On International Women's Day, Capacity Media caught up with stakeholders across the connectivity industry to find out what their firms are doing to #InspireInclusion and learn more about their personal experiences in the world of telecoms and tech.

Jeannie Weaver is Boldyn Networks’ Chief Marketing Officer in the U.S.

This year's International Women's Day theme is "Inspire Inclusion." How are you and Boldyn Networks working towards this in the telecoms sector?

I recently joined Boldyn Networks and was immediately impressed with the way the organization sought out information and expertise. It’s organically inclusive. It’s in the way the team approaches their work, informs decisions, and ultimately makes moves in the industry.

We’ve set clear goals to ensure equal representation at the decision-making table, amplify underrepresented voices in our industry and foster an environment where everyone feels heard and valued. And our actions speak louder than our words – we created the ‘Bold Women’ program to bring women together, build allyship and strengthen collaboration across the business. It’s important to us and our future, that we build a workforce that’s representative of the societies we help so we can listen, learn and understand how to solve our customers’ problems in the smartest ways possible. And by creating a supportive ecosystem, we’re not just building a workforce, we’re nurturing a community.

What inspired you to join the telecoms industry? How has that initial inspiration impacted your career?

There are 2 main ingredients in my personal make-up that inspired me to be part of the telecommunications industry. First, a real love of people and the growth that you experience from them and second, a curiosity, excitement, and fascination of what’s new and next in the world.

Growing up in a military family, I have always craved, cultivated, and appreciated connections with people. Anytime I moved to a new city or state I would make it a point to extend myself, reach out and foster relationships with people. Along the years, I’ve kept many of those relationships going.

The thing about the telecom industry is that it allows you to not only maintain and nurture those vital connections, but you also get to develop new ones with people even if you’ve never met face to face.

Adding new technologies to our home was always such a treat, I was an early adopter before I even knew what that meant. From some of the first available personal computers to today’s AR/VR wearables—I am a fan!

This industry has continued to feed my love of people, connections, collaboration, and evolving technologies. I can’t believe I get to wake up and contribute to this every day!

What would be your advice to women considering a role in telecoms or looking to move up the corporate ladder?

Bring your entire being to the party! It’s easy to “play our role” or “stay within the lines” but that harms you and the work. Our lives are rich with personal experiences, professional adventures and various roles and responsibilities—tap into all of it. People around you will grow and flourish because of all you contribute, and you will find incredible fulfilment for bringing your whole self to the party every day.

Go for the Moonshot! Small incremental steps are safe (and boring). Moonshots inspire, and lead to giant leaps forward. Bet on yourself and the genius of others to slay the moonshot.

Ask, you can only be told No. It’s really that simple. You are worth it; you deserve to have the request heard. The answer may be “no”, but you’ll never know if you don’t ask.

This article was originally published in Capacity Media.