50 Leading Women: Debbie Thomas

In honor and celebration of our Women’s Division‘s 50th Anniversary, we will be spotlighting 50 Leading Women making an impact, raising their voice, and leading the next generation of women in the workforce and Plano community.

Introducing, Debbie Thomas, Vice President of Strategy, Sales Analytics & Operations for Nokia North America. Debbie began her career with Nokia, in 1995, when it was still Alcatel-Lucent, located in Plano ,TX. In her current role, Debbie is responsible for the operations of the America’s Market Sales Teams, serving on the America Sales Compensation committee; responsible for managing incentives to drive growth and the maintenance of monthly compensation, and spearheading the Women’s Forum for Sales in the North America market. By spearheading, we mean Debbie developed, designed, and then facilitated the Nokia Women’s Forum program. Debbie’s desire and passion to empower the younger generation of women to take their career into their own hands and build a network of supporters, has been the biggest joy of her decades long career. She gave her time, energy, and talents to the community by serving on the Board of Directors for a local affiliate of Susan G. Komen, Susan G. Komen North  Texas from 2013-2020. Her desire to pour into the next generation is not lost on us as Nokia has since moved its local office to Las Colinas. Her lasting impact and legacy are notable throughout her career and work in the community. Plano is better off for having you in it Debbie!

1. Describe your leadership style and how you lead others.

I am an emotionally intelligent, authentic leader with a natural ability to build loyal and self-managed teams.  I empower my teams as professionals who know their role in the organization, and I am here to assist and break barriers for them to achieve their and the team’s goals.  I harbor an open-door policy; hierarchy is not my style.  I want people to feel comfortable to approach and offer suggestions for improvement.  I encourage my team to take ownership of their careers.  I am actually proud when someone from my team finds themselves with new opportunities, it means I have done my job well!

2. How can women develop their leadership skills in the workforce?

From 2019 through 2022, I ran a program in Nokia North America called the Nokia Women’s Forum.  It was a yearlong program with the intent to equip our women in Sales with the tools to put themselves on the same footing as their male peers.  It was the best project of my career and the one I am most proud of.  I saw many of the female talent become much more successful in their careers.  As women, we have certain tendencies which are different from our male colleagues.  We need to learn what the unconscious bias is, what the political savvy is around us and find mentors and successful women who can guide us into the next phase of our journey.  We need to understand the differences and embrace what we offer and most importantly, learn how to self-promote so we have a voice at the table.

3. What are the most important decisions you make as a leader?

As a leader, I feel like all decisions are important.  You are leading a team, and all members of the team expect you to have their best interests at heart, along with balancing the interests and success of your company.  You need to always make the “right” decision, which isn’t always an easy decision.  But what is most important, is that when you make a bad decision, you learn from that decision and hold yourself accountable for it.   And, then you never make that mistake again.

 4. What has been one of your biggest joys as a leader?

I think my biggest joy as a leader is watching the progression of my company and team and knowing that I contributed to that.  I can leave my career knowing I have had a positive impact on people at Nokia and that is how I will be remembered.  I have been very fortunate through my career in having my work noticed and benefitting from my hard work.

5. What has been your greatest career disappointment? What did you learn from it?

The greatest career disappointment was during a merger, I had to take a step back in my career.  I did not do enough self-promoting to show the new executive team that I was capable of doing the job.  What I learned is that we are our own advocates, above all else and if you really want that next step in your career, you better plan and strategize how to get it.  That doesn’t guarantee that you will get it, but you will have put forth your best effort and no matter the results, you still will feel good about yourself!

6. What strategies could be used to promote inclusion in the workplace?

There is not one strategy that needs to be undertaken here but many.  First and foremost, the top leaders of the company should promote and invest in the strategy.  Theirs should be the overarching strategy that is lived daily. Then the leaders at every level need to follow suit to support and promote inclusion.  It needs to be part of the DNA of everyone in the company.

7. What advice would you give your 25-year-old self?

To my 25-year-old self – Lean in and be assertive, use your voice to be heard, always take a seat at the table, know your buzz – what others are thinking about you and how you want yourself to be perceived, don’t focus so much on improving your weaknesses but focus on increasing your strengths, this is what will get noticed more.  And, lastly, do not be afraid to self-promote!

8. What advice can you give to the next generation of female leaders?

Interestingly, we had a program this year within our organization that was specific to younger, emerging talent that is fresh out of their college experience.  I was so impressed by the female talent that was part of this group.  It is a new generation of much more confident women, and it delights me to work with them.  They are strong, independent women that know what they want.  I expect to see them as leaders in this company in a very short amount of time so some of the advice I gave my 25-year-old self was not needed for these emerging professionals.  The one thing that I have told them was the last thing I told my 25-year-old self, focus on your strengths, and promote those and pay less attention to your weaknesses (unless it is something that really causes your career to go off the tracks).  And use the female network in the company.  This one is important as my cohort learned from the Women’s Program we ran.  You can depend on each other to mentor and guide and speak open and honest with you.  Use this network!

9. Who inspired you and why?

My mother was my inspiration.  I grew up in the coal mining area of Pennsylvania, with blue collar parents.  My father was a machinist, and my mother was a seamstress.  She wanted so much more for me and pushed me to further my career and move out of Pennsylvania, against my father’s wishes.  I would still be in that blue collar world if she had not done so.  I wish she could have lived long enough to journey with me through my career, she would have been my biggest advocate and supporter, but I know, in my heart, that she is so proud of me and that is all I need.

10. What do you want to be remembered for? 

I recently received an email from a colleague leaving the company that said the following…” I also wanted to Thank You from the bottom of my heart.  You have been a major influence in my career and someone that I really admire.  Your positive personality and energy make you somebody that everybody wants to be around.  I wish you nothing but the ABSOLUTE best!  You are an amazing, inspiring, and wonderful person.”    It doesn’t get better than that for being remembered….

Lastly, a few things that I would offer as guidelines as you journey through your career:

1. Don’t always follow the same path. There are life lessons and career growth when you chose a different route.  It may be a harder journey, but well worth the effort.
2. Familiarize yourself with all the people in your sphere – not only your team but all the people around you.  Your network is your world and that is what helps make you successful, yes, the old I will scratch your back, if you scratch mine WORKS!
3. Learn empathy – this one is extremely important to me.  It goes back to emotional intelligence.  Don’t treat people how you would not want to be treated!   If you don’t treat people with respect, you will not get respect in your career.
4. Be authentic – so, so important!  Be you, who you are at home should be who you are at work!  It is your personality, and it will be with you through your career.  Being yourself allows people to see the real you.
5. Hold on to your seat – this is not a straightforward journey, and you absolutely need to learn how to stumble and pick yourself up.  Don’t fool yourself that this will be an easy journey but learn how to handle difficult situations.  There were so many times in my career that I was scared to death, but I make it through those times as you will!
6. Pick your close allies carefully. You want people who will speak up and challenge you and will tell it to you straight.  These are your trusted advisors, and they will give you constructive feedback that will only help you along your career journey.  Trust them implicitly.
7. Never, ever, ever repeat something told in confidence. This proves your trustworthiness and builds your respect.

I am very grateful for the career that I have been blessed with and the path I have journeyed on.  If I were to leave my career tomorrow, I would leave with a heart full of pride in my accomplishments and a heavy heart leaving my colleagues and friends.  But it was a path well-traveled.