DR. JENNA BUTLER
MICROSOFT
jenna is an applied research scientist, and studies productivity, trying to help software engineers be more productive while enjoying their life and work more.
As a woman community leader, how do you cultivate and maintain mentorship relationships with younger or emerging women leaders? What lessons or approaches are you passing on to ensure that leadership, empowerment, and inclusivity endure beyond your own tenure?
I try to model that you can have a family and be a successful leader, even in corporate America. That doesn't mean you can always "have it all," but you can have a family and be in work if you have the right work and a supportive family. My kids come first, and my coworkers know that, but I work on a team where we all put our family first.
I have an incredibly supportive husband who spent 7 years as a stay-at-home dad while I grew my career. Now, having 3 kids and working at Microsoft, I try and show junior women that it is possible to be successful while still putting family first. I am transparent when I'm leaving early to go to my kids' school play, or when I'm home taking care of a sick kid.
They appear on Teams calls and I let them say hi, and I try and invite my colleagues to our home to share the joy and love of our family. I think many young women are afraid to show that feminine side, or family focused side, in their career, and I want them to have someone they can look up to, so I strive to be that person.
If you had to choose a single word that captures your current approach to leadership, what would it be and why?
Joyful. I think bringing joy and positivity to leadership helps people unlock their best potential. When people feel happy at work, they can do their best work, and then go be their best at home. Coming in with a smile, asking people how they are, and bringing sunshine to work every day is something I strive to do.
How have you and your team continued (or adapted) your efforts to give back to the community over the past year?
I have a personal goal of increasing my charitable giving each year. I recently looked back on how much I've given to charity since the start of my professional career almost 10 years ago, and it has grown almost every single year. I'm really proud of that. I also try and show my kids how and when we are giving and point out the things we are giving up (having a new kitchen, new cars, etc.) in order to give more sacrificially. I want them to see we don't just give the extra we have, but we push to give more and sacrifice.
Reflecting on the last year, what new quote, book, or piece of advice has most influenced you as a woman leader? Why did it resonate with you, and how have you applied it in your community work?
A quote I like is: "No is a complete sentence".
Sometimes when women hold boundaries, we feel the need to explain why and give excuses. I'm still not comfortable doing it, but you are allowed to just say "no" without anything else.
In celebration of Women’s History Month, which woman (past or present) continues to inspire your work as a community leader, and why?
My mother inspires me every day. She passed away at only 48 when I was 14. She was a middle school teacher and loved teaching students in that awkward in-between stage of middle school. She struggled as a student, which she believed made her a better teacher. She truly cared for her students and wanted to do whatever she could to help them.
When she passed away, the funeral was packed. The line of cars in the procession wrapped around multiple streets. People commented they had never seen a funeral so big. It was a testament to all the people she touched and all the people who wanted to come pay their respects.
I suppose since I experienced such a profound death so young, I often think about what I want people to say at my own funeral. I want to have touched and influenced many people, like my mom, and have people remember my love and joy, and how I made them feel, regardless of circumstance. She inspires me to bring joy and love everywhere I go, and try to make a difference no matter what I do.
What challenges and opportunities do you foresee for women leaders in your field or community over the next year, and how are you preparing to meet them? If you had to give one piece of advice to a woman stepping into a leadership role today, what would it be?
I think a big challenge is the rapidly shifting
world, with the wide availability of AI and rapid changes in government. How we operate in the world and how work gets done will be moving at an unprecedented pace. It is going to be critical to keep learning, no matter your role, and to adapt to new technologies.
My piece of advice might be cliche, but it would be to be yourself. When I was on the job market, people suggested I hide the fact that I was married and had kids so I wasn’t discriminated against and not given a job. I did not want to do that. I did not want to end up working for a company that would have done that to someone. I was honest about who I am and what my priorities are: Jesus, family, and then work. I wanted a workplace that wanted me for me, and where I would thrive, not have to hide. Be yourself. As they say, the ones who mind don't matter, and the ones who matter don't mind.