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It was my distinct pleasure to interview Dr. Elizabeth Cannon for episode seven of the She Knows ShiFt Podcast! There were so many pearls of wisdom to be gleaned from her extensive academic career that have now allowed her to shiFt into the entrepreneurial sector.
Elizabeth joined the University of Calgary in 1991 as an Assistant Professor in the engineering school and in addition to research and teaching in GPS and navigation systems, she has held numerous roles at the university during her career including Chair for Women in Science and Engineering, Department Head, Dean of Engineering and finally University Presidents from 2010 to 2018. Since completing her academic career, Elizabeth has written books on leadership and strategy, is a seed-stage investor – particularly in female-founded companies, and sits as a |Board Director for public, private, and not for profit organizations. By being deliberate about the timing of her transitions, what she says yes and no to, and intentionally leaving aspects of career in the past, she has transitioned from a successful academic career into the final runway. She has done so by developing the important networks and by extension defining her Personal Brand. She is definitely someone who knows shiFt!
In my work with women leaders, I define the change as what is happening in the external environment and the transition as what is happening internally. The transition is a personal journey. Given the number of positions Elizabeth has held over the course of her career to date, most at a single institution, she has nearly perfected the art of transition! As you listen you will find elements of grabbing opportunities where they present themselves and being intentional about what value you bring to the organization and understanding how they value you. The latter is so important. Sometimes women feel they should give up a position because they are not a good lawyer, doctor, engineer or otherwise, when it is really that they are not being valued for who they are and the strengths they bring to the organization.
Two of the most amazing ideas that Dr. Cannon shared are the importance of continuing to build broad networks and by extension defining your Personal Brand. Although she has spent most of her career in academia, she never intended to start out there and she continued to develop her contacts and relationships in the private sector. This allowed her to look for unique opportunities where there was overlap between the two worlds. Her brand is an extension of this as she is known for the many collaborations she forged across both sectors. She is known for being authentic, collaborative, and brining all voices to the table.
She has really made me think about my own personal brand and how I can forge the networks I have developed to bring the important work of She Knows ShiFt into the entrepreneurial space. She will challenge you to think about your own networks and your own personal brand!
Listen to She Knows ShiFt Podcast Episode Seven – Defining your Personal Brand with Dr. Elizabeth Cannon now!
Don’t miss the last episodes on the She Knowns ShiFt podcast:
