How Gillian O’Sullivan went from introverted Java developer happy to take a backseat at work to country lead for BearingPoint Ireland.
“I still remember my first weeks in BearingPoint as an introverted software developer who was quite happy to take a backseat to others within the team.” That admission by Gillian O’Sullivan is a stark reminder of how a lack of confidence can affect one’s working life.
Luckily, the ambitious O’Sullivan did not let her initial cold feet get the better of her, but even today, speaking to SiliconRepublic.com about her career trajectory, she is somewhat in disbelief remembering herself as an early-career wallflower.
“I could never have imagined what the future would hold,” O’Sullivan says. She is now the Irish country lead for BearingPoint, having begun at the company as a Java developer in 2004. “Becoming a partner in 2016 and then being asked to take on the country leader role for BearingPoint in Ireland in 2021 are two achievements I’m very proud of.”
So, how did she manage to turn her former lack of professional confidence around? Did she change her personality overnight? Not quite, as she tells it. The best piece of career advice she ever received was not to stand in her own way.
Support from others helped her flourish
“I remember several times throughout my career where I held myself back due to a lack of confidence or a fear of trying something new. I was lucky to have great support around me and managers who had confidence in me when maybe I didn’t have it in myself.”
It sounds as though O’Sullivan worked on herself for a long time to overcome her imposter syndrome. Anecdotally, this is something that affects women more than men, but that’s not to say men don’t feel inadequate at work – far from it.
“I really believe we are all more capable than we think we are and by challenging ourselves and getting out of our comfort zones we can surprise ourselves with what we can achieve,” says O’Sullivan with the benefit of hindsight.
Her earlier struggles have more than likely moulded her into the leader she is today. “For me, leading a business is all about the people. I believe that when a team has the right level of challenge, skills, autonomy and environment they can achieve great things.”
She adds that she sees the role of a leader as someone who sets the direction of the practice and creates an environment in which people can thrive.
A better leader for her experience?
O’Sullivan is emphatic about improving diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace. She would like to see more women go into leadership roles in the tech space, but she knows all too well that putting oneself forward can be daunting.
“There have definitely been improvements with more women taking on leadership roles,” she says of the last few years. “What’s good to see is there are more women putting themselves forward for leadership roles.
“There’s also a greater focus on diversity when it comes to hiring plans, recruitment and retention which is having an impact.”
But, overall, she feels there is more to be done. “I would say progress isn’t as fast as I would like, as there really are no quick fixes for this.”
No quick fixes for DEI
Sure, there are certainly no quick fixes, but there are plenty of measures leaders can put in place to help people succeed – and O’Sullivan is now in the camp where she can make things happen. She spoke to us a few years ago about DEI as part of our Leader’s Insights series, but she still has things to say about the topic.
“There are several ways businesses and governments can improve inclusion in sectors like IT. The key really is to make inclusion an organisation-wide priority as everything trickles down from this. While bottom-up initiatives within an organisation can certainly make an impact, leadership support and buy-in is needed to make the step change required,” she says.
Gender quota advocates may be critical of the company’s very recent decision to appoint four men to senior director roles in its Irish operation. But O’Sullivan says the company is actively working to encourage more women to take the lead in the tech sector and be content while they do so. Retention of talent is just as important as attraction, she points out, and companies that don’t provide good benefits for women won’t be successful in retaining women on their teams.
She says BearingPoint has supported initiatives such as Women ReBOOT for years; the Skillnet Ireland-run programme supports women who are returning to the workforce, providing them with tech learning opportunities, mentorships and networking days.
Better inclusion to tackle skills shortages
On the subject of Government-backed agencies like Skillnet, O’Sullivan says more of these are needed if we are to successfully navigate the current tech skills shortage. For one thing, governments need to invest more in digital skills programmes that cater to all walks of life, she says.
“Governments play a key role in so many areas when it comes to inclusion, for example, promoting inclusion by focusing on digital skills, accessibility to education and affordability.
“It’s also important to focus on family-friendly policies that support both men and women to be active in the workplace and to get the balance right at home. Without the right supports in place, I believe it’s difficult to make the step change needed to allow both men and women to have the same opportunities when it comes to their careers.”
The equality of opportunities point is really what DEI initiatives are all about – or should be all about. O’Sullivan knows, perhaps more than some other leaders, that businesses have a lot to gain from investing in more open approaches to talent acquisition and internal promotion. If her managers had not told her to believe in herself a little bit more she might not have had the confidence to get where she is today.
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