admin We manifest the future we desire. This sentiment is expressed by many but embodied by only a few. Kim Vogel, Co-Founder and President of BaseVenture, is one such rare gem. BaseVenture, a cloud-based software company in the investment management space. The potential for boundless growth and innovation attracted Kim to the world of tech. Kim’s eminent journey has become a modular tale for many professional women.
Anthropomorphizing Female Leadership Virtues
With an MBA from Harvard Business School and decades of experience working to grow and monetize companies, Kim has held executive positions in multiple large tech and finance companies, working as a certified public accountant and teaching as a professor at St. Mary’s College, where she currently dispenses the duties of a Board of Trustees’ member.
The exponential growth of the tech industry fueled Kim’s desire to chase her long held dream of becoming a part of this coveted arena. The dedicated work ethic of her parents motivated Kim to emulate the same drive and passion. Consequently, she became the first in her family to go to college. Today, her formidable position within the tech arena accrues her the ability to chase her career aspirations to the fullest.
Don’t feel you have to do it all by yourself. It takes a village, to build a successful family and a successful company. Seek out the best and brightest people to work with you – Kim Vogel
Attributes of a Brilliant Leader
According to Kim the true brilliance of a leader emanates from her or his innate qualities. “A passion for “controlled risk taking”, bold and smart decision making ,the desire to build and be part of innovative teams and most importantly, a thirst for surrounding oneself with people smarter than you and a yearn for being challenged by them. Having the ability to clearly visualize a direction and future benchmarks, and being prepared to quickly make decisions and more importantly how to swiftly alter those decisions are traits leaders share that allow them to constantly drive forward progress, propounds Kim.
Securing the Optimum Balance
Attaining an optimal work-life balance is equally daunting for Kim. Managing the needs of her children and the demands of her professional life is always quite challenging. However, she excels at securing this coveted balance on most occasions by clearly knowing what really matters in life and prioritizing her children. She has worked hard to achieve a certain degree of flexibility in the work that she performs, which also accords her with the much-needed respite.
Barriers to the Corporate Advancement of Women
When women attempt to ascent the corporate hierarchy, they encounter several obstacles. Women often drop out of the workforce when they have children and hope to reengage at some point only to discover how difficult that really is. Women cannot consistently take steps forward and reach top leadership positions if they do not stay in the workforce. She also posits a viable solution to this dilemma by suggesting that women who want to attain a favorable work-life balance ought to pursue opportunities working with others that value the importance of family and more importantly model its importance in their daily priorities. She always asks those around her if they will leave work early for the child’s sports game or performance. If the answer is yes, that is someone she will want by her side. Also, select opportunities or more importantly turn them into those that afford flexibility. Most women are more than willing to put in the require eight, ten or more hours in a day but most of the time it is not possible on a nine to five in an office schedule that works in the traditional sense. Kim is so encouraged by one of the potential silver linings of the post COVID world is poised to bring. Women can stay in the workforce with more flexibility than they have ever had in the past. This transformation to the plight of working women and mothers can not be underestimated and more importantly must be optimized.
Surrounding oneself with a team of highly intelligent and creative people enables leaders to source and power visionary ideas -Kim Vogel
Counsels for the Aspiring Women Leaders
In advancing a few notable pointers to aspiring young women professionals who are keen on pursuing a corporate career Kim advocates, “Setting specific goals, like what milestones one might want to achieve is helpful but manifestation is only the start. The true power is planting the seeds and working super hard to make them come true. If one does this in earnest, the achievement is beyond what is dreamt. It is at levels one has never been exposed to so it couldn’t have been dreamt of and can transpire to monumentally more. That combination of manifesting and working hard can’t be underestimated. On a practical level it means that on most days one is working so hard they forget what you are working for, that is the key”.
In addition, educational qualifications can be critical in propelling the career of women forward. Kim believes you should do what you love but know the difference between skills needed for a career and those suited for a hobby. Work is work, one must like most of it but likely won’t love all of it. That is o.k. Challenge is a pursuit that must be embraced and not something to be avoided. Embrace it, it will always be there in every facet of life.
Young women must think deeply about where and how their interests manifest into their career goals. It must not only provide security for one’s family but also continuously be challenging, intellectually stimulating and personally fulfilling for years to come.
Undertaking Meaningful Endeavors
The ever-altering landscape of higher education has motivated Kim to boast the sustainability of Saint Mary’s College in the Bay Area. The institution has been transforming the lives of students and their families for decades. Kim has dedicated her efforts to ensure Saint Mary’s remains a driving force in equipping first generation college students with the skills they need to not only transform their lives but also those of their extended families for many decades to come. Kim believes that her journey has merely started, she has a long road ahead. She asserts, “My life’s journey continues to be a work in progress, and I feel there is so much yet to see, experience, and accomplish.”
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