Q&A with Susan Behn, Women in Technology Leader of the Year

What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your career?

For me, the biggest challenge is lack of flexibility and people who hide behind the rules instead of looking for creative ways to alter the rules or make exceptions when needed. Rules and structure are great, but not when it blocks progress or creativity. Sometimes rules must change to allow for forward progress. Look at just recently what happened with COVID. The rules to do all work 100% on site, particularly in the public sector, quickly went out the window. Many companies have found remote work to be successful and a significant cost savings. Does it work 100%? Absolutely not. That’s the reason for flexibility. I have mostly worked at smaller companies which were very flexible but the few times I have worked for larger companies, I have dealt with significant roadblocks and lack of willingness to discuss change. Conversely, there is a caution here in that everything cannot be an exception. If the situation becomes one where the rules are frequently broken, the rules need to change or there does need to be some pull back.

How did you overcome them?

Early in my career, I asked a lot of questions and tried my best to be patient with varying degrees of success with patience (not my strong suit.) I will be honest; I rocked the boat a few times. Later in my career, I went back to work taking a step down after a four-year break after my third child. After a huge upgrade project, I was promised a promotion and raise and then they implemented an across-the-board wage freeze while executives were getting huge bonus payments. IT jobs were booming. I told them I would like to stay but the impact of an arbitrary wage freeze would result in losing the best of the employees who could find other jobs quickly in those categories where the market favored the employee. They would not bend the rules so I left – not as much because I did not get the raise but because I saw myself at a company making arbitrary decisions due to rules and not “thinking.” That company does not exist today. hmmm

Why do you choose to volunteer with OATUG?

I started writing white papers and presentations because it forced me to do a deep dive into a topic and really learn how to use specific functionality that I thought would be beneficial. I learn by doing. I really enjoy providing presentations that give users specific, concrete examples to support their company’s investment in user group events. Years ago, I was required to document what benefits I received by attending user events to get approval for future events. It forced me to focus on the benefit side and that has continued. I also helped a co-worker’s growth by co-writing/presenting and enjoyed the mentoring aspect so much that I wanted to do more. I’m very passionate about user groups being for the USER and try to stay true to that goal.

How has OATUG involvement affected your career?

I have been fortunate to have great mentors both from Oracle, OATUG and other consulting companies who I met at OATUG. My career would not be where it is without those relationships. Early on, it helped me become an expert level in the topics where I focused. People encouraged me to keep presenting even though I was incredibly nervous at my first presentation. Therefore, my involvement has significantly improved my career and my value to my own organization and as a consultant, the positive feedback I receive impacts the reputation of my company. I’ve also learned so much more about teamwork, event planning, mentoring and not to mention, how to build a PowerPoint presentation through my involvement.

What is the best career advice you ever received?

“Stick to the facts.” Face it, we spend a lot of time at our jobs and most of us do care about other people and work quality. It can get emotional because we care. When I find myself getting overwhelmed, particularly with conflicts, I remember “stick to the facts.” Then I focus on the fact that I have done my best and that should be enough. I must let the rest go. I cannot control everything.

What advice would you give people who are just beginning to work with Oracle?

Learn about the proactive support tools at MOS ID: 432.1. The latest note is 432.2, but it is easier to remember 4321 and it will redirect to the new note. It’s a one stop shop for all Oracle products and includes support tools, links to training, links to events (including OATUG), links to upgrade information and much more.

Secondarily, get involved in the SIG for your topic areas and your local GEO. These is the best place to start for mentoring/advice. Don’t be afraid to reach out to the leadership for these groups with questions or to volunteer. It is a great network.

Q&A with Sheena Ekker, Star Presenter of the Year - User

What advice would you give people who are thinking about presenting for the first time?

Standing up in front of a group of your professional peers is intimidating to say the least. If you are like me you assume everyone in the room knows more than you and will be bored by what you have to share. It’s not true. People who know everything don’t show up to conferences to learn from others. Everyone there is seeking answers to current questions, or inspiration for future projects. What you have experienced will bring nuggets of insight for them to answer their questions or give them the details they need to start their next projects. Trust that you have answers that someone else is struggling to find.

What is the best career advice you ever received?

“Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want.” All too often we want other people to recognize our work and the rewards to follow. And while sometime that is the case, more often than not, people are just people and they are wrapped up in their own lives, even if their job title says Vice President. People don’t typically go out of their way to recognize, congratulate, or reward others. It’s not because they don’t want to, it’s because they are busy with their own stuff. You will be surprised just how much people are willing to help when they are asked. So speak up and let people know what you want and they will show up for you.

How does sharing what you know help you?

When preparing to share, I usually think through the questions people might ask. This process helps me to fill in any of the knowledge gaps I might have about the subject and deepens my understanding. For me, sharing helps to reconcile what I think I know with what I actually know.

