
A CAREER DEVELOPMENT PODCAST FOR TECH WOMEN BY TECH WOMEN
Interviews with leading tech women about their careers and lessons learned
EP 06

Elizabeth Xu
FORMER INTERNAL CTO AT BMC SOFTWARE
Summary
As soon as Elizabeth Xu stopped comparing herself to others and started recognizing what her own personal strengths were, she was able to really transition into her role as BMC Software’s Chief Architect and Internal CTO. She found a way to step away from her imposter syndrome in a matter of just one week by transforming her mentality and entering the space with a game plan that she was ready to put into action, while celebrating her new path. In Episode 6, Elizabeth and I discuss the importance of aligning yourself with your goals, recognizing your own accomplishments and evolving with them, and being the change you want in your life.
Break through your internal pullback
Break through your internal pullback and recognize that you are the right person for the job and that you will be successful. The first hurdle is forgiving the unreasonable expectation that we put on ourselves that we have to know everything upfront and well.
Identify your strengths and focus on what you are really interested in
Identify your strengths and focus on what you are really interested in and use them as a platform to expand on your capabilities. If you compete with or compare yourself to others, you’ll only be beating yourself up, rather than making a proper impact.
Come up with your game plan by creating a map
Find out what the job requires, what skills and knowledge you don’t currently have, and spend time and money and learn from the best to become the best.
Treat yourself as a baby when you are trying to learn something new
When you make mistakes, embrace them and give yourself enough time to practice and become better, rather than kicking yourself when you are down.
“If you are competing with or are comparing yourself to other people, you’re beating yourself up on a daily basis. That is not good for your career . And it’s not good for the people around you.”
Elizabeth Xu
It’s time to start earning what you’re worth!