Mary E. Purkiss
Nowadays, this COO of Iron Medical Systems sees her career—and her life—in a new, brighter light. I’d love to say that I had always planned to be where I’ve found myself. But the truth is, I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have had business partners that often provided the trailblazing notions. Then I used my skills and knowhow to turn prototypes into working realities. Having breast cancer made me take a hard look at the sheer volume of time I had spent working—on planes and at my computer, instead of with my children, husband, or even taking care of myself. It was a profound wakeup call
and perhaps the cruelest blessing of my life. Clearly, it was the most impactful, life-changing event I had ever experienced, and changed how much I allow business to intrude into my personal time. Since my diagnosis in 2000, I’ve become more focused, yet free spirited; more driven, yet relaxed; more confident, yet introspective. I never knew how much I loved my life until it was threatened. PDJ
“Having breast cancer made me take a hard look at the sheer volume of time I had spent working” Judy Snyder
This SVP and CIO for Kelly Services developed her EI and became a successful team leader.
The “inner work” I have done is in the area of emotional intelligence (EI). I stumbled upon this concept during a leadership meeting at a former company. As I sat with my IT colleagues, we began discussing our Myers-Briggs (personality test) results. The facilitator had us stand in a U-shape based on our scores. I was on one side of the U, while the majority of the others were on the opposite side of the U.
It was a defining moment for me. It was the first time I realized why I didn’t really understand my colleagues. I wouldn’t say we were a dysfunctional team, but we clearly didn’t understand each other. Even though we had a lot in common—we were technically competent, successful leaders—I didn’t realize how different we really were. For example, I was (am) an extrovert, and the majority of my colleagues were introverts, which is common in the IT/ engineering area. I tended to brainstorm in real time, but my colleagues liked to think issues through before speaking. So, when I would initiate a discussion with a team member in the
hallway about an idea I had, it never went well. Now I realize it was better to send out an email with the idea (to give them time to think) rather than approaching them on the spot. The better I knew myself and my colleagues, the better we were able to work together. No “type” is right or wrong. But it is important to understand we are all different. This one tool in the (unofficial) EI tool suite is the most powerful one I have to successfully build stronger teams (and one-to-one bonds). This is not only satisfying in my career, but in all areas of my life. PDJ
“I tended to brainstorm in real time, but my colleagues liked to think issues through before speaking.” Read more at WWW.DIVERSITYJOURNAL.COM
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