Lead with Action: A Veteran’s Shift from Prove It to Demonstrate It Featuring Angie Black

Join the Women in Seed Production Network for a candid conversation with Angie Black, a US Navy veteran and mother with 24 years of experience in agriculture, who shared profound insights on career progression and challenges faced by women in seed production. Angie detailed her career journey through two segments: the intense "prove it" phase, rooted in proving value by working long hours and constantly seeking visibility, and the current "demonstrate" phase, which focuses on the quality and how she delivers work. The transition from overextending herself and prioritizing work, even on vacation, was catalyzed by a health crisis that required her to implement "guard rails" and shift toward working smarter. A key lesson learned throughout her career is the necessity of securing partnerships over seeking universal approval and recognizing that time lost cannot be recovered. Angie strongly advocates for influential leadership, emphasizing that success in service organizations often comes from increasing one's scope of influence across the business rather than solely relying on managing direct reports. Ultimately, she encourages listeners to embrace the confidence that she now holds: the belief that "I am definitely enough".