Britney Salcedo’s older brother and sister didn’t get the opportunity to go to college. Neither of them could afford it. Seeing her family miss out on higher education due to financial circumstances motivated the Omaha Bryan High School senior to study hard.
She enrolled in specialized learning academies, participated in afterschool activities and spent hours online applying to scholarships.
The strategy paid off. Salcedo will attend UNL in the fall to major in Business Administration. Three prestigious scholarships have helped make it possible: a $10,000 Horatio Alger scholarship, an $8,000 Emerging Leaders scholarship, and a $1,500 Tom Miller TeamMates scholarship.
“She is extremely dedicated and not afraid to ask for help,” said Lucely Salgado of the AIM Institute. Salgado coordinates youth-in-tech activities at Omaha Bryan and has watched Salcedo flex her leadership skills during her senior year.
Salgado continued: “Not only does Britney ask for help for herself, but also her peers if she sees them struggling. Her perseverance, dedication and determination make her a strong Latina.”
Like a lot of successful people, Salcedo enjoys a wide range of interests. In school, her favorite subjects are math, history, culinary studies and Transportation, Distribution and Logistics Academy. Outside of school, Salcedo enjoys baking, going outside, shopping and spending quality time with her siblings. She wants to pursue a career in business or economics because she is interested in the intersection of business growth and world change.
Salcedo credits AIM for playing a key role in her success. “AIM has affected my life in the most positive way,” she said. “I was able to find things out about myself and where I want my life to be headed. They helped me make college possible.
AIM wishes Salcedo the best of luck as she pursues her dreams and continues to inspire those around her, starting with her family first.
“I will be the first one going to college and I want to be able to show my little brother that it’s also possible for him to go when he graduates high school,” Salcedo said. “I’m so thankful that I get the opportunity to further my education.”
No one knows how the coronavirus pandemic will evolve, how long the economy will stay underwater, or even what recovery looks like.
But the radical workplace upheaval and sudden ad hoc shift to remote technology over the past month suggest two truths:
Rewriting the rules for the digital age, a 2017 DeLoitte study of workforce talent, states 67 percent of CEOs believe technology will drive a higher value than people will. Against the current backdrop of human tragedy and global instability, such a finding feels distasteful, antisocial, inhumane and wrong. Who knows what that number would be if the survey were retaken today?
Higher, probably. Consider the entire meaning of value: not just its economic sense, but as that which offers utility to human life. Like an autonomic nervous system, our tech infrastructure is now largely responsible for the continued functioning of the economy while simultaneously playing the hero’s role in slowing the spread of the virus. If people still somehow think everyone’s overreacting to COVID-19, they can thank technology for their cognitive error. Digitally mediated social distancing is what has allowed us, so far, to keep coronavirus merely a leading cause of death in America, rather than the leading cause. (Imagine how awful this would be if this all happened 40 years ago, when telecommuting was unheard of and the entire Nintendo-less neighborhood allegedly played outside until the old-time neon street lamps began to glow?)
Technology, if we use it to help us become better, more socially responsible versions of ourselves—rather than stubborn, enraged bigots—and if we can guide its innovations toward the greater good—rather than the will to power—technology appears the thing most likely to save us.
As companies fortify their online presence, we’ll need more web developers. We’ll need more software engineers and back-end developers to build and maintain virtual solutions. We’ll need UX designers and QA personnel and data scientists to tell us what’s working.
As organizations decentralize their operations in service of social distancing that could last until 2022, cybersecurity, always a known issue, will become truly paramount. (Remember how proper handwashing, long understood but not universally followed, suddenly turned non-negotiable? In the COVID-19 times, lax security will prove as taboo as lax hygiene.) So we’re also going to need security analysts, security administrators, security engineers, security software developers, cryptopgraphers and cryptanalysts.
As governments, nonprofits, NGOs, research institutions, and companies try to better understand the pandemic, they’ll be dealing with massive, mind-crushing amounts of data. That means we’re going to need more data scientists and intelligence analysts to help us build predictive models to guide policy, and crucially in a pandemic, tell the story of the data to a skittish public.
It takes time to develop the skill set required for tech. While many will find it easier than they expected to learn various methods of web and software development, more math-intensive positions like cryptographer and data scientist might take longer to get into for those who started later or who are not naturally gifted. That means workers will need to pursue job-training and additional education to build the requisite skills for tech, which could spell latency in the hiring process.
