“I realized I can’t lead effectively if I’m spending energy trying to be someone I’m not.” As a woman in leadership, oftentimes you are told to suppress certain sides of yourself to equate to what your male peers bring to the table. We had the opportunity to sit down with Kristen Sage, CEO of Western Computer and hear what it has been like navigating her path to the CEO seat, and how she lives up to her full potential as a leader in a space that is heavily male dominated.
When navigating these spaces, it was critical to build a community that she could rely on. An important piece of career advice that Kristen touched on was mentorship laying the foundation to continue to build a better you. Finding mentors can be a daunting task and you may go through many mentors in your career, but Kristen has learned to look beyond people that are just like her. “Mentors aren’t always above you in rank, nor are they always people you’d naturally connect with outside of work. Building a network of diverse perspectives has been invaluable—drawing insights from peers, direct reports, and supervisors alike. Bring people a real problem, and you’ll be amazed at how willing they are to help, formal mentor title or not.” Kristen lived up to that belief through her fellow Executive Program peer, Divya Konuru, who told her to lean back into her natural warmth. If you ever are lucky enough to talk with Kristen, you’ll immediately pick up on the kindness and care that exudes from her. However, it was something she had cut out because of the belief in the divide between the professional and personal within leadership. Divya reminded her that embracing her whole self would make her a more powerful leader, that being authentic allows for her to give her best and lead with purpose.
The path to becoming a leader is full of mentors who plant pieces of advice that will eventually turn into roots of your leadership style. However, no one reaches their full potential of leadership immediately, it can be a long winding road that mentors walk with you on. Kristen recalls her first couple of years in leadership struggling to give tough feedback, delivering bad news, or sharing a vision that she knew everyone may not embrace. It was an uncomfortable position for her to be in, worrying about people’s reactions and discomfort with her style of leadership. Her very first mentor as a manager shared some advice that would change her career for the better: “Clear is kind.” Since then, this principle has shaped her approach to leadership. Being clear—even when the message is tough—builds trust, sets expectations, and fosters growth. Embracing transparency doesn’t just make conversations easier; it creates stronger, more honest connections.
One of our favorite parts of working with Kristen has always been the connections she facilitates, and the way she inspires without even meaning to. With that, we will leave you with some advice, from the powerhouse that is Kristen -“Stability is one of a leader’s greatest strengths. People look to leaders for consistency, especially in uncertain times. Staying steady—through challenges, change, or pressure—builds trust and shows resilience. A stable leader creates a dependable environment, giving others confidence to perform their best, knowing they can count on you to stay balanced and focused no matter what. Stability isn’t about resisting change; it’s about being a reliable anchor through it.”