Inspired Execution
A leadership podcast With Chet Kapoor
How a Vogue Hopeful Became a Tech Executive with Elizabeth Hunter
Today we hear from Elizabeth Hunter, Former SVP of Technology at T-Mobile and advocate for diversity and inclusion. A Vogue hopeful turned telecom expert, Elizabeth shares how success doesn’t always come from climbing only one ladder, tips for creating a culture of belonging, and how to tap into your resilience through periods of change.
Episode Transcript
Show Notes:
Welcome back to the Inspired Execution Podcast! Today we hear from Elizabeth Hunter, Former SVP of Technology at T-Mobile and advocate for diversity and inclusion. A Vogue hopeful turned telecom expert, Elizabeth shares how success doesn’t always come from climbing only one ladder, tips for creating a culture of belonging, and how to tap into your resilience through periods of change.
Timestamps:
0:43 - Welcome to today’s episode with guest Elizabeth Hunter
1:14 - Elizabeth shares her background
5:11 - Overcoming fear in periods of uncertainty
6:30 - Elizabeth identifies the biggest challenges within her previous roles
7:13 - What Elizabeth is most proud of in her role
7:25 - Finding mentors and paying it forward
10:16 - Advice from Elizabeth about diversity, inclusion, and belonging
14:33 - Actions businesses can take to strengthen women in positions of power
17:30 - Rapid-fire questions
As the episode kicks off, Elizabeth shares her own non-linear career path. In school, she tried out many different activities but gravitated most towards creative hobbies. She never imagined having an office or technology career, and dreamed of being the Editor In Chief of Vogue Magazine. One day, she read a book that made her question her aspirations and got a job as a secretary. When a boss recommended she join the world of IT, she decided to give it a try. She was first hired as a Chief of Staff before working for a wireless company a few years later.
Considering the zig-zags of her early career aspirations, Elizabeth reveals that the biggest thing she learned about herself along the way was that she could push herself through fear and she shouldn’t be afraid to be afraid. She identifies her biggest challenge, and the most rewarding thing when gotten right, has been bringing people together and speaking in a way which they all can understand. In her current role, she is most proud of the opportunities she is able to provide people, especially minorities, who don’t find careers in tech as easily as others. Then, she identifies the people who have helped her become a better leader and person. To pay it back, she thinks every day about how to help other people advance their careers.
When it comes to inclusion, Elizabeth says, there is no one size fits all answer. The thing she tries to focus on is how to help people feel like they belong. The secret to feeling comfortable being different is seeing other people around you who are different, too. As a leader, she shares the things which make her different, the mistakes she has made, and more. She finds that people want a real authentic experience from a leader, so they feel comfortable being authentic themselves. Elizabeth is a member of Chief, the network aimed at driving more women to positions of power. She shares the approaches we can all take in our everyday life to work towards a similar goal. Finally, she engages in a rapid-fire round of questions.
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Links:
Learn more about Elizabeth Hunter.
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