Siobhan Lane - Can a leader have it all?

I received that. Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

Superpowers, yeah. And it's really to achieve this kind of exponential outcome, right? And it's exactly that: how do you build a diverse team that has all of these amazing superpowers, and when you bring them together, they're highly complementary? They can challenge each other, they can own their own space, but when you bring all those superpowers together, it has this real exponential impact. So I love thinking about it through that lens when you're thinking about building a team and building talent, and who are the people that are going to drive your organization forward, and what is the unique capability and skill set that they bring to the team?

Yeah, and I think as you grow in your career and especially as you assume leadership positions, you get to know yourself a lot better. I think that's a key attribute of leadership: that you really get to know yourself at the core, define who you're going to be as a leader, and in that, define what your superpowers are and what you're going to bring to the team. Also, have a level of self-awareness around maybe what your shadow self is, when that shadow self can appear, and how do you make sure that you really stay on top of controlling that and make sure that doesn't come out? Because we hear this term 'shadow of the leader,' and that can be very powerful in a good and a bad way. So going on that journey of leadership and really getting to know yourself and self-reflection, I think one key theme you'll hear me talk about is surrounding yourself with a team. I had a great team, great leaders who mentored me and helped sponsor me as I continued to grow through my career. I was very fortunate to have those people and continue to have those people in my career journey. Then I try to play that role for others and really pay that forward as people come into my life and the organization at Light & Wonder.

Oh my gosh, lots of names. You'll recognize some of them, of course, Sally. I think starting with Tony Coros has always been a mentor of mine for many, many years. Jamie Odell has been this iconic leader that I've looked up to in so many ways. Matt and I have worked together for many, many years and has just been a great partner, colleague, and leader. And just so many people that have been alongside me on my journey that I'm just so grateful for.

I have twins that are 12, that's Connor and Emma, and McKenna is my baby, she's eight years old.

Yeah, so many. I know we talked about this question before, but the more I reflected on it, I was like, man, there's so many parallels. First of all, negotiation is one that came to mind immediately because my kids, you know, you have to negotiate as a mom. You have to figure out which battles you want to fight when you're raising strong, independent kids. I think there's a lot of parallels to how you show up as a parent and then leadership style. I'm very nurturing and empathetic with my kids, but you also have to know when to have a firm hand and set boundaries and make sure you're being the parent, not necessarily a friend. I feel like I take a similar approach in leadership. I tend to be an empathetic leader and take a servant leadership approach, but I don't think that needs to come without driving strong results and making sure that we're driving solid outcomes. Because at the end of the day, I'm held accountable to driving results for the organization, for the stability and the health of all of our creators at Light & Wonder, and I take that responsibility very seriously. So I don't think empathy and driving results are mutually exclusive. You can have a style of leadership where you can be firm and hold people accountable and drive great results, but also understand that we're all humans at the end of the day and we all have stuff going on. We need to be mindful of that, be kind to one another, and empathize with what people might have going on beyond the four walls of the organizations that we work within. And as a mom, you're constantly playing that role for your kids. They're growing up, trying to find their own path, and you're there to help guide them, but you need to have a level of empathy and understanding of the world that they're living in.

Oh, for sure. First of all, I definitely can relate on the guilt side. It's something that I wrestle with all the time. And yeah, I have to travel a lot for my job, so if I'm on the road, I'll come home and I'll be a lot more lenient and just, you know, whatever, time with the kids is what I want. So yeah, I can definitely relate to that, and the guilt is real.

I think you just have to give yourself grace as a mom. It's just hard. And I get a lot of questions like, 'How do you do it? What's the secret?' There is no secret. None of us have it figured out. As much as we like to make it look like we have it figured out, we don't have it figured out. There is no secret formula that I can point to. It's just a constant juggle. I think knowing that and accepting that you have to make trade-offs, you can work and have a career and be fulfilled in that, you can be a mom that's present and raising your kids, but you're not going to be there for all of that all at the same time. You have to know that there are trade-offs that you need to be willing to make. It's hard, it's a constant juggle, and you have to give yourself grace along that journey because you can't be there for everything. But take inventory of what's most important and what you want to spend your time and energy towards, and be there for the important things.

