant to take that got her to where she is now. “I took a lateral move and I’m so happy I did. It pushed me to learn an entirely different side of the business and it ended up being a foundational move for me. From there, I was able to move through as the company grew.” Andrea explained, “Once you work through that discomfort, it leads to growth.”

When Barbara achieved her latest promotion, she told herself, “What I don’t know, I’m going to learn.” Her advice to those who are nervous to take the next steps in their career is to not be afraid of failure. “The mistakes,” she says, “are as good as the positive things that we do. That’s how we learn!”

For Marlys, advocating for herself was part of the journey. “Every role I’ve gotten, I had to interview for. I’ve always had to create my own path and that’s a bit scary.” Marlys explained, “I was looking for someone to tell me what I should do next but I took a step back and realized that I had to first figure out what I was most interested in, which helped me get to where I am now. It’s upon us to find a role that we like.”

What resources have helped you with your career development?

Christine believes there are three aspects to development: internal, external and self. To develop internally, she suggests speaking to managers and expressing an eagerness to take on more. Externally, watch how others excel in their roles and for working on one’s self, embrace mistakes. "To be given the opportunity to fail, and know that it’s okay, is important.”

Andrea believes developing a collaborative relationship with your team is critical. “Listen to all the different voices and make sure the ones that are loud aren’t the only ones being heard. Connect with those that need time for ideas to percolate before bringing them forward.” As problems continue to become more complex, she believes diversity in thought is critical to finding great solutions. Listen to questions being asked by others. “When I attend conferences, I always make a point of listening during the Q&A portion. Look for the different perspectives that are being voiced. That’s helped me a lot over the years to gain different viewpoints and identify opportunities.”

There are a lot of similarities between training for sport as there are in career development. You get out of it what you put into it." — Barbara Marinoni, National Director of Supply Chain, Ricoh Canada

Barbara, a three-time Ironman and nine-time Marathon finisher, equates her discipline in sport to her drive in her career. She explained, “There are a lot of similarities between training for sport as there are in career development. You get out of it what you put into it.” For those looking for external resources to help with their development, she recommends Extreme Ownership: How US Navy SEALs Lead by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. “It’s a fantastic read and has really helped me over the past few months."

Marlys, an avid learner, shared how she has found ways to learn in even the most unexpected places. In one of the most memorable anecdotes of the session, she explained:

“I realized that if you start chatting with the person who’s scooping your ice cream, they’ll likely give you a bigger scoop. There is a life lesson in that. If you make an effort to communicate with people at your organization, you’re always going to learn something from them which will help you become a better leader. Everyone is scooping your ice cream."

What are some strategies that have helped you stand out in your role?

The panel offered a few pieces of mutual advice: find a good mentor who can help you navigate next steps, don’t be afraid to self-promote and embrace the changes as they come. Here are each of their parting words of advice:

Marlys: “It’s okay to be different. One of my biggest challenges was looking at my manager and thinking I needed to be just like him. There is often this perception that you’re not going to be a good manager if you are too nice and too empathetic. But, there are ways to hold a firm line while still being true to yourself. You don’t need to fit into someone’s mold to be successful.”

Andrea: “No matter what your role is, own it! Be accountable. When I see people doing that, I get so excited. I value that so much.”

Barbara: “Don’t be afraid. Learning comes with making mistakes. Just keep moving forward.”

Christine: “Don’t see yourself as 'the woman' in the room. See yourself as that person that brings tremendous value and input to the table. Be bold, believe in the impossible and put up your hand.”

Mike Fast wrapped up the session with a couple of final thoughts: "Creating an environment that supports diversity and inclusion creates a stronger organization. When women are successful, we all are successful."

Thank you to Stephanie, Barbara, Christine, Andrea and Marlys for sharing their personal experiences with our team and readers.

To learn more about Ricoh Canada's corporate culture and initiatives, click here.