At Diversity in Data Science, we believe that leadership isn’t confined to titles—it’s about taking initiative, inspiring change, and making an impact wherever you are. We held a virtual mentoring session with our Women in Data Science Puget Sound volunteers, where we explored how the skills we cultivate through volunteer work can become powerful assets in our professional journeys. From translating WiDS experience into career growth, to mastering the art of delegation and leading without formal authority, our discussion was filled with valuable takeaways. Here’s what we learned.
Using WiDS Experience to Elevate Your Career
Volunteering with WiDS isn’t just about giving back and strengthening the data science community—it’s also a powerful catalyst for personal and professional growth. Several of our former conference chairs and leads have stepped into leadership roles within their companies, leveraging the skills they honed in WiDS to drive impact in their workplaces. To make the most of valuable volunteer time and translate those experiences into career success, some key leadership skills include:
Prioritize What Matters: Let go of perfectionism and focus on impact. Identify key priorities and make strategic decisions about where to invest your time and energy.
Optimize Workflows: Leverage project management tools such as Asana or action item trackers to keep initiatives moving forward with clarity and accountability.
Delegate to Empower: True leadership is about lifting others up. Assign tasks thoughtfully to distribute workload and cultivate growth.
Run Meetings Like a Pro: Clear agendas, structured discussions, and defined action items turn meetings into powerful tools for progress.
Set Expectations for Effective Communication: Establish expectations (such as checking Slack once a day) to ensure clear and timely communication across committees.
Stay Transparent: Regular status reports and check-ins ensure that everyone stays informed and aligned, making it easier to tackle challenges proactively.
The Art of Delegation: Elevating Others While Achieving More
Great leaders don’t do everything alone—they trust and empower others to contribute meaningfully. Delegation can be tough, but these best practices make it easier:
Recognize Strengths and Encourage Growth: Identify comfort zones and push team members to expand their capabilities.
Be Clear and Specific: Avoid ambiguity by setting clear expectations and deadlines.
Break It Down: Large tasks can be daunting—divide them into manageable steps.
Make Collaboration a Habit: Group working sessions foster teamwork and ensure that tasks don’t fall through the cracks.
Support with Training: Provide the knowledge and resources necessary for others to succeed.
Create a Culture of Shared Knowledge: Train multiple people on essential tasks so that expertise is never bottlenecked.
Leading Without Authority: Making an Impact from Any Role
Leadership is about influence. Many of our members have led projects and initiatives without direct authority, and their success comes from key strategies like these:
Take Initiative: Instead of asking, “What can I do?” propose a specific action you can take to add value.
Clarify Goals and Align Priorities: Clearly articulate what you aim to achieve and ensure it resonates with broader team objectives.
Align Needs with Action: Understand the needs and perspectives of different stakeholders to drive alignment and collaboration.
Show the Bigger Picture: Frame your contributions in terms of time saved, efficiency gained, or strategic impact.
Integrate Leadership Skills into Your Personal and Professional Environments
The skills you develop from volunteering don’t just make a difference in your community—they shape you into a leader ready to take on bigger challenges in both your career and personal life. Whether you’re refining your ability to delegate, leading without authority, or optimizing workflows, every step you take contributes to your professional growth and success.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated in our session! Your insights and experiences are what make this community thrive.
If you're looking for further inspiration on leadership, here are some excellent book recommendations to deepen your knowledge and refine your skills:
How Remarkable Women Lead - Explores the leadership traits that drive successful women, emphasizing personal meaning, positive framing, and connecting with others to inspire and achieve impact.
How Women Rise - Identifies 12 habits that hold women back in their careers and provides strategies to overcome them, empowering women to advance and succeed in leadership.
Never Split the Difference – Teaches negotiation tactics based on FBI hostage negotiation techniques, emphasizing empathy, tactical mirroring, and emotional intelligence to achieve the best possible outcomes in any negotiation.
Getting to Yes - A fundamental guide to effective negotiations and win-win solutions.