Celebrating Women’s History Month at (add)ventures
We're constantly amazed by the many strong and talented women at (add)ventures. To celebrate Women’s History Month this year, we asked some of the incredible women in leadership about who inspires them and advice they have for other women.
Mary Sadlier, Executive Vice President + Chief Strategy Officer
Who is an inspiring woman you look up to and why?
The woman that inspires me is Taylor Swift, not just because my daughter's love her music—she is an incredible musician and an incredible songwriter—but also because she has not been afraid from a business sense to really take on the music industry in some really big ways.
I truly admire her ability to really balance her creativity, along with her entrepreneurship and business focus.
What advice do you have for women who want to be in leadership positions?
I really think for women who want to lead, the most important lesson is to listen. I think so many times we feel like we have to be the loudest person in the room or the smartest person in the room. Many times the best approach is to sit back to listen to what everyone says, synthesize that information and come up with a really good strategy and plan that people will follow. That's the best way to lead.
Andrea Reed, Senior Vice President, Marketing
What advice do you have for women who want to be in leadership positions?
I think women naturally are problem solvers. We take on a task, we see a challenge, and we move immediately into how to solve for it.
Through the years, and as I've moved on in my career, I've had to teach myself how to be patient. I’ve had to learn how to truly listen to everyone around me and hear everything that's going on so I can better understand the challenges that are in front of us. This makes me a better team member and ultimately a better leader for our team, for our client partners, and for myself.
How can women in leadership roles empower and support other women?
I think it's completely critical that women empower and support one another to succeed. I think that we owe it to one another, to support, to lift, to engage and to be better at everything that we do.
When you surround yourself with folks that want to see you do well, and you want to see them do well, there's really nothing that can't be done. There's no obstacle that can't be overcome, there's no challenge that can't be taken on, and there's no problem that can't be solved. Like I said, women are just amazing problem solvers.
I'm really lucky that for my entire career, and particularly the majority of my career at (add)ventures, I've been surrounded by some really strong, very empowered, very smart women and I get to work with them every day.
Tracy Silva, Chief Relationship Officer
Who are some inspiring women you look up to and why?
Greta Garbo and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Both of them believed in themselves and overcame many obstacles to achieve their goals of equality. They were unstoppable.
In 1927, movie star Greta Garbo told the head of MGM she wanted to earn the same pay as her male co-star or she would stop working. He called her bluff. Six months later he signed a new contract with her guaranteeing equal pay.
I am also so thankful to The Notorious RBG for spending much of her career advocating for gender equality and women's rights. We owe so much to her.
Who has been the most influential woman in your life and why?
By far, my mother is the most influential woman in my life. She raised three kids while working three jobs and always stressed the importance of family.
She gave us the security we needed after my parents divorced and was a genuine giver. We lived in a small, three room apartment with two bedrooms and a kitchen. I had my own bedroom, my brothers shared, and my Mom slept on a couch in our kitchen.
She encouraged education so we could learn to care for ourselves as adults and had a way of giving advice without telling us what to do.
Keely Taylor, Vice President, Senior Producer
What advice can you share for women in the marketing and advertising industry?
Be your authentic self. Don't change who you are to try to fit in at your workplace. They hire you for you and you should not be afraid to be your authentic self because of that.
Who is an inspiring woman you look up to and why?
One woman that I find inspiring is actually Cyndi Lauper. And I find her inspiring because at the time in the 80s, she did not change her image to fit what was selling at the time, which was a lot of sex sells and Madonna and everything like that. She was her authentic, unusual, creative self, and she made a career out of it.
She's also transitioned into a more behind-the-scenes career as a producer, helping other artists become famous as well.
Lisa Curtis, Senior Vice President, Digital + Experience Design
What advice do you have for women who want to be in leadership positions?
Of course, it’s important to be well skilled in your domain area early in your career but as you grow into leading others, it can be really helpful to build a working knowledge of other domain areas you interact with. This way you’ll have more shared language and a deeper understanding of what’s important to others, and therefore can be more effective working together.
As a leader, one thing that your team will come to rely on is your ability to take a bird’s eye view of your initiative or project and to revisit the problem and the ask to ensure that you’re still on track. Challenge the assumptions along the way to make sure your team stays aligned with the “why?“.
Who is an inspiring woman you look up to and why?
The woman who I admire most is my grandmother, who was born in 1919. She was a quiet, sweet lady with a dynamo work ethic. During the day she would commute to Providence to work in the jewelry industry managing a team of stone setters. Outside of her day job, she ran her own baking business making wedding cakes and treats for the community.
Despite being incredibly busy, she was very present in our family and community. She epitomized hard work and was incredibly resourceful with her time and energy.
