Seeking women stepping out of their comfort zones — Meet Devin Tobin

By Jennifer Poff Cooper, Valley Business FRONT

“About a third of nonexecutive posts are held by a woman,” a recent CNBC.com report said. “The news from the C-suite is even worse. Only 5% of CEOs are women and 19.2% of corporate leadership team members are female.”

Times are changing however. Women now come to be leaders in the business world through myriad routes. Several local Chamber members discuss some of those pathways.

Devin Tobin, COO of LewisGale Hospital Montgomery and a member of the Montgomery County Chamber Board of Directors and its Executive Committee, was always interested in health care administration because her mother struggled with bipolar disorder and addiction.

“I was passionate about changing policy,” Tobin said, leading her to a degree in public health and a master’s in health care administration.

The path was more circuitous for Jennifer “Jenn” Majdanik, Principal HR Business Partner of BAE Systems and a Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce volunteer since 2016. She started from the “front lines” and worked her way up, showing ability for leadership and taking on additional tasks in a telecommunications company, a male-dominated world. Fast-forward: she finished her degree, passed HR certification tests, completed a master’s in organizational leadership, and made the huge shift to human resources.

Interestingly, she is still in a male-dominated field working onsite with the Army. Robyn Jones, COO of Joba Studio and Chair of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, is an entrepreneur. With an undergraduate degree in political science, concentrating in pre-law, and a master’s in organizational leadership, she applies her skill sets to the work she does in her business while “wearing many hats.” The nature of being an entrepreneur, she said, is being able to pivot quickly, in her case from Joba’s main focus of marketing to using her background in contract review and negotiation.

All three interviewees said that women can bring an appreciated, unique perspective to the table, as they might approach situations differently than their male counterparts. “It’s a valuable opportunity to differentiate yourself from others in the room,” said Jones.

Still, both Tobin and Majdanik mentioned how women fill most of the lower tiers of their organizational charts, whether it be nurses or HR managers, but that women are not nearly as common at the executive level.

Self-doubt, questioning, and fear of failure can be obstacles for women, said Majdanik. Jones feels the biggest challenge for women is making themselves heard, especially at a table full of men.

To achieve leadership positions, Majdanik said, women need to advocate for themselves, take the opportunity to grow, and move out of their comfort zones. “I stepped up and said ‘this is something I want to do,’” she said.

Tobin concurred: “Say yes to the next project, task, or experience.”

Majdanik suggested women surround themselves with supportive women, a “tribe of women going through the same thing.”

Tobin has found in the New River Valley an especially supportive network of women.

“Foundationally, the community rallies together. It’s ingrained in the culture,” she said.

For Tobin, strong mentors have also been crucial, and she would advise young women to make that possibly difficult ask of an individual who can help and guide them.

“All feedback is a gift,” said Majdanik. Everyone will fail at some point, but by considering constructive criticism you can “fail forward.”

Jones’ advice to young women entering the business world is to “find your own niche, being true to who you are, not who others think you should be.” She contends that by embracing themselves, women are happy, which makes people gravitate toward them, which leads to success.

Work/life balance is a continual challenge for all workers but especially women, on whom family and home responsibilities tend to fall.

Tobin, who is a young mother, said she is lucky to have both a supportive partner at home and a supportive team at work. Communication and transparency are crucial, she said, to getting your needs met.

“Incredible childcare is essential,” she added. Tobin serves on the New River Valley Child Care Summit board, which focuses on expanding creative child care options to meet the deficit in the NRV and designing benefit models that help working parents.

Jones and her husband have four children, which can be a full-time job in itself. As an entrepreneur, she said, she wakes up and goes to bed each day thinking about her business. So, finding balance is a day-by-day challenge. One strategy she uses is to block off time on her calendar in red, times when her team knows not to schedule anything for her. She may get a pedicure or read a book or just have a peaceful lunch.

“I can’t do that every day, but I try to find time for myself,” Jones said.

While Majdanik is in a different situation, single without children, she is caring for aging parents which makes her schedule not as flexible as it once was. She said she has shifted the way she views work/life balance. She no longer compartmentalizes a work person, home person, and volunteer person, but rather integrates everything into a “holistic balance.”

Tobin summarized the women’s thoughts on success: “Form relationships and get a breadth of experience. You will be surprised about doors that will open.”