IBM Executive Stories: 3 Lessons To Becoming a Great Leader

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shue-jane on how to become a great leader

Shue-Jane Thompson is IBM Consulting’s Global Strategic Sales Leader based in the state of Virginia in the USA. She is proud to share how her Taiwanese heritage has impacted her personal and professional journey and explores how executives need to lead with empathy to become great leaders. Her inspiring story showcases the importance of taking the leap of courage to become a disruptor in the workplace. If you’re ready to take the leap, join our talent network.

 

Celebrating my Taiwanese heritage

People ask me, “Why don’t you have an American name?” And I say, “What do you mean by American name? I love Shue-Jane!” It’s my name. It was given to me by my father. And I’m proud to say I’m never going to change that.

It’s my Asian heritage that gave me my character — and I want to endorse that character; I want to celebrate that character, as one’s uniqueness allows for the sharing of diverse perspectives, and even building convergence within teams.

 

Shue-Jane describes herself as a “deep technologist who loves art.” She expresses herself through painting.

 

Lead with empathy and become a great leader

Now, as the Global Strategic Sales Leader for IBM Consulting, I think about how my personal and professional journey has impacted how I am with people. I’m a managing partner, a global deal leader. I’m immersed in the world of strategic sales, working with some of the largest clients at IBM, and while I genuinely enjoy working with people, I truly believe in leading with empathy — and it is vital that this starts from the top.

My message to all leaders: you’ve got to give. You’ve got to pay it forward. You’ve got to find time, even within your very busy calendar, to just pay attention to those people surrounding you. They need your help, and we ought to be there for them.

I believe in this so much so, that I have a personal mentorship goal of conducting at least 100 mentoring sessions annually. To be able to guide people through their journeys is truly rewarding. The best outcome is that I also learn from them!

 

Shue-Jane and fellow IBMers pose for a photo op.

 

Be a disruptor

I encourage my mentees to be disruptors, and I encourage you to not be afraid to do the same.

After all, it was a lesson I learned during my childhood. I’m the youngest of eight children. Everybody tried to tell me what to do, including my parents. I had had enough of people telling me what to do! So, I disrupted my norm, and set out to pursue a total transformation of my lifestyle.

I left the country and came to US alone in the late 1980s pursuing a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science. I quickly realized that my passion was on large-scale model and simulation running on mainframe systems and the supercomputers! I took another leap of faith and diverted into IT systems, network and data center technology. In order to reset my course, I also completed a second master’s in information science, and took hands-on technical positions to deepen my IT skills. As my career progressed, I pursued a doctoral degree in Business Management to broaden my skill set.

But I was only getting started. I am blessed having a set of robust career experiences, including servicing clients in the commercial and public sector. I became a network and system engineer, and a consultant in the commercial sector; I ran my own woman-owned small business. I worked for two of the largest defense and aerospace companies, where I served global and US government clients, including defense, intelligence, and civil agencies. I lead sales, technology and delivery teams by collaborating on clients’ mission needs and solution strategies in cloud, cybersecurity, and digital transformation.

Over the last few years, I’ve had the pleasure of continuing to be a disruptor at IBM, where I’ve led cybersecurity services for the federal division, followed by leading a global security growth campaign, and now driving large deals where we co-create disruptive solutions to help our clients transform their business.

 

Shue-Jane explains the skills you need to be a great consultant.

 

Find the courage within to take the leap

To think it all started from my roots – from being the youngest daughter of a middle-class Taiwanese family who was taught by her parents and siblings not to be confined by your surroundings – to dreaming big and having the courage to make those dreams come true.

I want to help others to find that courage, too. I want them to be the first to light the candle in the dark. So, if you’re reading this, trust yourself and let your voice be heard. You have the courage to express different opinions; and you have the courage to stand behind that idea and not be afraid to be shut down.

When people say, “how do you find the courage?” I think your gut tells you when it’s time to take the risk. You may feel restless. It’s how I felt prior to immigrating from Taiwan.

So how are you feeling? Is it time to make your move?

 

Have you ever wondered what the journey is to an executive role?

 

 

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