Celebrating Women in Tech: Beating the Odds and Building Self-Confidence Along the Way

In this article, Tatsiana and Kira will share their experiences and career paths to becoming leaders in a male-dominated industry and how they built self-confidence along the way. We also try to answer the age-old question: is there such a thing as work-life balance? 

Maria Gryboiedova: Please tell me about yourself, and describe your current role. 

Tatsiana Sialitskaya: I've been with PandaDoc for five years now. It was my anniversary a couple of days ago. I started my career here as a QA engineer, and after a year, I switched to a new role as a QA lead. When we had a transformation in the company in 2020, we eliminated my role. So I had to switch back to my previous role, but I couldn't sit still. I took the Scrum Master role to help the team plan all the activities and retrospectives. And then, I was promoted to my current role, Engineering Manager. 

Kira Glushko: I’ve been at PandaDoc for one year. I also had an anniversary a month or two ago. I’m the Head of Product Analytics. We have a team of seven product analysts. Product analytics is a pretty challenging role for me because it is something new. Before, we had data analysts in the BizOps structure, and the product managers decided to create something separate in the product organization. They needed a separate team of product analysts who would help them understand the product better and find more opportunities to optimize our product to grow faster. 

Maria: Thank you, ladies. Can you share what you like most about your career at PandaDoc? 

Tatsiana: I think it’s the opportunity to be myself and not have strict instructions to follow. You can be creative. You can take any initiative you like. If you see something you think you can do to help the company grow and benefit, you can do it. 

Kira: It's the opportunity to work for a product that’s a unicorn. It’s pretty exciting for the team and me. Another important thing for me is trust from the stakeholders and leadership. They trust my experience and actions. I know there is no strict flow of what I should do and what they want me to do. They believe in me, my every step in every action, and I feel it. 

Maria: So, you told us a little about your careers. Let’s move on :) What most energizes you about your work?

Tatsiana: I've always been result-oriented, so I need to see results to keep my motivation high. For the last quarter, I have seen that we achieved so many results in our track. We're not talking about just delivering features to customers but also changing the mindset of engineers. I see how they grow and become more involved in the product itself. They care, they ask for customers' feedback, and they support us with the changes in everything that comes up. 

Kira: From my side, it’s my team. They give me energy. When they see progress from their side, I feel this energy from them. And I give them back that energy in my management style, and I love it. I see the results and the changes we have made during this year in terms of product analytics and analytics across PandaDoc.

Maria: In the beginning, you said you felt different in the leadership role. With years it becomes easier. Can you please share what has helped you to build confidence?

Tatsiana: At first, it was challenging -- switching from a hands-on role where you could see results right away to becoming a manager, working with more people, and not seeing the results right away because it takes time. Over time and with feedback from my manager, I saw the results. When you see those slight changes in people and your team grows, you think, "Okay, I'm doing a good job, and I can do this." It only comes with experience. You cannot wake up one day and say, "Okay, you're good, you're confident, you're a strong independent woman." It doesn't work that way. To become confident, you need to track your results, write them down, ask for feedback, and observe your team.

Kira: Yeah, same thing for me, the results. That is why I believe in trying hard during the first days of onboarding at a new company. Try as much as possible to show something. It gives you a ticket to be this confident person because you have results, and everyone will at least start to listen to what you are saying. You will have teammates who will see your earliest results and will be your promoters, early adopters, and supporters. It's the strategy: first, you have the results, then the early adopters, and then you can go to your teammates across the organization.

Maria: I believe there are still some challenging situations and times when you may find yourself in self-doubt. Where do you get support when you need it?

Tatsiana: I've been very lucky because I've got great managers at PandaDoc. I'm grateful to Andrey Ladutko, my first QA manager, and Mick Amelishko, who's been my manager ever since. I’ve got a lot of support from them because I know I can share anything, and my managers will help me. Also, I have good connections with my teammates and leadership, so I know that I can share anything in the group or one-on-one and ask for feedback immediately. 

Kira: Yeah, that’s pretty much the same for me. When I need to share something, there is my manager, or Maria, for example.

Maria: That was a paid promotion for the HR Business Partner function!‍

Kira: Sometimes I face tough moments, and Ilya, my manager, is the first person who reacts: "Okay, Kira, what happened? Tell me more." And I know that I can share all these things, and it's a safe place. He’s a great manager and the first manager I’ve had such great communication and support from. 

Maria: You both said that it’s very important to see the results of your work or your team's work. For me, it's similar to seeing the impact you make on the product, people, and organization. From your perspective, why is PandaDoc a good company for leaders who want to make an impact?

Tatsiana: I'm a true believer in our cultural code. That's why I like working here. Everything in our cultural code allows us to make an impact. You can take the lead on an initiative, and it doesn't matter if it's within your job responsibilities. You can do it, and your team will support and trust you even if you make mistakes or fail. That's how we learn. PandaDoc is the place for you to come and thrive.

Kira: It's about trust, as we said at the beginning of the interview. You can take any initiatives that you feel are important for the product or PandaDoc, and drive it. No one will say, "Why are you doing it?" or "This is not important." You should know that everyone trusts you. This confidence will motivate you and give you the power to bring more value.

Maria: Are there any tips you'd like to share with women who want to build their careers? 

Kira: Be yourself, be proactive, be as you can be, and bring value. 

‍Tatsiana: My advice is for all leaders. Remember that we’re human beings, not robots. We get tired. We get burnout. We make mistakes. You need to cope with it and stay true to yourself.