SPOTLIGHT: WOMEN AT BIDTELLECT Lysa Vincent

In this five-part series, we highlight women at Bidtellect nominated by their peers for their inspiration, leadership, and success in the industry. We asked them everything from career advice to juggling teams and personal goals to the perks of being a woman.

Described as “approachable, intelligent, decisive, analytical, eloquent, and hilarious” Director of Account Management Lysa Vincent simultaneously strategizes for her clients, fine tunes operational processes, and leads a team of Account Managers on the West Coast. One nominator wrote: “Not only is Lysa a fantastic boss in her kindness, generosity and willingness to go above and beyond to help her colleagues and those she manages, but she is also a women’s advocate in that she actively supports and propels her female coworkers’ growth and development in this industry. ” Lysa is a favorite amongst colleagues and clients alike, inspiring everyone she works with daily while making it “loads of fun.”

In this interview, Lysa Vincent discusses leading with empathy, empowering others, and finding your voice when it comes to family and professional success, proving that the right job and the right people will propel you forward in your career. 

How long have you worked in the advertising industry?

I have been in the industry for 11 years. I started out working at a small startup called Wildfire. We were one of the first companies to run Social Media campaigns on Facebook, and we were later acquired by Google. It was such a fun and wild ride, and while I loved working at Google (who wouldn’t, right?), I realized that I missed working at smaller companies where I could have a larger impact. I love rolling up my sleeves, wearing multiple hats, and being able to play an intricate role in fine tuning processes to make the operational aspects of the client services role seamless.

What is a struggle or difficulty that you had to overcome in your career – as a woman or otherwise?

I think we all face challenges in our careers. One particular challenge that comes to mind took place at a previous company. I was put in a position where I felt like I was being asked to choose between time at home with my 3 year-old and achieving success in my position. For me, family and work balance was not something I wanted to compromise. I realized I needed to be in an environment that allowed me to be successful at both.  I needed to take back control of determining where and how I allocate my time. And I needed to find my voice to communicate that. 

I now work for an amazing company that really cares about its employees and ensures that we do have a healthy work-life balance. At Bidtellect, I can be a present Mommy who picks up/drops off my son at school, goes to his school performances, is present at bath time, and reads books at night while still bringing value to this company and succeeding in my professional goals. To all my Mommies out there, you can have it all – don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!

What is your greatest strength?

Someone once told me that I have a “mama bear mentality,” and it hit home. I genuinely care about everyone I work with and I am always looking for ways to help people. In the last 11 years, I have learned a lot and made a lot of mistakes along the way. I am always happy to share the life lessons I’ve accumulated along the way so that my peers can possibly learn from some of my own mistakes or, at the very least, not feel alone in theirs.

What woman or women do you look up to (in your life, at Bidtellect, your past, or the industry)?

There are a few women in my life that I am honored to call friends that I admire and look up to because they are hard-working, authentic, and are unapologetically themselves. These women have taught me to speak up, believe in myself, value my intuition, and not be afraid to stand up for what’s right (even when it’s not a popular opinion). These core values have been my compass; they’ve helped define who I am and how I want to lead.  Understanding what my uniqueness brings to the table is how I’ve developed into a genuine, confident leader.

What advice would you give to other women or girls starting out their careers?

Seek out mentors or look for peer mentoring opportunities. Most importantly: never give up. Stay fearless. Stay humble. And empower others along the way.

What does being a great leader mean to you?

Being a great leader, to me, means leading with empathy. My hope is that my team feels empowered to use their voices and know that they have a safe space to share their concerns. Together we can navigate through any challenge!

How do you (try) to uplift other women at Bidtellect or in your life?

I lived in San Francisco for 9 years and during my time there, I joined a lot of GRIT (GRowth, Inspiration & Training) Groups. In these sessions, a big topic we discussed was unconscious gender bias. I was exposed to so many great learnings and I have made it my mission to not perpetuate this cycle and to help other women.

I am supportive of both my female and male colleagues, but a theme that I notice is that my female colleagues are the ones that tend to shy away from asking for a raise or for a promotion. Because of this, when I see an opportunity to give someone feedback or guidance, I don’t shy away from it because it’s something that I wish I would have gotten while I was navigating my career early on. I want to leave this ‘work world’ in a better place than I found it. To all my women out there…if you are experiencing biases in the workplace but not sure how to address it, or if you want to ask for a promotion or a raise but not sure how to…let’s have a conversation!

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