Woman Wednesday Issue #24

Name that Woman Trailblazer: She was one of the first openly transgender female tennis players in the 70’s and known for fighting to compete as a woman in the US open after gender reassignment surgery.

👉 Click here to reveal this woman.

Hi, I’m Jackie Wang!

I have lived in California my whole life and have lived in the Bay Area for 17 years. I got my degree in Political Science thinking I would eventually get involved with local government and focus on the social disparities in the Bay Area — which I may still do one day.

Today, my focus and passion are at Stanford and the team I lead, the Stanford Administrative Champions (SAC) that I co-founded in 2018 with 4 colleagues.

Our biggest accomplishments have been expanding our program outside of the School of Medicine to university-wide and developing a peer mentorship program for admins that offer them further resources to ensure success in their roles, share professional development opportunities, and mentor them on career growth.

Outside of work, I love to care for my plants, travel, read, and get into very intellectual conversations with diverse perspectives because of both the knowledge and the insights they bring. I love to be with my family and friends and have the greatest love for animals. Every. Single. One.

🔗 Want to connect with Jackie? Say “hi” on LinkedIn.

We all have those days where nothing is going right and the last thing we want to do is wrack our brains for the right thing to say to get our point across.

Enter TextExpander: you can access what you type the most so you can sound like Suzie Sunshine even if you feel like a Debbie Downer just by typing a few keystrokes.

Here’s how it works:

→ Create it: Collect and write up your common responses, emails, phrases, messaging, and URLs on your shiny, happy, productive days

→ Keep it: Store that repetitive content so it’s always at your fingertips and accessible with a quick search or abbreviation

→ Expand it: Get that message out to the world no matter how you’re feeling with just a few keystrokes, on any device or within any app you’re using.

It’s that easy!

Q: How did you get into your current role/industry?
A: A friend recommended me for an admin job at Stanford when I was graduating from college, but my work with the Stanford Administrative Champions helped me get the job I have now, as it gave me the leadership and process improvement experience I would need to be successful in my role.

Q: What’s something you do to help boost your productivity?
A: I like to listen to Podcasts. When I hear an episode about a person or group that has done something extraordinary, it inspires me.

Q: How do you find work-life balance?
A: I lean on my husband (and best friend) to help me with this. He is very good at separating the two and pointing out how important it is to take breaks.

Q: What’s the best piece of professional advice you’ve received so far?
A: If you are coming to someone with a problem, you need to have a solution for said problem.

It shows your strategic-thinking skills and leadership. Even if it’s not the right solution, the fact that you took the time to critically think through the problem, will earn you the respect of your peers and manager.

Q: What’s your favorite software or app that helps with your workflow?
A: Google Suite.

Q: What’s a book or podcast you’d recommend to a colleague?
A: The Daily and Freakonomics Radio.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time outside of work?
A: I take boxing classes (Rumble). I enjoy caring for my plants, being around animals, traveling, and spending time with my husband.

🔎 Looking for a new job? Leverage your network.
🧠 Check out these 5 ways to improve your strategic thinking skills.

Running a remote-first company is hard. Our friends at Offsite want to make it easier for you by sharing this free eBook sharing “best practices” for planning team retreats from People Leaders at VC-backed startups.

Keeping employees engaged, aligned, and accountable can be challenging when everyone is working from home, and loneliness can become a real struggle if you, as an employer, are not providing adequate opportunities for in-person connection.

Hear from People Leaders at On Deck, Common, Forum Ventures, and other remote-first companies so you can avoid painful mistakes in planning your next Offsite and organize in-person team retreats your colleagues will love.

I took a leadership course and one of the assignments was to get feedback from peers about our work. The responses were eye-opening.

Some appreciated that I took control, spoke up, and took the lead on projects, while others wished I didn’t do it as much because it didn’t give other people a chance.

I had to learn that people work differently and interpret things differently, and a good leader has the ability to adapt to different environments.

Hearing the feedback made me more aware of those environments where I could take charge, and environments where my role was to encourage my peers and give them a platform to have a voice and take lead on projects.

Some people are shy and just need that extra time to get comfortable enough to speak up and trust that they’re in a safe space to share their ideas.

I want to be a great leader that makes others feel like they are important.

🤔 Curious about leadership courses? Check out this list for ideas.

Goody put together a special collection of Pride-themed gifts that all give back to the LGBTQ+ community. Plus they’ll give you a $30 credit just for signing up (let them know you came from TA).

The Good Trade is a free 30-second daily newsletter with awesomely curated playlists, recipes, articles, self-care tips, etc.

Office Otter is the free automated to-do list you didn’t know you needed (until now).

monday.com is your secret weapon to effortless collaboration with your team. Try it free today.

👉 We’ve launched our Private Facebook Group! Join today.

P.S. Follow us on Instagram & TikTok for additional tips.