Nancy Novak, Chief Innovation Officer at Compass Datacenters, joins Nabeel Mahmood and Phillip Koblence at Nomad Futurist Podcast to share her extensive experience and perspectives on the importance of diversity and inclusion in the tech and construction industries. As a champion of gender diversity in these traditionally male-dominated fields, Novak offers valuable insights into the practical steps companies can take to foster a more inclusive workforce.
After a three-and-a-half-year retirement hiatus, Novak reentered the field with a focus on challenging the status quo, attending influential conferences – like Wall Street Journal's Women in the Economy and FORTUNE Most Powerful Women events – providing her with fresh insights and strategies for cultivating diversity and driving meaningful change across multiple industries:
“I struggled with the whole lack of diversity and I was really trying to learn ‘what is it?’ Because I just blamed our industry… [but] I started seeing these common threads… outside of my industry… And I started to empower myself with some more firsthand knowledge.”
From these global interactions at conferences and various experiences, Novak learned that the challenges related to diversity in her industry were not unique but part of a broader systemic issue. She further explains that simply attributing the lack of diversity to the industry's inherent difficulties was insufficient and instead, she suggests actively seeking ways to attract more diverse talent and implementing strategies to disrupt the existing norms:
“If we just have a more diverse perspective – because we’re not all thinking the same and experiencing life in the same way – can we be more innovative and can we solve more problems? And I think now it’s more acceptable, that’s absolutely the case.”
Later in the episode, Novak critiques the Olympic, “Thank You Mom” commercials for failing to represent working mothers, suggesting to viewers that mothers must choose between having a career or raising an Olympic athlete:
“I’ve armed myself with some knowledge and I said… [the commercial] is kind of restrictive on one individual. I mean, the Olympic athletes are great… but you should represent more of the real society.”
Novak's continues to underscore the critical role of diversity and inclusion in transforming the tech and construction sectors. Novak calls for a collective effort to challenge existing norms and embrace diverse perspectives, ultimately driving innovation and encouraging a more inclusive industry landscape.
Stay connected with Nancy Novak on LinkedIn, and discover more insights on her “Extending the Ladder” podcast, bringing female leaders together to offer advice and inspiration to other professionals.