I'm highly communicative. That's just an attribute I have with anyone in my life, but kids especially, because they want that context. They want to know. So I communicate with them on, 'I'm going to be here, I'm not going to be here, I'm going to make it for this, not going to make it for that.' And they accept that. Of course, any child wants their parent there 24/7, they want them at every single event. I would say I make a good majority of it, but I can't make all of it, and they understand that. It can be hard for them at times, but I think that's a piece of this formula that's so important for working moms: that you have a team behind you at work, but more so at home, that's going to support the decisions that you make. Including a great partner. My husband Eric is very supportive, and he doesn't travel as much for his job, so he's there holding down the fort when I'm on the road. You have to have that support system. It's so critical. You have to have that understanding of your situation and the organization you work in, but at home, you have to have the team behind you and that resource structure that will allow you to do what you want to do.

I don't think you can say 'I can have it all' knowing through my journey that there are trade-offs that you have to make. So in essence, you can't have it all because there are things you have to trade off. I think you just have to know that going into it. I've heard this expression: 'You can have it all, but not all at the same time.' I think you have to take inventory of what's important. I feel very fulfilled in my career and my role at Light & Wonder, and that's very important to me as a person. But my kids are so important to me. If they needed me tomorrow, I'd drop everything and be there for them. As long as I can make it work and everyone's happy and feels fulfilled, and that I'm there supporting them, I'll keep doing it.

Thank you. Well, I think that can be dangerous, right? Women are like... I think representation is important, strong role models are important, but I don't want to fool anyone to think it's not hard. It's really hard, especially some days. It might look easy, and I think just being real about it and being like, 'That might look like I have it all together, but I have hard days too, and it's tough to juggle.' I have sad days when I can't be with my kids, or when I'm choosing to be at home, I feel like I'm not giving my all at work. It's just a constant juggle. But again, giving yourself that grace and supporting yourself in those decisions and priorities is really important. But I don't want any mom out there to think like it's easy. The struggle is real.

I think as a leader, your values take center stage. As a parent, your values take center stage. I've always had a strong work ethic, that's something that has always been with me. I've always been very resilient and resourceful. I teach my kids the same. I hope to show up that way at work and exude that in my leadership style. And empathy, we've talked about the importance of treating people with kindness and consideration. But again, having that work ethic and knowing we have to drive results at Light & Wonder. Integrity is just part of my brand, and I think that's really important as a leader, and instilling that in our kids too is so important. And being a good person at the end of the day, that's something we just try to instill in our kids. There's a level of entitlement that kids can be raised with, and I just don't like that at all. We're all here to give back and to give to others and support others. I just want to raise good human beings at the end of the day, and that means I need to show up that way, whether I'm at home or as a leader at Light & Wonder.

Integrity.

Yeah, exactly. Integrity for me.

Yes. I think you have to. I mean, it's one that's hard to compromise on. Integrity is fairly black and white. So I believe having integrity as a foundation is crucial to building a high-performance team, because people are open and honest, and they're sharing what they're feeling. That's the only way that you can progress.

I think going through those learning curves at different chapters. Not that I'm done, but when I reflect upon the last 20 years, I think you need to know when to shift gears. For a woman, it was probably that time when my husband and I started a family. I've always had a strong work ethic, I've always been very dedicated to work, but I didn't quite think about, 'Oh, maybe I need to shift gears here because I'm pregnant with two human beings and trying to figure that out.' I just kept going at the same speed, and that obviously isn't sustainable. So just taking a step back and, as you go through these different chapters of your life and also different chapters of your career, how do you reset along the way? That's one thing I figured out. I was really terrible at setting and reinforcing boundaries at a certain point, and that's something I had to learn. How do you build muscle around these tools that are going to help you juggle all of these different priorities? I think boundaries is something women generally are not great at because we're trying to do it all and be there for the many people in our lives. That was a tough lesson to learn because ultimately it took a toll on my well-being. Creating time and space for self-care amongst everything else you're trying to juggle and making that a priority is really important. Setting your boundaries, knowing when to reinforce those boundaries, is really important. It's an enabler of being able to work and have a successful career and also be a mother and raise your kids. So I would say that was probably a difficult time, just going through that learning process of what do I need to do differently. And as time goes on, kids go through different stages, you're going through different stages of your career. I check in with myself more often and check in with my husband or my kids to say, 'What do we need to think about pivoting here because this has changed or that has changed? What's not working? What is working?' So just having that check-in along the way so you don't fall behind the curve and ultimately it takes a toll on your well-being.

