Mentor Spotlight: Nyla Beth Gawel on Creating Legacy Through Leadership

"'Grit' by Angela Duckworth - A book that helps us all find how to develop the grit we need to succeed in any environment, professionally and personally."

Success in technology requires not just technical skills, but the resilience and perseverance to navigate complex professional challenges.

"I was drawn to mentoring because I recognized the unique challenges women face in technology and business leadership. Having built my own business experience, I wanted to pay it forward by helping other women bridge that gap between technical expertise and management skills."

What sustains her commitment is witnessing the transformative moments in her mentees' journeys:

"What I find most rewarding is witnessing those 'aha' moments when mentees suddenly see new possibilities for their careers. Through the Women in Tech® Global WIT-h program, I've had the privilege of working with brilliant women who have incredible technical skills but needed guidance on the business side. Seeing them gain confidence in leadership discussions and strategic thinking is incredibly fulfilling."

"One moment that stands out was working with a rising leader at a global security software company who was leading an internal IT system project that would impact all of the company's business verticals. She sought me out as a mentor because of my corporate strategy background in large organizations."

The mentee faced significant obstacles:

"She was facing internal opposition, struggling with integration outsourcing challenges, and dealing with seemingly unrealistic deadlines while trying to turn leadership's vision into reality."

Nyla's approach focused on comprehensive strategic support:

"We worked together on stakeholder management strategies, change management approaches, and how to communicate progress and setbacks effectively across different business units."

"Months later, she was successfully delivering the project and reached out to tell me how our strategic discussions had been pivotal in navigating the internal political and operational complexities - especially while staying 'sane' and finding time for herself personally. What really impacted me was realizing how my corporate experience could directly translate to helping someone tackle such a complex, multi-faceted challenge. It reinforced why cross-industry mentorship is so valuable."

"Mentoring has been incredibly enriching for my own learning. Working with women from different countries and industries through the WIT-h program has expanded my global perspective significantly. I've learned about technology applications in markets I'd never considered, different cultural approaches to business challenges, and innovative solutions from sectors outside my immediate expertise."

She emphasizes the bidirectional nature of effective mentorship:

"These conversations have made me a better strategic thinker and have actually influenced some of my own professional decisions. The reverse mentoring aspect - where I'm learning just as much from my mentees - has kept me curious and helped me stay current with emerging trends and technologies. It has also kept me grateful for the mentorship and sponsorship I've had throughout my career."

"Go into it with genuine curiosity and humility. The best mentoring relationships are bidirectional as you'll learn as much as you teach. Don't feel like you need to have all the answers; sometimes the most valuable thing you can offer is asking the right questions or sharing your own challenges and how you worked through them."

She also prepares new mentors for the dynamic nature of these relationships:

"Also, be prepared for the relationship to evolve. What starts as career guidance might become strategic thinking, and what begins as business coaching might expand into confidence building. The Women in Tech Global platform makes it easy to get started, and its framework helps structure these relationships for mutual benefit."

"'If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.' - Dolly Parton, legendary songwriter, singer, and business leader"

She connects this quote to the practical realities of leadership development:

"I love this quote because leading is not easy nor something that can be taught in textbooks alone. It comes from practice, coaching, and a deep commitment to lifelong learning and engendering followership. Mentorship is crucial to helping people expand their career potential and grow their leadership capabilities. It accelerates learning and builds networks that might otherwise take years to develop organically."

Nyla particularly emphasizes the unique value of mentorship in technology:

"In technology especially, where women are underrepresented in leadership roles, mentorship provides both the practical skills and the confidence needed to advance."

"But beyond individual career development, mentorship creates a multiplier effect and is often the first step toward sponsorship, which is how real career progression occurs within and across organizations and markets. When we help one woman develop business acumen to complement her technical skills, she goes on to mentor others, advocate for diversity of thought and innovation, and create more impactful and inclusive teams."

She sees mentorship programs as essential infrastructure for industry change:

"Through programs like WIT-h, we're not just developing individual careers, we're building a stronger, more impactful pipeline of women leaders in technology. That benefits everyone, from startups to Fortune 500 companies, because more capable leadership drives better business outcomes."