International Women’s Day provides an opportunity to celebrate women all over the world who have inspired us. This day is an important tribute — the perfect time to reflect on the gender equality progress that’s been made, to shed some light on everything that still needs to be done and to recognize those who have helped raise the bar to benefit everyone.
This year, the theme of International Women’s Day is #BreakTheBias. At Netsmart, we are grateful to be surrounded by and work alongside a force of incredible women. Our female leaders empower our teams to be passionate, drive change and take action inside and outside of the workplace.
Members of our Netsmart Women’s Associate Resource Group weighed in on true qualities of being a leader and actions they take that paves the way forward for women.
“When I think about integrity, I think about the great quote from CS Lewis, ‘Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.’ As leaders, we have opportunities to demonstrate integrity through our actions … think about making and keeping our commitments, taking risks and owning our mistakes and leading by example. Leading with integrity shows value in our professional lives to both our clients and associates and carries through to everyday actions in our personal lives.” — Anne Molinaro, Vice President, Support
“At Netsmart, Values Matter and we aspire to demonstrate our ten core values. Integrity is living these values in our words and most importantly through our actions. In the words of Lewis Cass, ‘People may doubt what you say, but they will always believe what you do.” — Regan Baron, Vice President, Client Experience
“Our greatest achievements come from our humility to recognize the strengths and contributions of others, respect a different perspective and acknowledge our own mistakes. Humility is the silent trait that speaks volumes when exemplified by a leader.” — Maria Warren, Senior Director, Clinical Consulting, McBee
“Simply put, associates at Netsmart work hard. They're passionate about the work they're doing, and it shows every day. It's important for leaders to have humility and give credit where credit is due - acknowledge the success of others and shine the spotlight on them so they continue to do great things.” — Roxanne Gelles, Director, Consulting Services
“Resilience reminds me to stand strong and confident and adapt to any challenges that come my way.” — Paula Edwards, System Engineer
“Communication is at the core of effective leadership. As leaders, we want to influence and inspire our teams – so we need to listen, be transparent and understand how we are being perceived through verbal and non-verbal cues. Our main goal for communication should be to build trust in the workplace and ensure we are keeping our associates engaged.” — Wendy Hill, Chief People Officer
“I believe effective communication that successfully displays professional edge is a critical skill for women in all roles. Confidently conveying your message in a clear and concise manner enables us to build consensus quickly and be agile in how we are solving challenges.” — Erica Gregory, Vice President & GM, RCM
“Vision is the ability to create a new path forward, a new destination and illuminate the stepping-stones between where we are today, to how we will succeed tomorrow.” — Latessa Hinson, Vice President, Post-Acute Consulting
“Empathetic leadership is a female superpower. The science behind this is that oxytocin, which is found in higher levels in women, can make people more empathic, while testosterone could do the opposite. Interesting, right? This really leans into our Netsmart value, ‘Is a leader & a teacher.’ A superpower that can empower and transform relationships, teams and organizations. When associates feel supported and understood, they perform better.” — Beth Reece, Vice President & GM, GEHRIMED
“Empathy has always been a critical skill for leaders, but in a time of a global pandemic and mounting conflict overseas, it is taking on a new level of meaning and priority. Empathy is critical to reducing associate stress and improving mental health. It has a direct correlation to performance, engagement and retention and as such, is something leaders need to incorporate into their day-to-day relationships with their teams.” — Erin Nadler, Sr. Director, Engineering
By exemplifying: integrity, humility, resilience, effective communication, vision and empathy our Netsmart leaders are committed to breaking the bias - on International Women's Day (IWD) and beyond.
We encourage you to celebrate the women in your life and the accomplishments they make each and every day. To honor International Women’s Day, you can find resources, guidance, and supporting organizations within your community to learn and take action on championing the movement of breaking the bias.
