Unqork’s Lisa Lundegard and Abby Drucker
By Abby Drucker, Sales Engineer & President of Womxn of Unqork
Growing up, I had a very small family where I was the oldest sibling and also the oldest cousin. I felt I had an obligation to be a role model to my younger brother and cousins, because I felt that if I didn’t find my path, then how would they? I always found myself leading team projects, taking leadership positions in organizations I joined, and determined that I was the Executor – that if I didn’t do it, then nobody would.
And while I learned a lot on my own, I felt myself reaching a point where I was falling behind because I wasn’t learning enough from others who walked a similar path before me. I knew enough about a lot of things to get by, but I wasn’t excelling like I used to.
Then my grandfather, one of the friendliest people I have ever known, learned about Unqork. Not only did he tell me about this new non-traditional software company, he shamelessly messaged the CEO, Gary Hoberman, on LinkedIn to tell him about me. I was absolutely mortified and excited at the same time – maybe I don’t have to do everything for myself.
From Self-Reliance to Seeking Mentorship
When I joined Unqork as an intern, it was the first time in my life where I truly thought, “I cannot figure this out on my own.” And not because of Unqork specifically; the corporate world and all that came with it were entirely new to me. But it was also the first time in my life where I had a real mentor. My manager at the time was not only kind and patient but extremely intelligent. College and my previous life had taught me how to think, but my manager taught me how to learn from others.
After graduating from college, I joined Unqork full time with a new manager, Lisa Lundegard, who is currently the VP of Customer Advocacy for Insurance. Lisa took me under her wing and taught me how to advocate for myself and think about my career, while maintaining a player-coach leadership style. When Lisa made the switch out of the sales engineering team, she moved from a manager role to a mentor role. She is someone I know I can trust to tell me the truth, brainstorm with, support my decisions, and help me in any way she can.
As any company goes through change, Unqork is no different. There have been times where I have retreated to my old ways of figuring things out for myself, and there is certainly a benefit to autonomy and independence. I learned who to ask for help and how to ask for their time wisely, and challenged myself to become a subject matter expert in certain areas because there was nobody else who would do it for me.
This is when Megan Schwarz, president of Womxn of Unqork at the time, recruited me to join the ERG’s leadership team. I instantly felt her support through her passion for the group, and I loved falling back into that team-support structure.
Learning to Lead — and Learn From Others
As the sales team started to grow once again, I found myself as the primary contact for many. I know so many things about Unqork like the back of my hand – mind you my seniority dates back to 2021! That feeling of being “sticky” and that people “know my brand” felt great, but at the same time, I felt underqualified. It was certainly not the first time I felt “imposter syndrome,” but I also know that, at 25 years old, I still have much to learn – so who can I count on to teach the teacher?
Lisa brought up a good point to me: that while I might know my Unqork A-Zs, the new folks on our team have vast experience where I do not, and there are many other opportunities to learn from them—like understanding how they worked with their Sales Engineer at their last firm, what have they experienced that was and was not successful. Being a peer and a leader is not black and white, and I find myself flip-flopping between the two on a daily basis. Just because you are a subject matter expert or a leader in one division doesn’t mean you can’t learn from others’ experiences.
Balancing Leadership, Growth, and Community
Today, I am the president of the Womxn of Unqork ERG. And while I thoroughly enjoy the position and positive influence it allows me to make on my peers, I have an amazing group of ambassadors and co-chairs that offer extraordinary ideas to make the group better day after day. It’s all about balance—professionally, socially, and especially within yourself. I am still learning to be a better leader and a better peer, and I don’t ever want to stop learning.
And I will leave you with this: find the people in your life who not only support and care for you, but who also challenge you and can think differently than you. It may feel uncomfortable at times, but these are the people that I have learned from the most and that I know I can continue learning from in the future. I am thankful that Unqork and the Womxn of Unqork ERG have given me the chance to navigate these priceless lessons in leadership and learning.