Chief Diversity Engagement Officer at DocuSign Shares Tactics to Remain Visible in a Remote Environment
With many employees working hybrid or fully remote jobs – unique challenges occur with the way we operate and work with one another. Leadership sets the tone for remote management and plays a critical role in creating and maintaining a culture that supports remote and hybrid workers.
Iesha is one of the panelists for ModelExpand and Archetype’s upcoming event on Maintaining Visibility in a Remote Work Environment. Iesha Berry serves as the DocuSign Chief Diversity and Engagement Officer (CDEO) and Head of People Experience. In this role, she directly engages with DocuSign’s executive staff, and team members around the globe.
Iesha shares with ModelExpand tactics for building a strong leadership team that supports remote employees, read below.
Career
What motivated you to take on the leadership role as VP and Chief Diversity and Engagement Officer?
I was excited by the opportunity to focus on accelerating the DocuSign Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging strategy as well as oversee and continue to evolve DocuSign IMPACT and sustainability efforts. DocuSign had huge momentum in this area prior to my joining and my team will support its continued amplification and impact. While I have more than 20 years of experience in the human resources and diversity, equity, and inclusion space, it has never been a more important business function with impact across talent acquisition and retention, product development, customer experience, marketing, and more. I’m excited by the challenge and the opportunity to continue to define what the role can and should look like at DocuSign and beyond.
“Leadership is a journey. In my experience, there is no formula that will guarantee success. What has been key for my growth is a learner’s mindset, being willing to learn, take a risk, and not get it right but learn from each experience.”
What has been your most challenging leadership moment in this new remote environment? How did you overcome it?
A few years ago I joined an organization that supported my role being based remotely without the requirement to relocate my family to headquarters. The challenge was I had accepted a role that was newly created/ never existed at the firm so I had to foster a credible relationship virtually with executive leadership and leadership globally as well as deliver pretty quickly. The approach I took to meet the challenge head-on was to meet with every member of leadership, some 100+ leaders globally, and conduct a SWOT analysis to inform the global plan for the function I led within four months my team and I delivered the plan and began to operationalize tactics globally.
Visibility In The Workplace
“As a woman, and particularly a woman of color, I’ve often found myself in a position of forging my own path. I’ve had to get comfortable with being uncomfortable - asking to take on a new project, fighting to define a new role - that has allowed me to create space for myself and get recognition with leadership.”
How do you ensure you connect with all of your team members in a remote environment? What have been 1-2 key tactics you’ve used? Could you share an example?
Two key tactics I would offer is when I’m in the city where my team members are based, I schedule time for us to connect in person and/or invite them out for lunch or dinner. The second approach is celebrating moments that matter for each team member-anniversary, birthday, reaching out, and sending a meal when sick or recovering.
What strategies can organizations implement to help women, especially women of color, remain visible in the workplace and garner the path to growth and promotion?
As business operations shift, organizations have to be mindful of the impact on all of their people. For example, while most women in the workplace have noted their preference for more flexible work environments, hybrid or fully remote work can indirectly impact visibility, promotion paths, or systemic inequalities at home. The consciousness of how policy or operational changes impact not just the business, but the employee’s entire lived experience is crucial for today’s leader and employee success.
I also believe that professional development is essential for retaining and advancing underrepresented talent. We’ve invested in training and development resources that support career growth and we proactively communicate these opportunities via our quarterly Personal Growth Guide. We have created tools like the Inclusive Performance Feedback Guide which helps people managers combat bias anytime feedback is provided, as well as designed a Next Level Leadership program designed to further develop our director-level leaders who identify as women, Black/African American, and LatinX.
“One fun thing that I have done in addition to a team offsite is scheduling a bi-weekly “Chat and Chew” time. No agenda. We just gather virtually and eat together and share what’s going on personally (fun vacation, childrens’ accomplishments...)”
What has been a strategy/tactic that you’ve used throughout your career to stay visible with leadership?
As a woman, and particularly a woman of color, I’ve often found myself in a position of forging my own path. I’ve had to get comfortable with being uncomfortable - asking to take on a new project, fighting to define a new role - that has allowed me to create space for myself and get recognition with leadership. I also have not just embraced but sought out a mentorship with both male and female leaders. Career growth takes a village mindset and by seeking out different perspectives, I’ve been able to build the right connections and relationships to build the career I want. And I pay this forward with my teams today.
How do you ensure the culture and team dynamic are inclusive to all when managing distributed teams?
Since 2006, I have led distributed teams. It is important to first establish mutual trust and respect with each teammate 1x1. I would also add that driving an inclusive culture is an evolving phenomenon and doing so with distributed teams can take on being respectful of the global clock, understanding each other learning and contribution styles-ie do I have teammates that would rather leverage chat than unmute and speak during a team call, recognizing when a colleague isn’t inclined to speak and invite them to add to the discussion. Another method is ensuring that in and out groups are not created on the team- ensuring that all have an equitable opportunity to contribute knowledge, skills and abilities for the success of the team. Lastly, one fun thing that I have done in addition to team offsite is scheduling a bi-weekly “Chat and Chew” time. No agenda. We just gather virtually and eat together and share what’s going on personally (fun vacation, children’s accomplishments, what we can do to support each other, etc.)
Resources
Are there any books, articles, or other resources you recommend that have helped you in your leadership journey?
Yes, but first let me say I’ve had the gift of impactful leadership throughout my career-leaders that were tough, some who drove clarity and enabled success, and with the mix of the varying gifts that each leader provided that was the first and best resource to help me establish and grow in my leadership journey. So the first resource I would recommend is your current leadership. Second, here are a few books that have been great resources along the way: The 360 Leader by John Maxwell, The Call to LEAD by Bill Hybels, John Ortberg and Da B. Allender, Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek and Find your Why by Simon Sinek. Harvard Business Review also has a great compilation of articles on leadership and I would recommend spending time digesting their scholarly work.
Are there any resources that you continue to rely on for your continuous growth as a leader?
While there are many, one that has been a go-to lately is “The Servant Leader” by Ken Blanchard.
Anything else you’d like to share with our ModelExpand readers?
Leadership is a journey. In my experience there is no formula that will guarantee success. What has been key for my growth is a learners mindset, being willing to learn, take a risk, not get it right but learn from each experience and surround myself with a group of trusted advisors (leaders I have admired, who have challenged and stretched me, led with integrity, served as advocates and challengers, grew leaders and provided a safe space for vulnerability) to serve as a support and sounding board.
We are delighted to have had Iesha on our ModelExpand’s Women in Leadership Breakfast Series: Maintaining Visibility in a Remote Work Environment.
ModelExpand is a diversity, equity and inclusion consulting firm focused on radically accelerating the presence of historically underrepresented people in the workforce. ModelExpand’s work has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Forbes and CultureAmp.
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