THE EXCHANGE SPRING 2022 How has AppExchange influenced/empowered you in your career? Participating in AppExchange-related events has strongly was acquired by Salesforce (now Salesforce CPQ) and with influenced and crafted my Salesforce journey. From the DocuSign when they were a few hundred customers strong first-ever AppExchange All-Stars lunch at DF10, to presenting (now 1,000,000+ strong) and several internet “unicorns” while dozens of Dreamforce sessions, to recording our first, slightly they were still in Series A. All of these encounters helped to INTERVIEW WITH: whacky, AppExchange Mavericks videos in 2014, to the create a tremendous network that allowed my career to grow Geraldine Gray AppExchange Street Team at DF17, to publishing articles on to heights I could never have achieved on my own. And it Medium and years of monthly Tweetchats on Twitter, and back keeps going — in 2021, I participated in 30+ Salesforce-related CEO, Endiem, and Salesforce MVP to AppExchange Mavericks this year — it’s been a wild ride. activities outside my regular work as the CEO of Endiem. since 2010 Each time I’ve engaged with the AppExchange team I’ve also engaged with Salesforce partners. This has opened so many doors for me. I worked with Steelbrick before it What is the most important message you want to send out to young women thinking about their careers? Get help and be helpful. the wrong job by keeping a scorecard that ranks what is most Don’t worry about being perfect, but be sure to ask for help important to you in any work situation, but be realistic — there when you need it and be willing to extend a helping hand to are 7 billion humans on the planet, and a business can only others. You can’t expect people to do you a favor if you’re not support so many unique situations or requests. For example, supporting them as well, and it’s wise to be careful whom you at Endiem we have lots of people who work a fractional job, ask, to be sure they also have your best interests in mind. And, but everyone works the same core hours regardless. We as a woman, it’s okay to have male mentors. I’m not quite sure deliver Salesforce projects and support, and our customers why so many women believe that only women can mentor need us to be available for — them — and we need time when them — it’s just not true, and you miss out on a ton of potential we can collaborate on work together. As you can see from these six learning if you ignore the guys who can help raise you up. (Go Some of the best advice I ever received from a female boss Adam Seligman and Matt Lamb!) was, “Always leave the door open.” When the time comes to phenomenal women, It’s okay to walk away. move on from a project or role, don’t burn your bridges. Leave There may be a time when you end up in a job that is not a with grace and decency so you can always go back, and be there are many different ways to work toward overcoming good fit in the end. Ask yourself, “Can I change my situation to grateful to the person who gave you the opportunity, even if it gender inequality. Some threads we see through all of their make it better, or is it something company-deep that won’t be didn’t work out. Those people will remember you, and they’ll stories is the value of sharing both struggles and successes, solved by my staying?” You can decrease the odds of landing in want to work with you again if you do good work and make them successful. not being afraid to ask for help when it’s needed, and the importance of lifting up other women. We hope their words If you could have dinner with an inspirational woman, dead or alive, leave you feeling inspired like they did us. who would she be and why? Read more I’d opt to swap dinner to play The Hay (the super-fun activities and what brings her joy. And I’d ask her if she beginners’ nine-hole, par-3 short course at Pebble Beach) mapped out her life early on or if she let opportunities come About these and other Salesforce MVPs. followed by drinks and cheese with Condolezza Rice, 66th to her, and which parts of life she has struggled with but Secretary of State. She is a politician, diplomat, business embraced anyway. She’s certainly taken the road less traveled person, professor, and social scientist who is the epitome of and is incredibly accomplished. And I’d invite Alex Danvers, calm in the face of a storm. I’d ask Ms. Rice how she manages Endiem’s CMO, and Dulce Bojas, CIO of Linde, because I’d like to participate in so many engagements at once with flair and to share that experience, and we’d be guaranteed to all have a spirit and what does she do to quiet her brain (maybe she great time with tons of laughter. doesn’t!). I’d love to hear about her personal philanthropic 25