What’s the most important leadership lesson you’ve learned?

It’s critical to maintain the human element of leadership. To remember that those around us are people with dreams and aspirations and if you take the time to understand their goals, it becomes easier to create a symbiotic relationship.

What do you consider to be your most important career achievement or milestone?

I think my greatest achievement to date is getting myself into the position I currently hold. It’s a very personally fulfilling project, and I work with some of the most intelligent people I know so I am honored to be with this group.

What do you aspire to accomplish in your career and why? What obstacles will you overcome?

I want to make a positive difference, no matter how small that may be. My Mom’s mantra stays in my mind when I make decisions about next steps in my career and my personal life: ‘Do good things; try to make a difference.’ And that is the code that I try to live by in all aspects of my life.

Describe an amazing opportunity in your STEM career.

I think one of the most amazing opportunities I have had so far is joining Nokia. I did not know much about telecom when I joined so I did not know what to expect, but I have had incredible opportunities spanning so many different disciplines since I have joined.

How was AWIS helped you professionally and/or personally?

It is too early to say but I have very high hopes of building a strong network and continuing my professional development through this organization.

What is your favorite word? (only one word)

Community.

How do you define it?

A feeling between people, something almost intangible, whether it be a shared purpose, similar life experience, a support system, etc. There can be so many forms that community takes.

How has this word influenced or inspired your career?

This word has inspired my career because I think we all need community. That is what I see these employee resource groups as, I see them as a community where people can get to know each other, where people can find support, where people can address challenging topics and work together towards a solution without fear of reprisal.

What are you currently reading or listening to?

I am currently reading Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond which is a dense but fascinating synopsis of how the world we live in today was formed by thousands of years of rising and falling societies. It is a unified narrative of human life, of all societies that have ever existed. I like the idea that the past informs the future and I want to understand the past so I thought this book would be a good place to start.

What do you consider the best professional or personal advice you’ve ever received?

I think the best advice I have ever received was from my fiancé and it was “Learn to love yourself; treat yourself in the way that you treat others that you cherish.” When I joined Nokia, I officially came out as part of the LGBTQ+ community, but before that, I had fought for so long pretending to be something that I was not and teaching myself to hate who I was. And in a lot of ways, that internal battle stalled me out. I was being pushed by the forces around me instead of taking control of my life. Obviously, my example will not be a shared experience for everyone, but I think there are a lot of ways this can be applied. The most important point is that you cannot be a driver for love and change for others if you do not know how to love yourself. These feelings come from within, and they bleed out into the world, whether you want them to or not.

Anastasia Grilley has been a project manager at Nokia since 2019 working in project digitalization, network deployment, network optimization, and most recently, a new venture. She received her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Southern Methodist University in 2019 and entered Nokia as a member of a new graduate program. In addition to her primary role at Nokia, she serves as the Co-President of the US women’s ERG and the VP of the Dallas women’s ERG, a representative of the Dallas LGBTQ+ ERG, and a coach for a Complex Adaptive Leadership program. In her free time, she serves as the Co-President of a local DFW nonprofit focusing on financial literacy and preparation for higher education, and she pursues various art disciplines such as digital art and multi-media physical art.