Q&A with Jon Wakefield, Star Presenter of the Year - Associate

What advice would you give people who are thinking about presenting for the first time?

Be a storyteller. Don’t just convey facts and information and assume the audience will be interested in what you’re saying. At the macro level, your presentation is a single overarching story about your topic. If, for example, you’re sharing about an implementation you successfully delivered, walk the audience through the story of that implementation – why it was important to your organization and its employees (the beginning), the details of how you delivered the solution in light of the goals (the middle), and how it ultimately improved the experience of those impacted (the end). At the micro level, weave a well-timed story – or several – into the presentation that the audience can relate to about something interesting or funny that happened during the implementation to further illustrate your points. Effectively telling small, but relevant, stories within a greater overall story will help the audience connect better with you and your content, capturing and maintaining their interest as you speak.

What is the best career advice you ever received?

In my first ever professional job, the then-IT Director told me, “We want to challenge you to keep you interested.” This simple statement began forming the theme that has guided much of my career and had the most positive impact: take the challenging path over the easy one, when given the opportunity. I have, indeed, been given many opportunities to take a challenging path, and every time I’ve done it, I’ve grown professionally and been thankful for having made that choice (regardless of how much it stretched me). One instance in particular stands out when I was given the choice between two different roles going into a new company, one which carried significantly more responsibility. The recruiter recommended I take the easier one because it would be a “softer landing.” My instinct, though, told me to take the harder one. I reached out to a leader I knew in that same space, asked her advice, and sure enough she said, “Take the harder role – it will open far more career opportunities for you.” I did, and she couldn’t have been more correct. That turned out to be one of the best career decisions I’ve ever made and set me up for what I’m doing now – which I love.

How does sharing what you know help you?

Several ways. First, presenting gets me out of my comfort zone – I get just as nervous as anyone else about speaking to a roomful of people. Next, this challenges me to dive deep on my topic and know the material inside and out, including anticipating any questions I might be asked. Sometimes I get questions I hadn’t considered, which forces me to even further flesh out and refine my understanding. All this strengthens me as a professional. Last, if I execute well and deliver a compelling presentation, this improves my credibility as a subject matter expert, gains positive exposure for my company and can help our business, and often opens new opportunities for me professionally.

Here’s the story of why these three Oracle employees earned our highest respect:

In 2020, Deborah Grant, International Liaison for OATUG USA, began a dialogue with OATUG Japan, our OATUG affiliate organization—in Japanese. Because she was born and raised in Japan, Deborah was able to reach out via Zoom to a startled group of OATUG Japan members who couldn’t quite believe they were talking with an American in their own language. An important and heart-felt bond between the Japan team, Deborah, and Ragan Cohn, our Executive Director, was formed.

Over 2020 through to the end of 2021, OATUG Japan and our headquarters kept up a steady stream of conversations through Zoom meetings and emails. We held our first live webinar between Japan and the USA, including presentations by OATUG members David Wright of More4Apps in New Zealand and Alfredo Abate of BBB Industries, Inc., former OATUG Member of the Year 2020.

Among other projects together, in 2021 OATUG Japan was inspired to launch their first OATUG ERP/EPM SIG under the leadership of Yusuke Terashita, Board of Directors Member of Time Creator, Inc., and Co-Vice Chair of OATUG Japan, and Hitoshi Goto, Marketing Director of Enterprise Business Systems Solutions Corporation (EBSS), and Co-Vice Chair of OATUG Japan. OATUG Japan and OATUG USA also have a special live webinar planned for April 15, 2022 featuring Nadia Bendjedou, our Oracle “Ambassador” who is excited to have the chance to talk directly with Oracle users in the Pacific Rim.

The core OATUG Japan team is comprised of Yusuke Terashita, Hitoshi Goto, and the three Oracle employees named as winners above. In an unusual configuration, Oracle Japan had been the driver in creating and supporting OATUG Japan since 1998 (then called OAUG Japan).

The closeness of this alliance between OATUG Japan and Oracle Japan may seem like a contradiction, but the model has worked beautifully. The education and support needed for Japanese customers to feel comfortable with Oracle products called for a tight partnership between the two. The time spent establishing exceptionally close alliances and building insights into the needs of their customers has paid off. Typically, American companies like Oracle that have flourished in Japan have done so by overcoming the steep learning curve of language and cultural differences in just this way.

OATUG USA sincerely appreciates the many hours of time and dedicated focus these three Oracle Japan employees generously shared in helping us reach our goals. And to Yusuke Terashita and Hitoshi Goto, our OATUG leaders in Japan, we certainly could not have accomplished all we’ve achieved together without you. Thank you!