Interview – LuAnn Piccard

I conducted an informal email interview with LuAnn Piccard, Department Chair and Associate Professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage.  She is highly skilled in project management, engineering management, leadership, collaboration, and management skills. She has 20+ years of experience in the technology sector working for Advanced Energy, Agilent Technologies, and Hewlett Packard, with 10+ years as a senior and executive leader. She is a Director at Project Management Institute and serves on numerous non-profit boards in leadership capacities.

Madeline Schmidt: Can you tell me about your educational background?

LuAnn Piccard: I have a BS and MS in Engineering (Product Design) from Stanford University. When I went to college, I started on the pre-med track. In my sophomore year, I volunteered at a clinic where people were rehabilitating from strokes and found I liked designing things to help them function more than the medical aspects of the work. I was steered towards engineering and ended up finding my home in an amazing program that combined engineering, art, humanity, and empathy. I discovered I wanted to create things that changed people’s lives. 

Many people currently use the term “design thinking” to express this approach to problem-solving/opportunity creation. It starts with an empathetic understanding of the people impacted, clarity of the fundamental need to be met, fluid ideation of many possible solutions, constant testing with reiteration, all translated into value delivery that changes people’s lives. This approach can be used in any sector or industry. I have continually applied those learnings to every position I have held.

Do you know your Myers Briggs score, and if so, what is it? Has it changed over time, been impacted by your career, or influenced your choice of career?

My Myers Briggs is ENTJ: “Field Marshal.” In the workplace, I don’t think this has changed too much over time. I would like to think my workplaces and colleagues benefited from (or were positively impacted by) my style (haha!). I am inspired by creative thinking.  I love seeking out “white space” solutions and mobilizing a diverse, high-performance team to make them possible. That has been consistently true over my career, and I am sure it greatly influenced the jobs I gravitated towards. Socially, I’m a bit more introverted and enjoy quiet and solitude.  It’s important for me to have that kind of balance in my life and be able to thrive in many kinds of settings. 

I have found that it is important to have EQ (Emotional Quotient). That means you know yourself, your strengths, and your blind spots. More importantly, you are able to recognize and meet others where they are at and be a versatile leader, able to adapt your style to help bring the best out in others and embrace the value that a team with diverse perspectives brings to the table. It’s also really important not to put yourself or others into a box. Everyone has a multi-dimensional self. Great leaders recognize and tap into that potential.

What is a powerful statistic about women in leadership that has resonated with you or that you would like to discuss? 

Women (all races) make $0.82 compared to men (all races) doing the same work. Over a 40-year career, this results in between $500,000-$1.2M fewer earnings for those women. I have personally experienced this gap. When I was a VP in high tech, my male peers were paid between significantly more than me for the same work. At every new level I advanced through, I was told, “You are earlier in your career, so you will get bigger % raises each year than they will.” A larger annual percentage raise is not equal pay.  Also, if a woman starts at a lower salary  level than a male peer, she may never catch up and the gap is likely to widen. Fundamentally, I was not paid the same as male peers, in the same position, performing equally.  Honestly, money is not what has or will ever drive me, but it is an important indicator of worth.  

Do you think it is better to be authentic or to assimilate into your work environment?

Both are important. You must be authentic. It’s the gift you bring. It’s also important to find a place where people are valued for their differences and expected to work together to produce results. Assimilate does not mean to subvert who you are;  you should also be a collaborator, trusted partner, and amplifier of others’ successes. Every organization has a culture. Find one that fits, and you will thrive. Then, “assimilation” becomes amplification.

If you knew what you know now in high school, what might you have done differently?

I’m not sure I would have done anything differently, but I would have had more confidence in my ability to do it. I might have realized that the unique aspects of who I was that seemed so painfully different then, were strengths rather than things to hold back. Then, guys were encouraged to push back and debate with teachers. In doing so, they were held up as confident leaders. Girls doing the same were considered pushy and annoying, even mocked.  This attitude often eroded their confidence and quietied their voices. It never kept me from doing so, but people’s reactions to me had an impact. It is still true today, and women must work harder to be recognized and treated equally. Going through those challenges has made me stronger, so I wouldn’t change it. I would tell myself then to keep pushing myself, my voice matters, you’ve got this, and don’t back down. I would tell her to cultivate mentors and build a support system; she is not alone.  I would also tell “her” that being amazing at growing and leading teams, seeking out and embracing the best ideas, and mobilizing people to make them happen are incredible strengths to cultivate. 

Who is a female role model for you, and why? 

So many to pick from! 

The main attributes of women I admire most are those who have had the courage to “make their difference, make a difference.” That is my personal philosophy at the core of all I do. My role models see possibilities where others don’t and have the intelligence, capability, and grit to make those ideas a reality, and contribute significantly to the people and world around them. They break barriers and pave the way for others. I admire women who make it a point when they have a “seat at the table” to pull up a chair for someone else to join them. 

Mrs. Joan Baxter-My high school AP English Teacher

• She saw talent in me that I didn’t know I had, nurtured those capabilities, helped me find my voice, and built my confidence that I could do anything I set my mind to.  She is an amazing example of the impact incredible teachers make. 

Condoleeza Rice-Former Secretary of State and National Security Advisor

• Raw intelligence honed to make a fundamental difference, grace under pressure, unwavering integrity, and grit.

Sara Blakely-Founder of Spanx

• She made an out-of-the-box vision a reality against all odds, and moved something that was “undercover” into the mainstream. She never gave up, never backed down from her dream, and loves what she does.  

Sally Ride-First woman in space

• I can’t imagine the constraints and boundaries that must have been placed on her during her career. She prevailed and overcame a barrier no woman had previously broken and paved the way for countless others. 

Sandra Day O’Connor-first female supreme court justice

• Like Sally Ride, she used her incredible intellect to eliminate boundaries and was unrelenting in making a difference. She never stopped succeeding. Every experience was an opportunity to excel. She started at Stanford when she was just 16 in the 1950s, graduated magna cum laude, and went on to Stanford Law, was an elected political leader and supreme court justice. She was the commencement speaker at my Stanford graduation and I still remember her inspirational message. We all stand on her shoulders. 

Malala Yousafzai-Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of the Malala Fund

• She is a powerful and authentic young leader who stands against the injustice of limited education for girls and women.  She persisted and prevailed despite being targeted for her mission.  She demonstrates the powerful voice of youth and how it can change the world. 

Ruth Bader Ginsberg- Former supreme court justice

• She was a person of incredible strength and character. Many opportunities women have today are rooted in her unrelenting, tenacious drive for equity.   

Maya Angelou-Poet

• She speaks to my soul and makes my heart sing.