60 Seconds with WITS West Speaker — Natalie Makowka
Natalie Makowka is the Executive Director, Application Development at Comcast Business. She is a panelist for the session Does that Resonate? Tailoring your Communication to Maximize your Impact at WITS West.
- Why is speaking at WITS important to you?
None of us got to where we are today without great mentors and coaches. WITS allow us to be that special mentor and coach to everyone in the room. Even if it’s just for 1 hour, we aspire to provide those words of wisdom, that though-provoking question, or a call to action that will propel attendees to that next level in their career.
- What inspires you?
So many things! Recently, I’ve had the honor of participating in the Betsy Magness Leadership Institute with 27 uber-successful women. What has inspired me about the program is that while every one of us is a leader, we have all been open, vulnerable, and humble while we try new techniques, learn new skills, and ultimately try to improve ourselves. It has reminded me that there is never an end to what we can learn and what we can change to make ourselves, our jobs, and our world better.
- Most useful article you’ve read in the last month
I love to read but like many of us, I am short on time. I love Scott Hanselman’s Hanselminutes podcast. I always learn something new or gain a new perspective. Recently, I’ve enjoyed listening to Camille Fournier talk about The Manager’s Path and a past favorite is Empathy in Technology Product Design with Sarah Kunst.
- When you were a kid what was your dream job?
I always wanted to be a psychiatrist. I was inspired by the Peanut’s comic where Lucy offers very sage advice for a reasonable fee of 5 cents. Although I went down a different path, I still feel like I’m solving problems when I create great software that helps people and businesses.
- Tell us something about your session
Come and listen to 4 amazing women talk about how they plan and prepare to talk to people. It might sound simple but if you want to be heard and understood, you have to discover and deliver the right message that resonates with your audience.
