BusinessLife Spotlight: Maria Hernandez
This month, we will be focusing on women who have made a mark in business. This spotlight is on BusinessLife coaching client, Maria Hernandez, a business and innovation coach.
Maria is a business and innovation coach, with a focus on culture as it pertains to business. In her career, Maria has led innovation and global strategy for technology companies, including as Chief Innovation Officer for IBM Corp. Her name is synonymous with programs that she has created and led for empowering women in the workplace, such as LatinNet and La Red Familiar, both of which she founded for Latina employees of IBM.
Following IBM, Maria joined Modernizing Medicine as Senior VP of Strategic Development, where she formed a mentoring program called Women in Innovation and Technology. She is the co-founder and president of Madrinas.org, an organization for Latina professionals in corporate America. She currently serves on advisory boards for IT women, St. Thomas University, and Latino Business Today online magazine, and is a Mentor Board Member at Florida Atlantic University’s incubation program at Tech Runway.
Maria will be a panelist at the Multicultural Women’s National Conference in New York City, where she will discuss rebuilding trust across cultural and social trends with managers, executives, and leaders.
Navigating transitions and innovation
Maria will sit on the panel for the Madrinas’ Peer-to-Peer Coaching Session at the conference. The panel will be geared to inspire creativity in attendees, and introduce best practices and insights to help guide them through change, transition, and transformation.
The peer-to-peer coaching session will cover a diverse range of topics including managing a career in times of change and transition, championing new ideas and innovation, positioning yourself for the next promotion, and becoming better at negotiations.
Transitions
Transition is imperative for growth, whether it be personal growth or business growth. Every change or transformation requires self-awareness. As a leader you need to know your strengths and use them to achieve your goals.
Transitioning into a new role can be a daunting experience, but the process of transformation becomes easier if you remain open to possibilities and allow room for change. Change itself is neither good or bad — it is an opportunity. Your success depends on how quickly and efficiently you use that opportunity. Transforming or reinventing your business is not a small feat, it requires confidence to recognize similar past situations and find the courage to try new things.
Growth can only be brought about by having the courage to make the change.
Change + Courage = Growth
Championing new ideas & Innovation
If you choose to progress in your career, you will need to step out of your comfort zone. All businesses go through transformation to keep up with ever-changing global demands and trends. Those who fail to keep up often go out of business or suffer great losses. This applies in the same way for business leaders or entrepreneurs — they must choose to accept change and modify behavior.
Change does not come easy. Choosing your assignments or projects wisely is imperative to succeeding, just as constantly developing and learning new skills to broaden your horizons is, too. It requires courage and resolve to do things like put yourself up to a new assignment or project that others may not jump to.
As a catalyst for change in your organization, you are the first to accept change, to be able to manage it in your team. The best way to achieve a smooth transformation is by increasing communication among your team members, and at all levels of the organization.
You as the leader must show progress and continue to drive the team forward. Not only that, you have to inspire creativity, change, and accountability as well. Transitioning is a critical time for any business, and change and accountability go hand in hand. Things can go wrong if there are no accountability processes set up.
As a successful business leader, you should embrace challenges and encourage ongoing communications. According to the Harvard Business Review, two-thirds of large scale transformations fail, so it is important to invest in new talent and improve processes.
Transformational leaders commit to learning and research. Maria suggests being proactive in seeking opportunities and finding new ways to utilize your resources optimally is a great start.
Work with Maria
Whether you are a business executive or entrepreneur, you can benefit greatly from embracing change. Change allows us to look at things from a new perspective, and with that, your understanding that challenges are in fact an opportunity for growth.
Maria Hernandez has a depth of experience working with technology and bringing forth innovation. Are you looking to transition from a corporate role to become an entrepreneur or build a startup? Maria is available to coach and bring her advice so the transition process is manageable and your path is defined.
If you would like to learn more about Maria you can catch her at the Multicultural Women National Conference in July, or she welcomes your connection on LinkedIn.
