Interview – Robyn Tingley

I conducted an informal email interview with Robyn Tingley, an experienced international executive, board advisor, author, and social entrepreneur. She is the founder and CEO of GlassSky, an organization dedicated to women’s empowerment and advancement. She has lived and worked around the world as a corporate executive for Ingram Micro and Bell Aliant, with responsibilities spanning four continents. She was named one of the top Female Trailblazers in North America and Europe by Diversity Magazine. She is the author of Ten Essentials for the Motivated Millennial: A Guide to High Performance for New Grads and Career Starters. She consults for some of the world’s largest public and private organizations, helping them navigate change and engage their employees. 

LinkedIn profile: linkedin.com/in/robyntingley 

Website: http://glasssky.org/robyn-tingley/ 

Madeline Schmidt: Can you briefly share a little on your background and personal purpose? 

My degrees are in psychology and journalism. My career was corporate mainly – global work for a technology company in the fields of communications and HR until I started my own business in 2015 after having moved back to Canada to raise my twins. 

My personal purpose is to lead by example – be it in being an advocate for diversity, championing change in gender equality, pursuing excellence in my professional field, or giving my daughters a strong role model.  

Do you know your Myers Briggs score, and if so, what is it? How do you feel it has been impacted by your career or shaped your career choice?

My MBTI is ENTJ. I received MBTI training when I was 22, right out of journalism school, and within my first two weeks on the job at a telecommunications company. They invested in the training for everyone, and it was incredible to be so young and receive this gift. I dedicate a chapter to self-awareness in my book. Not only did it give me the tools to know my own tendencies better, but it also taught me how my preferences could impact others, and how to understand their tendencies according to type. I think it was transformational in many ways because it confirmed and reinforced my strengths and gave me tools to further develop those strengths, rather than trying to focus on areas that are less preferred and where I might not be able to succeed so quickly. Being true to your natural preferences and strengths makes work so much more enjoyable. 

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

 Eighty cents out of every dollar earned by a woman goes into education, housing, and nutrition for her family. When women are able to fully participate in an economy by earning money, keeping that money, and having control over where that money is invested, fundamentally positive changes happen in a society.

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

 You always need to know your audience, and based on your objective, you may have to play up or down certain strengths. You can still be authentic to who you are, but smart about how to project who you are with different audiences. People are multi-dimensional, so I don’t think one is at odds with the other. 

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

My mom. She is the first person who taught me about gender equality and using your voice to advocate for change. She is a trailblazer on women’s equality and also a champion on behalf of people with disabilities. She was often on the road when I was young, giving speeches, advancing government policy, or fundraising for important causes. She is strong-willed, persistent, and morally unbendable. If there were a woman, somewhere within a six hours’ drive, putting a crack in the glass ceiling in some way, she would take me out of school and put me in the car. We were going to witness history.

Can you provide any advice for young women on their way to college?

Get focused on what you’re good at and what makes you feel strong and confident. Many people will tell you to get outside of your comfort zone, but when you are starting out, I say the exact opposite – get inside your comfort zone. Find successes. Be happy. Build your muscle and play to your strengths. You are far more likely to build confidence and find success that way. There will be lots of time to explore once you find your footing. A strength doesn’t have to be a precise definition of a job. It can simply be that you like a career that allows you to be surrounded by people and places that you find rewarding, working on things that help you fulfill your purpose. So spend time thinking about that. 

And then commit to lifelong learning. Gone are the days when a college degree gave you a guarantee for a 40-year job. To stay competitive, you’ll have to keep your skills sharp and current after graduation, but while in college, soak it up and always tie back what you are learning to the tangible skills it’s giving you that you can talk to future employers about.