Sheryl Anderson
“Technology has been the biggest area of growth for women, as well as engineering, and has offered tremendous opportunity to women,” says Anderson. And she should know. Twenty-four years at Starz, this HR maven has responsibility for more than 1,000 employees worldwide and continues to reset the bar, including implementing a new performance management system for optimizing the reviews process.
Where are the biggest growth areas for women in cable?
Technology has been the biggest area of growth for women, as well as engineering, and has offered tremendous opportunity to women that include career growth. These areas have also been the most challenging for women to penetrate.
What’s the most important aspect of mentoring?
Mentoring is a must if you plan to grow your career. It is the differing points of view that can be debated, studied and analyzed in a strong mentoring relationship; that is where the learning comes in that will best prepare an employee for the next level. Mentoring should be equally valuable to both the mentee and the mentor as they navigate through those challenging conversations. The mentee and the mentor should openly discuss either real time issues impacting the mentee, and the mentor should encourage the Mentee to look at the issue or situation from different angles or differing points of view, which they should debate, study various outcomes based on differing points of view, and lastly analyze the impact to the situation, issue or problem. It all happens in a very open dialog.
What/who inspires you at work? What/who inspires you outside the office?
I am continually inspired by the strong team in HR and building ops that I get to work with every day, as well as our executive team at Starz. Outside, I have the rare privilege of being the President of the Cable Television Human Resources Association (CTHRA) Board. The Board is made of top HR Professionals in our industry, and is comprised of a balance of very talented HR Leaders that inspire and motivate not only me but all HR leaders involved in the organization. Their passion for what they do is very obvious in every initiative the organization takes on. They are truly inspiring.
Best trick for maintaining the personal-professional life balance?
You have to learn when to say no, and prioritize your goals with realistic aspirations of balancing your family goals with your work life goals. Developing and having a strong team behind you makes it a lot easier to balance, never lose sight of what is important, and it is ok to let those around you know your priorities.
Your favorite trick for unwinding?
A good margarita, and laughing with friends.
