Women lighting up the digital workplace landscape with insightful illuminations

Dear Diary,

As women’s history month draws to a close, I wanted to celebrate the parade of remarkable women guests who have shared their insightful illuminations on the Digital Workplace Impact podcast.

Since I could not feature them all, I opted for a ‘pick six’ approach from recent episodes. In no order, these are:

1. Stacie Barrett: Domino’s culture and communications rockstar (Episode 117)

Stacie Barrett, from Domino’s, graced our podcast with insights into building a thriving organizational culture. She emphasized the critical role of effective communication in shaping employee experiences. Stacie’s practical advice resonated with listeners, reminding us that culture is not just about perks – it is about fostering connections and aligning values.

2. Shimrit Janes: Digital workplaces head ‘back to the future’ (Episode 133)

Shimrit Janes, Director of Knowledge, is a long-time mentee, dear friend and fellow DWGer. She has appeared on the pod many times now, typically to feature research that she has authored. In January, she approached me to suggest coming into the studio to interview me about my 2024 predictions for the digital workplace. This turn of the tables was both fun and challenging for both of us. I so appreciated Shimrit’s initiative, confidence and approach.

3. Lucy Selby: How emotional journeys can shape digital experiences (Episode 129)

Lucy Selby, a Senior Technical Consultant at Fidelity International, is a rising leader and a niche expert in the digital employee experience arena. In this podcast, Lucy introduced the concept of emotional journeys and how they fit into the overall employee experience. She explored the possibility of mapping, tracking and measuring the success of these emotional journeys and whether understanding this data can significantly accelerate change. Lucy was an authoritative and powerful storyteller.

4. Elizabeth Marsh: Unboxes DWG’s 2024 research programme (Episode 134)

Elizabeth Marsh, Director of Research, wears many hats inside Digital Workplace Group (DWG). She is a published author, lead strategy consultant, benchmarking evaluator and research director. In this episode of the pod, Elizabeth shared her passion for and quiet confidence around curating DWG’s 2024 research programme. She framed it as the DWG member playbook for unlocking digital workplace potential.

5. Christy Punch: Digital leadership that ‘packs a punch’ (Episode 124)

Christy Punch, Senior Product Manager for Engineering Experience at Liberty Mutual Insurance, brings a unique voice and recognized expertise to the digital workplace industry. As a judge for DWG’s Digital Workplace of the Year Award, Christy’s insights were invaluable. She discusses innovation, employee experience, and the key ingredients of her successful career. Her passion for “moving the needle” shines through, making this episode a must-listen.

6. Alyson Hudson: Championing digital inclusion (Episode 112)

Alyson Hudson, presently a Managing Director – CIO HR Technology at Barclays (then CIO of Enterprise Workforce Solutions at Prudential Financial), joined me for a focused and open conversation about digital inclusion. Alyson shared her passion for educating and influencing others – including technology vendors – so that digital inclusion is truly part of organizational DNA. We also delved into the next natural progression of digital inclusion to support employees everywhere, with Alyson sharing advice to help others start or accelerate their efforts in this area.

Where did my inspiration come from?

Last week, I needed to step away from my workspace to open up my creative flow around drafting this diary entry. For me, I find my go-to is to create new dishes while listening to music in the kitchen.

So, I made my way down to the kitchen at lunchtime, flicked on my speaker lights, and pumped in some music from my Stingray app. It was set to ‘Women in Music’, a featured channel for Women’s History Month.

What was I making when inspiration came? Well… years ago, a JPMorgan colleague taught me how to make Italian sausage bread – one of her family’s Christmas traditions. I have made it ever since for my own family. I have also created many variations. So, in addition to the traditional version, I took some leftover corned beef from a special St Patrick’s Day themed dinner and created a Ruben bread. I paired this with an arugula (rocket) and cherry tomato salad with house vinaigrette and pickled onions.

Nancy Goebel’s own Italian sausage (top) and Ruben breads (bottom)

With the braided sausage and Ruben breads ready to go into the oven, my lightbulb moment arrived. The idea for this edition of the newsletter came into view with “Unwritten” playing in the background. Why not focus in on the insightful illuminations from the inspiring women who have recently contributed to the Digital Workplace Impact podcast? And, here you have it.

Share your sparkle

Wouldn’t it be nice to spark some conversation around LinkedIn? Here are some possibilities to get you started. Pick one of these calls to action or come up with your own.

Repost this newsletter and share how you ‘get your creative on’.

Celebrate this exceptional group of women by sharing your key takeaways from these impactful conversations.

Nominate a remarkable person who should be featured on an upcoming Digital Workplace Impact podcast episode.

Categorised in: Diary of a She-e-o