(Some good news for the locals: the Omaha area has phenomenal tech training and IT certification programs for people looking to switch careers or build in-demand skills. The federally accredited AIM Code School and the Omaha Data Science Academy come to mind. Also, the nonprofit AIM Institute offers a free tech navigator service to help guide individuals toward the tech resources, education, networking and employment opportunities that can improve their lives.)
During all this turmoil, we’re going to need outstanding leadership development.
Before the dust settles, many managers and managers-in-training will face shrinking staff, constrained budgets, and an excessively uncertain future. They will need to endure the personal and global challenges that will affect most of us, and they’ll need to telemanage their teams’ productivity and morale.
Teams will require highly competent, communicative, engaging and empathetic leaders that inspire confidence. Unfortunately, as an article in Human Resource Executive magazine notes, “companies know [that human capital is indispensable] given their continuous growing investment in leadership development over the past two decades. Yet over this same period, confidence in leaders has steadily declined.” We know that the less trust employees have in leadership, the worse their organization performs.
Communication, resource optimization, consistent performance, mindfulness, empathy and personal efficacy—nothing erodes employee trust than a deficit in any of these essential leadership markers. Against the relentless, terrifying unknowns of the pandemic, an untrustworthy leader will sink a team quicker than an incompetent one.
Organizations should, therefore, continue to invest in leadership development for their rising stars. This leadership education should be administered by a reputable organization and feature proven, high-performance managers from an array of companies and industries who can share their knowledge and help guide valuable problem-solving peer-to-peer discussion. Finally, students should graduate inspired, outfitted with practical knowledge, and welcomed into a valuable professional network that will provide long-term opportunities for collaboration and innovation.
After the dust settles, whenever that will be, we’ll encounter a landscape more reliant on technology than ever before. We hope as many people as possible can participate and thrive in that landscape. By paying careful attention to the world around us, taking care of one another in a storm, and cultivating the right leadership, we’ll be on our way to a stronger, better world. We have to do this. We don’t have a choice.
Companies serious about leadership development should consider engaging their new, soon-to-be, and would-be managers in a leadership development program, such as the AIM Emerging Leaders Program. The Emerging Leaders Program, or ELP, addresses key areas of leadership development, including managing in a crisis, communicating effectively, building high-performance teams and cultivating relationships. As Silicon Prairie News has previously noted in an in-depth profile of two graduates, ELP helps leaders learn the skills they need to move up the ladder, secure higher positions in their companies and effectively manage teams. The 6-week 2020 Spring Session begins online May 7. Find out more here or contact Monika Philp at monika@nullaimsite1.wpenginepowered.com.
One of the most prominent heroines in all of cinema, General Leia Organa (aka Princess Leia) operated in a league of her own. From her blaster-handling capabilities to her strategic mind to her ability to protect and inspire those around her, Leia was more than a capable leader: she was totally boss.
She was more boss than her father, Darth Vader, who used fear and intimidation to rule.
She was more boss than her brother, Luke Skywalker, who harbored simplistic notions of organizational vision and eventually withdrew from the world.
She was more boss than her husband, Han Solo, whose brazen, blaster-blaring approach to life may have impressed us, but whose project management process was ultimately unsustainable.
Anyway, let’s cut the movie trivia chatter. Here are 10 reasons why Princess Leia was totally boss.
Princess Leia did not hesitate to dive into a trash compactor, pilot a speeder bike through the dense forests of Endor or swing across a deep Death Star chasm on a flimsy wire. But she could also feel the pain of losing her home planet to the Empire’s cruelty, as well as the loss of her own son to the Dark Side.
Effective leadership demands a certain tolerance of risk, but also empathy. A 2016 study corroborated earlier research that 20 percent of CEOs and executives meet criteria for psychopathy, marked by callous and unemotional traits such as insincerity, a lack of empathy or remorse, egocentrism, charm and superficiality. (Want to find out your own tolerance for risk? Check out this Tech Republic article. Need to build some empathy? Please do.)
She knew machine learning before it was cool. While technical skills are not an absolute requirement for leading, say, a software development team, they do garner trust and respect, and they come in handy in a pinch.
Before the Empire blew up her home planet, Alderaan, Leia lied and protested fiercely to her imperial captors, trying to save her people. And when they destroyed her planet anyway, she cried out, then almost immediately seemed to accept the loss and begin planning her next move. This balance of conviction and agility makes for great leadership: you have to believe in your ideas and be able to sell them, but also adjust course when things don’t go your way.
