MEGAN FOUTY
Tin Can
Megan oversees the legal and people functions at a technology start-up in Seattle.
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 have mentees that I keep in touch with. I speak at the law school on how to build a network of support. I published a book called The Art of Networking to help
underrepresented emerging leaders build their own network and brand. I always answer when someone is seeking a mentorship call. I started an externship program at my last company for underrepresented students to get experience working in house with a legal team. I speak at conferences on the topic and do career coaching.
If you had to choose a single word that captures your current approach to leadership, what would it be and why?
Authentic. I believe in leading with your true self. My journey climbing various corporate ladders has often left me as the only woman, and certainly the only underrepresented woman, in the board room, at the executive table, and in leadership in logistics industries, finance industries, and technology industries. And trying to lead like someone else always falls flat. I shine, show up, and connect best when I lead with my authentic self. This past year, I switched companies and left behind an amazing team of execs, and found myself re-solidifying the way I want to show up as a leader, as a mother, as an executive, and as a legal professional, and being very intentional as I craft my leadership style at my new company.
How have you and your team continued (or adapted) your efforts to give back to the community over the past year?
At work, our mission is about connection. We are launching initiatives with schools and across the community to help bring connection to families and children. In my personal life, I have said yes to things that resonate with me. I am giving the keynote speech at my alma mater at the Women Who Lead conference. This is meaningful to me to share my personal journey and why having a strong network who uplifts you is so important. It pulls together all my threads: my book (The Art of Networking), my business (Diversity University), my school (Gonzaga), and my personal growth journey. All of these lessons have shaped the leader I am today.
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?
“Don’t count yourself out of opportunities for worries that are not yet a reality.”
I find so often women, in particular, will talk themselves out of trying for the next milestone, applying for the promotion or the job, and wait until “timing is perfect.” Instead, we should be our own best advocates, our own PR firms, and take the leap, knowing we’re capable and equipped to handle whatever comes. This applied when I started my business, Diversity University, speaking to populations of underrepresented folks and organizations about how to advance their DEI initiatives, career coaching, and serving on the board for Providence Pediatric Hospice. It’s so easy to think you can’t take things on, or now is not the right time for the challenge, but leaning into the important work and career coaching others in this same vein has been really meaningful.
In celebration of Women’s History Month, which woman (past or present) continues to inspire your work as a community leader, and why?
Harriet Tubman, though well recognized, her leadership model resonates because she didn't just escape enslavement herself; she returned 13 times, at enormous personal risk, to guide others to freedom. This is servant leadership, and it is how I model my leadership goals. Once you achieve access, power, or knowledge, you go back for others.
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?
The challenges are evergreen. As various DEI initiatives are being rolled back, some of the intentional efforts for women to be represented and see themselves in other female leaders is harder. Trying to be equally represented in politics, in board rooms, and in executive teams will continue to be an important push, especially for the next generation to see a path paved. There are always opportunities, though, to show up, support each other, and continue to pave the way for future leaders. This is through mentorship, sponsorship, speaking out on important topics, and leaning into providing opportunities wherever we can. If I had one piece of advice for a woman stepping into a leadership role today, it would be: lead authentically. Don’t fit into a box, don’t behave the way someone tells you, and don’t dim your light. Shine authentically and pave the way for others to do so, too.