The Bigger Yes: Interview with Author Susanne Tedrick

I recently went one on one with Susanne Tedrick. Susanne is the author of Women of Color in Tech: A Blueprint for Inspiring and Mentoring the Next Generation of Technology Innovators.

Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?

Susanne: About six years ago, I had embarked on a career change into tech, after spending many years working in administrative and operations roles within the financial services industry that had zero to low advancement potential. I knew that technology was always something that had interested and fascinated me, but for a variety of reasons, never pursued. I also did not know what a career in tech would look like for me. While I can code, the thought of doing that all the time didn’t appeal to me, and I did not know where I would fit.

I went back to school at Northwestern University full time, on top of working full time, and while doing that pursued every professional development opportunity I could to gain and refine my skill, and hopefully figure out where I wanted to land. This included taking part in hackathons, bootcamps, volunteering, formal and informal mentoring - you name it. It was because of these efforts that I landed a technical sales internship at IBM, and ultimately, a full-time job offer to work in technical sales for IBM Cloud. As of 2021, I currently work in technical sales for Azure, Microsoft’s cloud computing platform.

None of this was easy - long nights studying for interviews and exams, less time with my family, career rejections and trying to pay for school and the bills at the same time. Even after going through that 3–4-year time period, there were still things I needed to learn on the job, and in tech, that’s a never-ending process. But while this is, by far, the hardest thing I’ve ever done, it was the best thing I could’ve done. Aside from increasing my technical, I learned to be resilient and the importance of building a strong network. Your network isn’t just important for finding opportunities or career tips but is crucial when challenges just feel downright insurmountable. They give you the support during the times you think you can’t go on.

Adam: What are the most important trends in technology that leaders should be aware of and understand? What should they understand about them?

Susanne: I think that being a technology leader is tough because you need to both have to know and understand current technologies, while know and understand what’s coming next and driving innovation. Some scenarios presented in books like “The Innovator’s Dilemma” or “Crossing The Chasm” illustrate the importance of monitoring what’s next and has the potential to be disruptive soon. Technologies that I think fit that are artificial intelligence, edge computing, 5G and blockchain.

Adam: What do you hope readers walk away with from your book? What are your best tips and takeaways?

Susanne: My book Women of Color in Tech was written to inform and inspire women of color to pursue tech careers, whether this is their first career out of school, or like me, they are transitioning into a new career. Much of it is based on my experiences transitioning into tech – my lessons learned, successes, challenges and failures. I hope that for readers they understand that a tech career is for them, that they can be successful, and that they will have support on their career journeys. Perhaps one of the best pieces of advice in the book is to spend the time to create a professional network. One thing that I (mistakenly) believed was that it was just technical skill alone that would propel me into a tech career. In time, I realized that while skill is important, other things are too - particularly those who know you, your work and are willing to tell the world how great you are.

Adam: What are your best tips for leaders on the topic of diversity and inclusion?

Susanne: For leaders, it is important to realize that their efforts on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are not just a “one and done” effort. To understand and reap the benefits that DEI, it takes a sustained effort with sometimes very hard conversations and hard work to be done. It’s also important to realize that this is not something that they have to do alone. Many organizations – for-profit, non-profit, etc. - that focus on DEI are more than willing and able to partner with organizations to do the hard work need for more diverse, inclusive environments.

Adam: What do you believe are the defining qualities of an effective leader? 

Susanne: Effective leaders are those who know how to foster an inclusive culture where people feel valued and able to bring all of themselves to work and thus do their best work. They also are very skilled communicators - they get their points across concisely, while also knowing when it is better to listen than talk. Finally, they do not micromanage. They trust that they have the best people on the job and that they will get the job done. 

Adam: How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?

Susanne: I’m a huge advocate of mentoring and coaching, regardless of where you are in your career. Even if you are at the top of your field, we all have areas that have room to be even sharper. Not that you’re striving for perfection - there is no such thing as a perfect leader - but rather, an emphasis on progressing to be a better leader. Getting some candid feedback from your peers and supervisors on where you stack as a leader, and then perhaps working on those areas that are “better ifs” can be an enlightening experience.

Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives and civic leaders?

Susanne: - Delegate duties possible. You may not get everything done in a day, but having others to help you can give you time to focus on higher priority projects, while perhaps giving opportunity to people who may look to broaden their skills and experience.

- Create space for downtime. In the past, I used to think that I would get more done by working most hours of the day that I could. I realized in time I got more done when I actually rested and did mindless things for a little while.

- Find time to mentor talent, and when possible, sponsor talent. You have a wealth of experience and skills that the next generation of leaders would love to hear more about. If you can help top, qualified talent advance in their careers by making recommendations for specific opportunities, using your influence or social capital, etc. Very often, people are stuck in their careers not because of lack of talent of skill, but lack of visibility with those in a position of authority to help them.

Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?

Susanne: It was the concept of “the bigger yes” that I had discussed with a life coach. For much of my career, I didn’t ask for what I need or wanted from my supervisors, and I almost always took myself out of the running for opportunities because I thought I lacked the experience, the timing wasn’t good, etc. By constantly saying no to asking for what I needed or not taking the time to apply for new jobs, I was essentially saying “yes” to the status quo and that it all was acceptable. Clearly it wasn’t, and it forced me to reevaluate what I wanted out of my career and my life overall.

Adam: What can anyone do to pay it forward?

Susanne: One of the simplest ways to pay it forward is to share information with others that may be helpful. It can be training opportunities, job opportunities, an event or connecting people to others – no gesture is too small. For job seekers, especially those who have been negatively impacted by the pandemic, it can really make the difference in finding their next, hopefully, better, opportunity.


Adam Mendler is the CEO of The Veloz Group, where he co-founded and oversees ventures across a wide variety of industries. Adam is also the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one on one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. Adam has written extensively on leadership, management, entrepreneurship, marketing and sales, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities and non-profit organizations.

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