Whether she was discussing strategy with leaders to attack the Death Star, inspiring her fellow rebels to win against all odds, or lying about where the rebel plans were hidden, Princess Leia knew her audience and exactly what to say at the right time. Her ability to craft a clear, compelling message with words made her an effective leader. The best leaders know how to write a sentence (see Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, Jr., etc.). They don’t inflate their prose with polysyllabic jargon or passive voice in a certain-to-backfire attempt to sound intelligent. Rather, they strive to express, not impress. (For some handy tips to help your writing, check out Strunk & White’s old standby, The Elements of Style—or just cruise these two pages of free, expert advice from novelist Kurt Vonnegut.)
Rather than try to deliver the Death Star blueprint Obi-Wan Kenobi on her own, she programmed R2-D2 to deliver the vital information. A good manager knows how to delegate tasks to their team. They trust and verify.
Once, while fending off a swarm of Stormtroopers, Leia ordered Luke Skywalker and Han Solo to take refuge in a trash compactor. She knew the language to use to get through to her direct reports. Some workers are motivated by polite requests. Others need more forceful instruction (“Into the garbage chute, flyboy!”). Leia knew Han was the latter. A good leader takes their colleagues’ communication styles into account and fine-tunes the message accordingly.
Leia knew the organization inside and out, cared deeply about her team and the larger mission, and could orchestrate tactics that optimized and harmonized the various talents of her underlings. She had a hand in everything, from the Rebels’ retreat from their secret Hoth base to commanding X-Wing pilots on their Death Star assault. Although too much involvement in projects can actually contravene good leadership, Leia brought a diverse enough skillset and knowledge base to the table that she could use her powers creatively, not disastrously.
“Aren’t you a little short to be a stormtrooper?” “I don’t know where you get your delusions, laser brain.” “I know what you’re gonna say: I changed my hair.” No doubt about it, Leia was funny. She could deliver an absurdist jab or a bit of deadpan understatement perfectly. While not necessarily essential for good leadership, the ability to deploy a bit of well-timed humor can deflate tension, cultivate joy and build camaraderie. Note (this is crucial!): Princess Leia knew how to read her audience. She didn’t cross the line or go too far. If you’re currently unable to read a room, maybe take an improv class or do some standup open mics before trying out your wit at work.
Leia could evaluate multiple courses of action and commit to one. She neither went with her gut nor overanalyzed urgent situations. She wasn’t afraid to push colleagues to step up their game when necessary. And, when her team succeeded, she didn’t hesitate to publicly praise them, as in the awards ceremony scene that closes A New Hope. Great managers do likewise. They don’t coddle their teammates, but they don’t withhold recognition or encouragement either. They create and sustain an atmosphere of openness, accountability and support.
Everything Leia did oozed self-belief and devotion to a higher cause. As the bedrock of all leadership, self-confidence and team trust are necessary (but not sufficient) conditions for success. This is not cockiness or over-optimism, but a kind of energy source that feeds innovation and sustains morale. (If you need to ramp up that self-belief, try mindfulness meditation. It works, seriously. Side benefit: massive reduction in anxiety.)
Could your leadership skills use some growth or intervention? AIM Institute offers two leadership development programs specifically designed with IT professionals in mind.
If you, like Leia, want to be both boss (adjective) and the boss (noun), the foundational AIM IT Emerging Leaders Program and the more intensive IT Leadership Academy provide pathways to effective IT management. Over the years, hundreds of students have built the skills they need to move from technical positions into management. Check out this page for more information.
AIM’s Emerging Leaders Program spring session has moved from an in-person modality to an online one. The class begins April 23. Sign up now through Eventbrite!
Questions? Contact Monika Philp at monika@nullaimsite1.wpenginepowered.com.
(Note: this article was co-written with Matt Swanson, Marketing Coordinator for the AIM Institute. Featured photo comes from Emily L. Hauser’s excellent article for The Week, “Princess Leia, feminist hero.”)
We’re not the only ones excited for Infotec 2020, the Silicon Prairie’s premier annual business tech community gathering. This year’s conference takes place November 13 from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm at KANEKO, an arts and culture nonprofit dedicated to exploring and celebrating creativity across all fields of human activity, including technology, the arts, business, philosophy, civic planning, and more.
Click the video above to watch a warm welcome from Christopher Halbkat and Samuel Bertino of KANEKO.
Infotec will focus on four of the most relevant tracks to businesses and technology leaders. Discussion topics and breakout sessions include:
More to come!
Paul Jarrett – Co-Founder and CEO of Bulu
Pamela J. Boyers, PhD – Associate Vice Chancellor, Clinical Simulation, iEXCEL
Check out our Eventbrite page for more information and to snag your early bird ticket.
