What are your name, title, organization and accountability?

Chris Parker, VP Worldwide Customer Support Organization, Wind River (Wind River's headquarters are in Alameda , CA and I live in the Dallas area).

I'm accountable for ensuring customer success globally. This means working across the entire organization globally and with multinational companies. My responsibilities include customer education, product support and technical field engineers. Our customers are from the telecom, aerospace and defense, consumer automotive and industrial automation and controls market places. Our customers differentiate their products through software and we enable companies to develop and run their device software faster, better, at lower cost and more reliably.

When and why did you attend WLC (Women Leading Change)?

I attended WLC in December 2003. I was motivated to attend for two reasons. First, I was at a point in my life where I was wondering, what do I do next? I get antsy if not challenged and was reaching that point. Second, I talked with Sindri Anderson who had attended previously. She highly recommended it to me.

What skills have you used the most since the program?

I've used context-shifting most. I've used it both personally and with managers. I don't use the same language from the course but when group is not producing or when I'm not, I can look at the context to understand what's happening.

I'm well-educated and have invested a lot in personal development and find that I can be quite impatient and want to learn faster. "During the first day of the course, I felt frustration since I thought I already knew 'all the stuff' that was being taught. I wasn't proud of what I was thinking. I had a decision to make because I can't stand wasting my time or anyone else's . It was time to either change my attitude and seek value or leave.

I am grateful I decided to share my state of mind with Loretta Huff, IWL coach. She got me to focus on my context. In that process she helped me realize that I was so focused on learning all I could be that I lost sight of being the best I could be.

This discovery brought tears to my eyes because I am so passionate about 'living' God's plan and I realized I didn't like who I was BEING . I wasn't giving the best of me. This context shift has been huge for me as I am spending a lot more time getting in tune with the me I want to be, not the intellect I am storing.

I shifted in the way I am being with other people. I'm being the real me. My project was integrating my spiritual development into my whole life. It was very emotional for me. It gets the soul of me in there instead of the resume of me in there.

After I was willing to be true to me in the course, I'm doing it more now. I'm living vs. learning and learning through living.

I'm also now applying reflective thinking as second nature; who am I being vs. what am I. It's changed how I communicate at work. I'm now expressing my heart vs. political correctness.

What results are you most proud of having produced at work?  What did the results allow for?

I was promoted in February 2004 and am exercising faith-based decisions instead of 'Chris' plan.' I live more authentically and develop deeper relationships. I was a people person before but I didn't let people get too close to me and my beliefs.

We're accomplishing huge multinational change management and organizational development and I leading with who I am not what I know.

With regard to the promotion, there's a result that really is meaningful to me. I'm the only one promoted to the VP level from within the company AND I'm a women. Other people see this as a sign of hope and feel it's refreshing. Women come to me for advice or as a mentor where before I mentored my team of men but didn't have strong relationships with women.

Rayona made a comment during the course that really stuck with me: I already have the job and don't need to keep interviewing for it. When I hit periods of doubt, usually it's when I'm living just 'Chris's plan' instead of listening to God, I just kept reminding me I've already got the job.

What results are you most proud of having produced anywhere else?

My personal project, strong-willed women of faith has shown me what a strong-willed person I am and that I needed to develop my faith more. I'm getting more in tune with faith, beliefs and integrating everything I do through my faith (instead of trying to balancing my life; instead of choosing one or the other) has been powerful.

At church, the thing that's different is a takeaway from the course as well. I met with 25 women. We were all awkward and uncomfortable about building a sense of community. We all felt we were different and didn't know how to fit in. The fact vs. interpretation conversation from the course popped up and I realized at least 90% of our problems are within not with the others in our life. I feel great about integration of my whole life right now.

What resources do you want from or do you have to offer the rest of the IWL community as you continue your leadership journey?

I intend to continue my project, strong-willed women of faith and invite others from the IWL alumni to join me. What are the challenges of working women today? What are you passionate about? What do you want to accomplish so that on your last day on earth you're satisfied? What are you willing to give up 10 minutes a day to do? I want the project to generate more thought-provoking processes rather than simply showing up at a meeting. I support women to follow your heart. We all have many roles; the most important is being what God created us to be.

When I was a mom with young kids I didn't think this way. Now I'm in my 40s and thinking about what do I want to do with the rest of my life. I want to give. I encourage women to do it early. What are you willing to give 10 minutes a day to something you're passionate about?

We're almost starved for community but don't take time to make it; I'm willing to help IWL alums in whatever way I can. We have so many examples of men who made a difference but I want to create a world that has more women examples for our daughters for generations to come .