I like to take a walk in the morning, and I intentionally don't listen to podcasts or music because it creates a bit of white space for me to have that think time. I come back from my walks full of ideas or things I need to focus on. So that's a really nice way to start my day and it grounds me and gives me that time to think. Any working mom will know, once your day gets started, it doesn't become your day anymore. I feel that at Light & Wonder, I've got things coming at me from all angles. I feel that with my kids, you might get a call from the school nurse, somebody sick. So just having that time in the morning to myself to really carve out that think time is really valuable to me, and then I know what to focus on for the rest of the day.

Start small. Start small. I think we've all tried to set goals with the best intentions, and then we fail at following through on those because we try to go too big. So start small. Think about your routine and what time of the day works for you. Some of us are night owls, some of us are morning people. What time of the day can you get that 'me time' where you're most, not necessarily most productive, but it works for you and your schedule so that you can make it repeatable. And start small. I get maybe an hour a day, but that's okay. I make the most of that time. I've kind of resigned to the fact that I don't have a lot of hobbies because I don't have a lot of discretionary time. But if I can get that time to myself in the morning, if I can get my cup of coffee, that's a must-have. I'm a happy person. So it doesn't have to be about quantity, I think it's about quality, and really trying to get into that routine and gifting that to yourself.

For sure. In fact, years and years ago, I took the course 'Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,' and they say there's two hours a day that you're at your peak productivity. For me, that's the morning. After I kind of go through this, I can get so much work done in those two hours if I just am mindful to block that time. And that works out well for me because once that time starts, there's so much being expected of me from others. But for someone that might be from 10:00 PM to midnight or something, it's different. So I think design it around your natural tendencies and strengths, and then you're going to have more likelihood of success. Why push against the grain if it doesn't work for you? So I don't care, whatever works for you. It's hard enough already to follow through with your best intentions and get into a routine. Do what works for you.

Let's see. What motivates me? I think making things better. We've all gone through so many assessments by this point in our career, so I always kind of felt this way but I didn't really have it defined. But intrinsically, I'm motivated to change things and make things better, which is why I'm very much attracted to transformation programs and companies. I went through that journey at Aristocrat, I'm going through that journey now at Light & Wonder. Because I want to make a positive impact. So I'm very motivated about how do I make things better, how do I improve things, how do I change things for the good. So that's one really big motivator for me. And as a leader, that's exciting that you can drive a change plan and you get to see the tangible results of all your efforts. It's really exciting. I loved that experience at Aristocrat, I love what we're building at Light & Wonder. It's very exciting. So I think it's very rewarding as you put a lot of time and energy into work, and that's one thing that I'm intrinsically motivated by.

Oh my gosh. I think you had a question about pet peeves. Is this the one we're going with? A couple things. Didn't take me long to think about this answer. Grammatical errors drive me crazy. Also, certain forms of laziness, like people who litter. Don't litter. Return your shopping cart. Let's all do our part in society to make our community run the way it's supposed to run. So yeah, just do your part.

Oh my gosh, you have no idea. Just do your part. I would stop people in my neighborhood.

Oh yeah. I'd be like, 'Dude, are you going to leave that there?' I'm not shaming, I'm just like, 'You have a big dog, so you understand what this is. Imagine if everyone did that, the state of your neighborhood.' Oh my gosh.

I get this question from people I mentor: 'Did you have it all planned out?' I am a planner, I'm very much a planner, but funnily enough, I didn't have this master plan for my career. I just kind of took opportunities as they came up because I think you might be too tunnel-visioned if you have too much of a master plan, like 'This is where I'm going by when,' and you might miss out on some really great opportunities along the way that maybe you didn't even consider. I think it's risky to get yourself into that way of thinking because you never know what might come your way, and it might look different than what you anticipated. So I never really had this grand plan that I was going to be in this role by this age. I just kind of took the opportunities that came along. I trust my gut a lot and my instinct a lot. I certainly do my due diligence and my homework, but sometimes I just kind of know when the right opportunity comes along. I'm not a big risk taker, but I knew when this opportunity came to leave Aristocrat, it was a big fork in the road. I just knew that I had hit a ceiling and I was ready for a change, and that I needed to grow into my potential and this was an opportunity where I could do that. So I trust my instinct on those things too. But yeah, I never had a master plan despite being a big planner. That's a skill set and a strength that allows me to do everything that I do, but in this case, funnily enough, it wasn't necessarily the path that I took.

