Summary: 

On today’s episode of Elevate Your Career, Nicole talks to Colleen Wolf, a seasoned C-level executive with nearly two decades of experience. As a CIO, Colleen is an inspiring leader in the tech industry. Colleen holds a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from the University of Alberta.

Colleen shares her remarkable career journey, starting from her early days in programming at Intergraph to her roles at renowned companies like IBM and Mattel, eventually rising to the esteemed position of CIO. She will be sharing key principles that contributed to her successful career in the tech industry. 

Throughout the episode, you’ll learn about the need to create an environment for courageous conversations in the organization, how curiosity played a pivotal role in her ascent to the CIO position, and the benefits of leveraging “other person’s point of view” (OPPOV) to advance your career.

The conversation touches upon the common experience of imposter syndrome and self-doubt, with both Colleen and Nicole sharing personal stories. Colleen also discusses her approach to handling self-doubt. She emphasizes the need for continuous learning and adaptation of new technologies and industry trends. 

Finally, in the Fast Five segment, Colleen shares some quick insights. Plus, Colleen will share not just one, but two interesting fun facts about herself.

Join Nicole and Colleen for an enlightening and enjoyable conversation about navigating the corporate world, fostering a culture of courageous conversations, and the power of curiosity in driving a successful career in technology leadership.

Enjoy!

What You Will Learn In This Show:

• Career elevation and courageous conversations.
• What inspired her to pursue a career in technology?
• How remote work and flexibility can benefit women in the workforce.
• A valuable strategy called O.P.P.O.V. 
• Fostering courageous conversations in the workplace. 
• Leveraging vendor partnerships. 
• A key piece of advice for individuals starting their careers.
• And so much more…

Quotes:

“It’s an interesting story about how I ended up in technology.” (Colleen Wolf)

“The way to succeed is to understand the other person’s point of view (OPPOV).” (Colleen Wolf)

“One thing that the executive coach taught me was O.P.P.O.V. And it has stuck with me for my entire career.” (Colleen Wolf)

“I would be lying if I didn’t ever tell you I had self-doubt. The way I handle that is to leverage my colleagues.” (Colleen Wolf)

“One thing I talk about a lot is courageous conversations.” (Colleen Wolf)

“One piece of advice is to have a lot of curiosity.” (Colleen Wolf)

Resources:

Nicole McMackin LinkedIn

LinkedIn | Colleen Wolf 

Podcast: