As a daughter of hard-working Korean immigrants, Sandy Ko spent much of her youth and young adulthood feeling like she had to figure things out on her own. Now a
"My parents moved here when I was six, and they were always working; my sister and I had to fend for ourselves," Ko says. "[After college], my friends were doing amazing things — going to New York and LA, traveling the world and were super successful at what they were doing. Part of me wanted that success as well."
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After abandoning her college music education major, Ko says she was a "late bloomer" when it came to
At a flagship event in Las Vegas, Ko witnessed top female executives lead with confidence and "command the room." The experience inspired her to dig deeper into what it took for these women to succeed.
"The women executives from these big companies didn't watch what they said, they weren't being careful; they were just being very true to who they are and what they know," Ko says. "I'd never had a role model, I'd never seen this type of representation in front of me where women have the respect of everybody. I thought it'd be wise for me to understand their secret to success."
Six months later, Ko hosted a mimosa breakfast for women attending one of CMP's smaller conferences, and the success of the gathering led Ko to found Customer Contact Women (CCWomen), a women and ally community. The group gathers for multi-year summits during Customer Contact Week events held by CMP.
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Ko recently chatted with EBN about her work with CCWomen, some of the management lessons she's learned, and why successful leadership involves the lifting up of others.
Why did you feel it was important to not only connect with successful women professionals yourself, but create a space for others to do so as well?
In Korean culture, women are quiet and you don't talk about your achievements; it's just a very male-dominated culture where men are praised. That's how I was raised. And to this day we celebrate the wins in our family, but my parents always say, "Don't be too proud, don't boast too much." Coming from that cultural background and seeing these women who are very vocal and powerful, but at the same time, so genuine and down to earth and welcoming — something triggered me and I had to take the initiative and do this for myself. Then I realized that others can benefit, too.
For women, having these kinds of role models who not only have a seat at the table, but who want to bring other women with them, is so powerful. I think we sometimes forget that there are other women we need to bring along with us and lift up. I have benefited so much from getting to know these wonderful, successful women, and I knew I needed to give back to our community as well.
What are some of the things you appreciate most about the connections you've made, and how has this influenced the work you do through CCWomen?
[These women] always give me time to talk about anything I need. They'll ask, "Sandy, how can I support you? What can I do for you?" And just seeing that — women being kind to one another and supporting and lifting other women up when they have zero obligation to do so — really made me think differently about how women interact with other women, and what if we were able to just support one another without any female rivalry. I wish more women were aware of the power they hold when they help other women, or just give people the time of day in terms of supporting them.
We want to build a stage for women to share their stories and their insight and wisdom. We also want to celebrate and connect women and allies together, because resources, tools and opportunities are so important. The more we talk about them and share them, the more progress we can make globally in the workplace.
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How has your own leadership style been shaped by the work you're doing?
Being a leader is one of the hardest things I've done in my life. We have diverse people with different personalities and different needs. My boss has helped me to grow and has been very supportive of my development, and by realizing what I need from him, I am able to reflect that on my own team.
The biggest things I've learned are to ask people what they need, to be very flexible, and to remember that work isn't everything. My boss emphasizes work-life balance, and I do the same for my team of three. I always tell them, as long as the work gets done, I'm good with whatever it is you need to do. You also need to communicate. Our team is small, and I'm always asking for their thoughts and opinions, and I consult them before we make big decisions. CCWomen is a team effort, we all have one goal at the end of the day, and I want my team to be happy and enjoy what they're doing.