I'm definitely democratic. Democratic, servant, and transformational are kind of my blended three styles. I can be authoritative when I need to be, don't get me wrong. I think that's what you learn as a leader: which style do I need to flex in certain situations, and how can you understand the whole span of styles and tap into the right style at the right time? But I would say my default styles are servant, democratic, and transformational, which speaks to my desire to change and make things better. But yeah, you got to flex different styles depending on the people that you're dealing with and the different situations and scenarios you're trying to navigate as a leader. Things are thrown at you that you might not expect, and I think that's one of the challenging parts of leadership: you never know what the day will bring, and you need to be able to flex those different styles depending on those situations.

Oh yes, yes. That was a busy, busy time. But you said you mentioned I'm a quiet leader, which I am. I'm very much in listening mode a lot. I think I had to deal with that from an impostor syndrome standpoint because I think as a society we have this stereotype of what leadership might look like, and I knew I wasn't that type of leader. I have a different style. I listen a lot, but when I have something to say, it's going to be said and I want it to drive impact and be meaningful. So I had to wrestle with that a little bit and get comfortable with my style, knowing that I could drive just as much impact and it's okay to have a different style. I think that's one message that people should hear: that diversity in style and leadership types is okay, and it doesn't mean you can't drive the same level of impact if you approach it from a different angle.

That's so important to me. It's like, can I be my authentic self? Find the courage to show up as my authentic self, and will that be accepted and also have the level of impact that I intend to have in the role? And would it be respected also? I think as women, sometimes we underestimate how being our true authentic self could be respected because when we try to be someone we're not, it comes across and it shows.

And I think you have to find the courage to just show up as you were meant to be. It doesn't mean you can't stop learning and growing and developing, but leaning into your natural strengths, like we were talking about earlier, is just going to propel you forward.

Oh my gosh, pink can be a power color. And that's what I tell them: pink can be a power color. You're not being your true self, and you walk in there with black because you don't like black. Wear the pink. Pink's not my color, you will rarely see me in pink, but I kind of like the idea of, when I know I'm going to be one of the only females in a room, wear a dress. Just stand out a little bit. I think you can still bring femininity and balance it out, and don't feel like you have to blend in. You're different. People know you're the woman in the room, so why not just enhance it a little bit? Wear the pink.

Yes. But I think the diversity that you're bringing is a value, and it's actually you being different that's a great thing. I know not everyone sees it that way, but it really is. There's data and metrics that speak to this. I think it goes to what we opened with: diversity and superpowers. Diversity of the team can only bring strength to the entire team. So I think embrace your differences and know that that's a real asset that you can bring to the team. And yeah, throw a little pop of color in there every now and again too.

I'm not sure I view them as challenges. I'm pretty resilient, so I'll figure out a way to overcome it. I have had lots of great sponsors and allies through my journey. I think one challenge is, sometimes it can be exhausting operating in a male-dominated environment. Constantly, it's hard sometimes to find that female connection that is a little bit of a sigh of relief when you have to always be operating in a certain environment. So I would say it's not necessarily a challenge, it can just be tiring sometimes to always have to consider that element. And I would say to our male allies, don't underestimate that. When you see the only female in the room or the only minority in the room, don't underestimate the experience that they're having in that moment and how you can step in and actively support them. I think that's the definition of an ally. It's not standing in the background and passively supporting. It's how do you activate that allyship and align with the person that is having that experience and really be that ally alongside them. I think it's an important message to send that allies can't often relate necessarily, but you can have a level of awareness and understanding that even though I can't directly relate, how can I support this person otherwise?

I think being given opportunities, being pulled into rooms so I had a seat at the table. Just someone taking a chance on me or throwing me a stretch project, knowing that they're taking a chance because am I going to rise to the occasion or not? But I think taking action is the most important thing. So bring somebody into a meeting. Make sure you create space for them to speak if they're sitting around the table. I think that's one thing, especially being a quieter, more introverted person. Actively creating space for someone in a meeting, especially if they're in the minority, they will already feel like they don't have the space to talk. They likely won't create it for themselves. So actively calling someone out, saying, 'So and so, what do you think about that?' or 'Do you have any questions?' I often do that as a leader, and I think anyone can play that role. I think yes, we're talking to male allies, but anyone can be an ally and play that role for someone in the room.

