"Empowering Technology Teams: Creating Great Culture and Psychological Safety"
"Empowering Technology Teams: Creating Great Culture and Psychological Safety"
Fri May 23 - 8:30 AM EDT/New York (See in local time)
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05/23/2025 8:30 AM
05/23/2025 08:50 AM
America/New_York
#WTGC2025
"Empowering Technology Teams: Creating Great Culture and Psychological Safety"
#WTGC2025
"Empowering Technology Teams: Creating Great Culture and Psychological Safety"
https://www.womentech.net/ringcentral
https://www.womentech.net/ringcentral
"Empowering Technology Teams: Creating Great Culture and Psychological Safety"
"Empowering Technology Teams: Creating Great Culture and Psychological Safety"
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Session: Empowering Technology Teams: Creating Great Culture and Psychological Safety
In the dynamic landscape of technology, effective leadership is often seen as complex and challenging. However, this fireside chat will challenge that notion, as speaker Michelle Joliat will emphasize the power of simplicity in leadership. By keeping it simple, she has fostered a culture of clarity within her 130+ person organization (and the 500+ person technology organization as a whole), enhancing productivity and morale.Central to empowering technology teams is the art of asking questions. Michelle Joliat is a former Management Consultant who is not afraid of asking questions and has seen firsthand how the simple act of inquiry can serve as a catalyst for retaining top talent. By actively engaging with team members and soliciting their perspectives and empowering people to bring their “whole selves to work”; leaders can cultivate a sense of ownership and belonging, thereby reducing turnover and fostering a culture of innovation.
Finally, the discussion will delve into the concept of leadership legacy. In her current role, Michelle Joliat has focused on the imprint she wishes to leave on her teams and organization. By prioritizing values such as integrity, empathy, and inclusivity, leaders can build a legacy that transcends individual achievements and work product and positively impacts future generations of professionals.
Key Takeaways
- Simplicity in Leadership: Learn how simplicity in leadership enhances team productivity and morale.
- The Value of Inquiry and Engagement: Discover how asking questions retains talent and fosters innovation.
- Legacy Building and Resilience: Understand the importance of values and resilience in leadership legacy and navigating change effectively.
Bio
Michelle Joliat is the Senior Vice President, Product and Delivery at Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, one of Canada's largest institutional investors with over $245 billion in net asset. In 2021 Michelle led the restructuring of the Technology organization at Teachers' (725 people) to a product-based operating model enabling the Technology teams to be more responsive to the needs of internal business partners. Business engagement was simplified, and a focus placed on transparency of technology delivery, cost efficiency, and speed to value enabled by consistent rollout of Agile product ownership across all businesses. Michelle leads the teams of Product Management (including the delivery of all major digital technology applications and platforms Enterprise-wide released by 20 persistent agile squads), Delivery Management (including PMO, Agile Enablement Office, and Change Management), Business Analysis and Process Transformation, and Program and Financial Reporting. Michelle is the Executive Sponsor of the Women at Teachers’ Employee Resource Group. Michelle has received many prestigious awards including Canada’s Tech Titans: Top 19 of 2019 and Top 20 of 2022 honouring Canada’s most prominent innovative technology leaders, Outstanding Achievement of the Year at the 2019 Women in Finance Awards Canada, as well as Woman of the Year at the 2019 Women in IT Awards Canada.----
Akua Nyame-Mensah is a Leadership & Culture Advisor, certified executive and leadership coach (ICF), recognized L&D facilitator, speaker, and host of the Open Door Conversations Podcast. Before starting her leadership consultancy, she launched an online platform for the first African-based technology unicorn. Akua has had the opportunity to live and work in the U.S., Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa and has consulted in and visited over 30 countries worldwide. She now partners with multinational organizations and high-growth startups to design and implement leadership experiences and immersions virtually and in person worldwide. Akua believes leadership is a cycle and supports leaders to pivot, be flexible, and adapt to an ever-changing world.
Outside of her coaching and corporate speaking engagements, she is a regular mentor, coach, and judge for various entrepreneurship-focused organizations, including Stanford Seed, Google for Startups, Arlan's Academy, Founders Institute, Seedstars, African Business Heroes, FemGems, and The Women's Impact Alliance (formerly The Coaching Fellowship). Akua has a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, a leadership-focused MBA from the Africa Leadership University School of Business, and is a member of Google’s Mastery Faculty, a selective group of facilitators committed to creating live magical learning experiences in-person or virtually.
