Four of Silicon Valley’s top tech executives sat on Microsoft’s stage on Wednesday, July 13 for the Churchill Club’s Roundtable panel; all four of them powerful, all successful, all women.

Ann Winblad (Co-Founder of Hummer Winblad Venture Partners) moderated as Shahla Aly (VP Solutions Delivery of Microsoft IT), Robyn Denholm (CFO of Juniper Networks), Lori Goler (VP of Human Resources and Recruiting at Facebook), and Barbara Holzapfel (Managing Director of SAP Labs North America) spoke on their current perspectives of the Tech industry, the progress on the diversity challenge, the keys to their success, and the balance between work and motherhood. 

Perspective on the Industry Today:

“Innovation is the most exciting thing on the planet!” said Denholm, who was thoroughly enthusiastic about the current state of the tech industry. “We’re only at the beginning of what can be done. The global and national perspective is alive and well. I see no reason not to be optimistic.”

Goler described today’s tech industry as “a diverse and robust ecosystem,” and Holzapfel added how innovation is at a “game changing stage at the moment.”

In terms of working with people, as VP of human resources and recruiting at the world’s biggest social network site, Goler commented how, in the job market, there is high competition for the best people. “Competition is intense; I expect it to get worse,” she said. “There is a lot of pressure in the short term. We’ve seen a lot of start-ups. Technology doesn’t drive innovation; it’s the people who drive innovation and change.”

“At the end of the day, innovation is created by people and then the companies are what allow it to happen,” said Denholm. “Leadership is definitely part of that equation.”

Identifying Rising Talent:

Winblad asked: “What do you look at on résumés? How is your career shaped by the people you choose to have on your team?”

“I ask myself: Will these people work to drive change? Are they willing to take risks? Are they open minded about change that will come their way?” said Holzapfel.

Aly gave an anecdote about how she landed her position at Microsoft. Aly said that she flew up to Seattle for her Microsoft interview, and, to say the least, she was given the “royal treatment.” Yet, amidst all the luxury and reverence bestowed upon her, Aly said that the day after her interview, Microsoft called her and offered her the job; it was Microsoft’s decisiveness in hiring a new executive that prompted her to take the job. 

Denholm said that Juniper Networks looks for people who are “phenomenal at what they do, passionate, enthusiastic, and knows where the company is going.”

Goler agreed and added, “We’re looking for someone who can say, ‘This looks great, but we can take it a step further.’ We want someone who is looking ahead and willing to try something different.”

Progress on Diversity Challenge:

The topic of gender diversity would not likely emerge on a panel of male executives; yet for women, the issue of gender balance in these top tech roles is a hot one.

“I thought we’d be in a slightly better position today than what I thought from the 1980’s. We still don’t have all the tools,” said Aly. “We hear things like, ‘women don’t ask for things’ or ‘women need to be more ambitious,’ but I say: We need to stop trying to fix the women! We need to fix the system! Sure, some women are not ambitious, and there are a lot of men who are not ambitious, but we need to stop ‘fixing the women’ and instead focus on the system.”

Goler posed a possible solution: “We need more women in engineering; the numbers have dropped significantly.” Holzapfel agreed and said that we need to reach out more because it has become increasingly more important to raise awareness on dialogue for getting women in more technology roles.

Winblad agreed and noted that start-ups need engineering talent. “They’re looking for six-packs of engineers!” Essentially, the front of the bus needs a lot of engineering talents, and right now we’re lacking.

Yet, Aly posed and answered an excellent question: Do students need a degree in tech to get a job in tech? “I look for business and liberal arts as well.” Holzapfel agreed, “It’s really more about the skill sets.”

A Key to Success:

“As successful tech executives, how do you help people be successful, and how do you pick out rising stars?” asked Winblad.

Goler listed off a number of key qualities, “Impact, flexibility, and autonomy. On the first day of the job, we tell our starting employees, ‘We expect you to have an impact…you can’t take a few quarters to figure it out.’”

Winblad picked out the one overarching characteristic mentioned by all the panelists: communication. “You are all great communicators. How did that come about? Were you coached? Is it natural capability?”

Aly said that she started young. Her mother put her in elocution contests, and encouraged her to go into public debating—in which she became a national champion. “It’s nerve-wracking and exhilarating, but I developed those skills to think on my feet,” said Aly. “In the end, what you are is what is represented by your words.”

Denholm’s experience was completely opposite. “I was really shy as a kid—still am a little today,” she said. “No matter what the skill set, the first step to success is to know what you need improvement on and then working to improve it. As they say in Australia, they must have ‘the gift of the gab,’ basically people who can still communicate well underwater. In reality, most people who are good at public speaking are actually terrified.”

“My mentality has always been ‘Practice makes perfect,’” said Goler. “If someone needs help speaking, then I make them speak. I sit in the front row and watch with a smile on my face, while I take careful mental notes and then I give them pointers on how they can improve.”

“I use the ‘Sink or swim’ approach. It’s all about the experience and the feedback,” said Holzapfel. “You can’t be a managing consultant if you can’t communicate; the goal is to keep it short and simple.”

Parting Advice:

Before turning to audience questions, Winblad asked for any last message they wished to share.

Aly began: “Think very carefully about what success means to you. Is it making a lot of money? Is it owning a very nice car? Maybe your definition of success does align with society’s. Ok, but what does success mean to you?! Once you have figured it out, then align all your tasks to meet this goal.”

Holzapfel said: “What are you passionate about? What excites you in the morning? And does your job allow you to do that?”

Denholm finished with, “Live life to the fullest. You’ve only got one to live.”

Balancing Work and Family:

The final, and probably most lingering question to be asked regarded the balance between work life and motherhood.

Aly’s daughter, 27, was seated in the front row and offered a child’s perspective. “When it was really important, Mom was always there. Of course, she did travel a lot and she couldn’t be there for everything, but for the important things she was.”

“Any working mom knows that balancing work life and family life isn’t easy, but the key to success is to prioritize what’s important, and don’t sweat the small stuff,” said Goler. “I’ll admit, sometimes I pull the kids’ outfits out of the hamper in the morning, and there’s nothing wrong with cereal for dinner once in a while if it has substantial nutritional value! Those are the small things. The time I do get to spend with my kids, I want it to be about them, not logistics.”

In the end, every mother on the panel agreed that time was precious and nannies help. “Outsource everything, except love.”