Leadership and "The Adventures of Women in Tech" with Alana Karen

Today, we are joined by an extraordinary woman, Alana Karen. Alana has spent the last 19 years at Google, she started in an online sales role, moved into a Director role at Google Fiber (later known as Access), and is currently a Director working in the Search Platforms area. Other than a few years here and there, Alana has spent the majority of her career with Google. An interesting fact about Alana is that she received her Bachelor’s Degree in History… and ended up in tech! She has also written an amazing called, The Adventures of Women in Tech: How We Got Here and Why We Stay.   We cover so much ground in our conversation together today! We take a deep dive into Alana’s career journey at Google; the genesis and motivation behind her book, The Adventures of Women in Tech; key lessons she has learned through being a female leader; and the lessons she has learned from other inspirational female leaders in interviewing them for her book.   Alana shares her reaction to the impact of COVID on women in the workplace, her predictions on what she believes is possible for women in tech in the future, and her insights on the 2018 Google walkout that made headlines. She also offers some incredibly invaluable advice and key takeaways around stepping up as a female leader, quieting the voice inside your head that tells you you can’t, and how to build a support system around you.   Key Takeaways: [:50] About today’s episode! [1:45] Welcoming Alana Karen to the podcast. [1:54] How Alana and I first met. [2:10] Alana shares about her upbringing and how she made her way into tech. [7:26] How has Alana made some of her career moves? Does she have a certain strategy or mindset that she is leveraging? [14:07] Alana shares more about her career journey. [20:33] Alana explains the distinction between being a manager vs. a leader. [25:00] Did being a mother of multiple children influence Alana’s perspective as a leader?[28:04] The genesis of Alana’s book, The Adventures of Women in Tech: How We Got Here and Why We Stay. [33:21] Alana speaks about the women that she interviewed for her book and what the process was like. [35:11] Alana highlights some of the key themes that emerged that she had not originally anticipated as the book was coming together. [38:02] Alana shares her insights on the 2018 Google walkout that made headlines. [42:05] Alana shares about another Google controversy that occurred while she was promoting her book. [43:07] What is it about tech that makes it so unique that we need to have these types of conversations? [48:39] Alana shares her reaction to the impact of COVID on women in the workplace and her predictions on what she believes is possible in the future. [52:27] Alana leaves women listening to the podcast with some advice and women. [55:07] Thanking Alana for joining the podcast and for writing an amazing book!   Mentioned in this Episode: Alana Karen’s LinkedIn The Adventures of Women in Tech: How We Got Here and Why We Stay, by Alana Karen “Google Walkout: Employees Stage Protest Over Handling of Sexual Harassment,” The New York Times “Google Faces Internal Backlash Over Handling of Sexual Harassment,” The New York Times   About Fifth Dimensional Leadership & Ginny Clarke Fifth-Dimensional Leadership is a podcast about leadership — knowing yourself, speaking your truth, inspiring love, expanding your consciousness and activating your mastery. As an executive recruiter and career expert currently leading executive recruiting at a Fortune 20 tech company, Ginny Clarke is a passionate and authentic thought leader with a unique and deliberate perspective on work and life. She synthesizes aspects of her life as an African-American single mother who has successfully navigated corporate America for over 30 years. She has inspired, uplifted, and changed the lives of thousands and is intentional about bringing conscious awareness to people of all ages and stages.   Every other week, a new edition of Fifth-Dimensional Leadership will include fascinating guests, covering a variety of topics: power, personal branding, self-awareness, networking, fear, and career management   Stay Connected! To find more episodes or learn more, visit: GinnyClarke.com Connect with her on social media: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Youtube

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Fifth Dimensional Leadership is a podcast about leadership - knowing yourself, speaking your truth, inspiring love, expanding your consciousness, activating your mastery. As an executive recruiter and career expert, most recently leading executive recruiting at Google, Ginny Clarke is a passionate and authentic thought leader with a unique and deliberate perspective on work and life. She synthesizes aspects of her life as an African-American, single mother who has successfully navigated corporate America for over 30 years. She has inspired, uplifted and changed the lives of thousands and is intentional about bringing conscious awareness to people of all ages and career stages. Every other week, a new edition of Fifth Dimensional Leadership will include fascinating guests, covering a variety of topics: power, personal branding, self-awareness, networking, fear, and career management.