Jan Plutzer is the chief operating officer for Apcera, a container management platform for cloud-native and legacy applications. But she is much more than just an Apcera executive.
Like many women, Plutzer works in a male-dominated field. She has experienced sexism in the workplace and spoken up about it. Recently, she wrote an article for the MPW Insiders Network about how she has dealt with this kind of situation.
Plutzer answered the question, “How can women be taken seriously in a room full of men?” A question women have to ask themselves every day, due to working in environments where they feel intimidated and inferior from the sexism that is presented.
Within Plutzer’s article, she encourages women to do four things: be genuine, be confident, be optimistic, and to give back. It is clear to see that the Plutzer’s vision is to embrace diversity and be the change that you want to see in the workplace.
Being a female executive, Plutzer has pushed to make diversity a priority. She believes that stepping up and putting words into action is essential to help create more diversity. She writes, “If you find that you’re the only woman in the room, take steps toward effecting change, so that instead of being the only, you are actually the first.”
Her encouraging words are inspiring and genuine. “Remember that you are paving the way for others to succeed. It’s not easy being the only or the first at anything. But it can be rewarding, especially when you see other women follow in your footsteps and benefit from your strong leadership and advocacy.”
By reading her article, it is apparent that women are not alone. Women in the workplace do not have to combat sexism by themselves. Plutzer has learned from others and adopted the strong characteristics she observed, which helped her become the strong and successful woman she is today.
In 2015, Plutzer was named Female Executive of the Year at the 2015 Women in Business and the Professions World Awards. The founder and CEO of Apcera, Derek Collison stated, “There is no one I trust more than Jan to manage day-to-day operations, close strategic deals, and build the team we need to propel Apcera to even greater levels of success.”
Upon receiving this award, she said, “My success in business, however, is not something that I have achieved alone. It is a testament to the achievements of my teams, both past and present, and I thank them for the support and dedication they have shown to our missions.”
Her attitude and support of working together is something both men and women in the workplace can learn. She has demonstrated resilience against sexism, and her writing inspires women to do more and continue working hard in their field, despite the difficulties that arise.
Featured Image by WOCinTech Chat on Flickr
Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
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