003: The Power of Reframing Your Own Narrative: Patty Hatter on Self-Belief, Consistency, and Failing Forward

In this episode, Parul speaks with Patty Hatter, a senior technology and board leader whose career has unfolded inside some of the most complex environments in global business. Patty has led large-scale transformation and customer strategy at Fortune 500 companies including Palo Alto Networks, Intel, McAfee, Cisco, and AT&T.But this conversation is not about titles. It is about how confidence is formed early.How risk becomes normal through repetition.And how leadership often looks quieter than we expect.Patty reflects on growing up with steady encouragement, entering engineering when few women were welcomed, and learning to trust herself long before the world offered validation.She shares what it taught her to move abroad early in her career.How listening became her most reliable tool.And why she resists labeling moments as setbacks.The result is a grounded discussion about judgment, self-trust, and staying flexible inside long careers.Explore the Conversation00:00 Introducing Patty Hatter01:01 Growing Up With Confidence 02:57 Entering Engineering as a Woman 05:48 Ignoring Critics Early in Your Career 06:18 Being the Only Woman in the Room 08:15 First Job Lessons at Bell Labs 11:10 Moving to Europe at 27 13:37 Why Listening Is a Leadership Skill 15:35 Managing Visibility and Internal Politics 17:54 Customer Outcomes Over Internal Noise 19:22 Leaving an Expat Role 23:07 Building a Non-Linear Career 26:25 Failing Forward in Leadership 29:28 How to Stop Replaying Mistakes 32:03 Leading Through Broken Systems 36:36 Why Leaders Must Take Responsibility 38:34 The Traits of Effective Leadership 41:59 Turning Setbacks Into Learning 44:27 Career Advice for Uncertain Times 47:13 Rapid Fire Leadership Questions Explore more:Connect with Patty Hatter on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/patricia-hatter/]