It drives me nuts that women unfortunately can have this reputation of tearing each other down. I just despise that. It's hard enough already. We need to be lifting each other up at every moment we can, and not bringing each other down. There's space for everyone to rise. It just really bugs me that women can get this negative reputation of not supporting each other. I think maybe that's because in the past it didn't feel like there was enough space for everyone, but I feel like we're overcoming that. The more that we can help each other and support each other and cheer each other on, let's do more of that. That feels a lot better than tearing each other down. In my work with Global Gaming Women, I think that comes through a lot: how do we help women develop and get the skills and training they need to have the courage to put their hand up for the next opportunity? It doesn't mean you have to become a C-suite executive. It's just about how do you gain confidence and courage in yourself by building the skills and professional development you need to pursue whatever your aspiration might be. That could be anything. But how do we just help each other and be an ally to each other? As much as our male allies have a role, we equally have a role. Let's support each other.

Yes. I give that advice. You have to vocalize what you need, what you want. You have to be an active participant. More times than not, leaders are going to say yes, of course. If they say no, it's likely because maybe they can't commit the time to that relationship. But I don't think I've ever said no, I can't mentor you. We have to make sure it's a good match, but I think vocalizing, taking your own personal inventory to say what matters to me, what do I need, what steps do I want to take, and then reaching out and creating those connections. Advice for women: build your network, reach out, create those connections. That's how you're going to find those mentors, find those sponsors, and get those conversations started. But you have to take an active role in that.

Yeah. I talk about this in our team. It's like the processes or products or whatever, same goes in an organization. What got us to this point isn't going to take us up the next hill that we have to climb. And the same thing you should think about in your own personal network. Hopefully you're growing and developing along that journey, and you're going to need something different as you climb that next hill. So it doesn't mean you don't continue to thank and have gratitude for those people and stay connected with them, but yeah, I think you need to continually build your skill sets and your capability along the way, and different people might be able to help you with that. So I think it's something you need to be scanning for and aware of along your journey.

What is my superpower? Let's see. I think my work ethic is definitely my superpower. I think building great teams is something that I pride myself on. I just love the talent side of leadership and surrounding myself with a great team and great people. That's in my professional environment as well as my personal environment. It's an enabler of me being able to be successful on both fronts. I laugh when I think of leaders who think of surrounding themselves with great people as a threat. It's the inverse for me. You have to surround yourself with great people. It is the only thing that will make you successful in my mind. So I've always lived by that. And again, the same thing goes in my personal life. I have to surround myself with people that can help me do the things that I might not have the time to do so that I can focus my limited time on the high-value things. So in both aspects of my life, having a great team around you, having the self-awareness and looking through that lens to build that great team, I like to think about that as one of my superpowers.

Oh my gosh, yes. I'll be cheering them on. As a leader, I've had that happen. No one wants to lose a great person on their team, but I would never ever stand in the way of them growing and building their career. I'd be nothing but happy for them and know that you had a part in that and you had a hand in that. That's why we're doing what we're doing: to launch the next generation of leaders into growing their careers.

Well, let's see. I am a big foodie, so I love to just go out to eat. I would say that's my hobby. I also love music and I love singing, so that's kind of my reprieve.

No, I'm not a professional singer, Sally. You never know, you never know. It's my joyful place. I go to it when I need to just set everything aside. I think music and singing is just something I really enjoy.

I think hearing that I like to sing, actually. Because I never would have, I was terrified to sing in public until probably a few years ago. You would never have heard me sing in public, but I've done that.

I love karaoke. Love karaoke. You were talking about Oliver earlier. He's a great guitarist, so Oliver and I have jammed out a few times, and he's just very talented. So I would guarantee you this will be a new thing a lot of people will be hearing about you.

Yeah, yeah.

I don't think so. It's been a really wonderful conversation, and thanks again for having me.

Of course.

No, I think you covered it all. I think we covered it all. We got into some really interesting questions. I just thank you again and congratulations on all your success.