Core Value Feature: Leadership Conference Inspires Employee to Evolve

At Entara, our core values, or our “4 e’s,” Execution, Evolution, Excellence and Empathy, drive how we do business. We view everything we do, from hiring and maturing our teams to servicing and elevating our clients, through the lens of our values. Part of the core value, evolution, is giving our employees the opportunity to grow, not only as an employee of Entara but also as a leader. Our managers are devoted to their teams and always look for opportunities to help employees evolve.

One way that our managers do this is by creating opportunities for employees to attend leadership conferences, such as the Women in Cyber Security Conference that our Cyber Security Engineer, Zoey Scott was able to attend. Keep reading to learn more about Zoey’s time at the conference and the positive impact it had on her role at Entara and as a women leader in cyber security.

What was the professional development conference that you attended and how were you able to go?

My manager suggested that the women on the Security Integration team should attend the Women in Cyber Security (WiCys) conference. Unfortunately, I was the only member to make it out of the waitlist. This was a huge surprise until I arrived at the conference and learned there was over 1,900 attendees!

What was your favorite part of the conference?

My favorite part of the conference was being surrounded by like-minded women leaders who are in similar roles as me. In my experience,I’ve always been a minority in the cybersecurity industry, especially in school with the field being heavily dominated by men.

In my professional career at Entara and working for a women owned tech company, I started to see more and more women in cybersecurity and leadership roles, which really made me feel like I belonged. Seeing 1,900 women at the conference talking about this passion we all share and our experiences that led us to where we are today was truly life changing. It really shifted my perspective.

What impact did attending the conference have on you as a leader?

Something that has impacted my career growth is confidence in myself. The imposter syndrome has been real. At the conference, there were many speakers who all had those same feelings of doubt that went on to do incredible things. But one woman seemed to say it all and really move the room– Heather Vermillion, a Senior Security Engineer at PACCAR. Seeing her on that stage telling such a personal story to hundreds of women and being so brave made me feel like I could do anything. I was rooting for Heather and in a way, rooting for myself through her.

But it wasn’t just Heather’s story that moved me. It was speaker after speaker, person after person I spoke to during social times, the workshop leaders, and the volunteers. It opened my eyes to a network of possibilities and reignited my passion for learning and confidence in myself.

How did your experience at the conference impact your role at Entara?

My manager has believed in me since Day 1, which should have been enough because she is so incredible in so many ways. But it was attending WiCys that showed me my path forward, shifted my perspective, and woke up the hard-working college student in me that was ready to be bold and do great things.

When I came back from the conference, I was surprised with a promotion and a new title. I no longer have the “Associate” attached to my signature, which feels like a graduation into a new era of knowing that I can do this and that I am good at my job. With my new role and the positive experience I had at the conference, I now have the confidence to take on any task and grow as a leader at Entara.

What are some lessons that you learned that you are excited to bring back to Entara and put into action?

Entara is a company that truly believes in its people and wants to see everyone grow. Our core values show up in every interaction everyday. There was a part of me that was resistant to that room to grow. The imposter syndrome kept me from my full potential. The biggest lesson I learned at the conference was to speak up. I know at Entara my voice will be heard, andI know that what I have to say makes a difference.

About Entara

Entara prioritizes creating a welcoming and inclusive environment where every employee feels they are valued and respected. We embrace an open door policy for feedback and consistently evolve our practices to ensure we are creating a workplace our employees can be proud of. Interested in joining our team and helping us to build a great workplace? Check out our open positions.  

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