Name: Insights: Microsoft Exec on Importance of Being Yourself
Uploaded: 2020-03-31
Duration: 2 min 9 s
Description: EVP of Business Development Peggy Johnson explains how not fitting in helped her to stand out.

 [MUSIC PLAYING] PEGGY JOHNSON: I think mine was when I just wasn't being my authentic self. I mean, I came up through engineering and didn't see very many people who look like me in the room. And I loved engineering. And every year at my performance review, it was the same thing, you don't speak up enough, we don't hear from you enough, you need to be more opinionated. I even was told that this was a boys' club, I need you to join that. Ooh, whoa. SPEAKER 1: Sounds horrible. PEGGY JOHNSON: Yeah, yeah it was hard. It was hard. That's why I wanted to just leave, so-- But I was told, you should just be more like the guys. And so I would try. I would go into meetings and try and be more aggressive and assertive, hit my hand on the table, do all that kind of stuff. [LAUGHTER] [INTERPOSING VOICES] PEGGY JOHNSON: It was horrible. I was not a very good guy. [LAUGHTER] And finally, I looked at that performance review, and I was like, these leadership attributes, I'm never going to be that. They were those things, be more assertive and everything. And I thought, I'm collaborative, I build good teams. You know, those things weren't on the list. And I pointed that out to my boss, fully expecting him to say, well, be more like this list here. This is the one we're going to rate you on. And he said, I'm going to go fix that. And he worked with our HR department, he fixed it. This was years ago. And yeah, he was great, he's-- [APPLAUSE] [INTERPOSING VOICES] PEGGY JOHNSON: I think about him every day. SPEAKER 1: --for saying it. PEGGY JOHNSON: Oh no, thank you. He was-- you know what? He was a gay man, and I feel like he knew what it was like to feel alone and a little bit isolated. And he went and fought for me. And I appreciate that every day. And just when that happened, I just could be my authentic self again, that's when my career took off. Then I was just like, oh I'm just being me. And that's why introverts, you should just be you. Don't try and be anything you're not, right? 

Insights: Microsoft Exec on Importance of Being Yourself

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Peggy Johnson explains not fitting in helped her stand out. 

Microsoft Exec on Importance of Being Yourself

EVP of Business Development Peggy Johnson explains how not fitting in helped her to stand out. 

I think mine was when I just wasn't being my authentic self. I mean, I came up through engineering and didn't see very many people who look like me in the room. And I loved engineering. And every year on my performance review, it was the same thing. You don't speak up enough. We don't hear from you. Enough. We need more. You need to be more opinionated. This event was told this was a boys club I need to do during that. Oh, yeah, Yeah. It was hard. It was hard. That's why I went away for just lied so that I was told, you know, you should just be more like the guys. And so I would try. I would go in to meetings and try and be more aggressive, assertive, hit my hand on the table D o r. I was not a very good guy. And finally, you know, I think that performance review and I was like, leadership attributes. I'm never going to be that, you know, they were those things being being more assertive and everything. And I thought I'm collaborative. I build good teens, you know, those things weren't on the list and I pointed that out to my boss, Fully expecting to say him to say, You know, we'll be more like this list here. That's when we're gonna rate you on. And he said, I'm gonna go fix that. And he worked with a reach. Our department. He fixed it. This was years ago, and yeah, it was great. I think about you day. Oh, no. You know, he was a gay man, and I feel like he knew what? What? What it was like to be to feel alone and a little bit isolated. And he went and fought for me. And I appreciate that every day. And, um, just when that happened, I just could be my authentic self again That's in my career took off another just like to be made. And that's why, introvert, you should just be you Don't try and be nothing. You're not right.