It was Emily Mathias’ first job that helped her to learn where her true passions stemmed from. Starting out at a small government firm within leadership development, Emily frequently dealt with a toxic work environment, witnessing a spectrum of verbal abuse within the office. Knowing she had to get out, she was eventually led to BAE Systems, Inc., where she’s now been for over four years.
Stepping into this new environment, Emily knew that influencing people’s experiences within the workplace was extremely important to her. She had witnessed firsthand how a negative work environment affected her entire life and relationships, and knowing this, she quickly fell in love with the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion space. About two years into her time at BAE Systems, Emily transitioned over to the DEI team. It was here that she started managing the Brand Leadership Institute alongside other programs, ultimately working to make employees feel more valued within the workplace.
As a member of the Fall 2022 Brand Leadership Institute Cohort, Emily was excited to shift from solely managing the program, to actually experiencing the program firsthand.
“At the time, I had a lot going on in my personal life, and my work team was also going through a lot of changes. I wasn’t always the perfect BLI participant, but having it in place to help me make that intentional time to reflect, and prompt me to think about my Mission, Vision and Purpose, was so helpful in terms of how I was choosing to manage my time.”
It’s Emily’s vision statement that she crafted during the program that she comes back to during trying times, helping her to refocus and remind her how to invest her time, what to worry about (or not) and what it is she should be making space to engage in.
Emily’s vision statement:
“To live my life both personally and professionally, with my relationships with others and myself first, as they are core to my being. These relationships will drive where and how I spend my time.”
When Emily first transitioned into her role with BAE Systems, she realized she was holding on to a lot of the toxicity from her former employer. While it took some time, it was her new role and time going through The BLI that helped her to recalibrate, and reaffirm that she was good at her job, and was there for a reason.
“It was really my MVP that helped me put into words the things that are important to me, and if I can live up to those things, that’s only helping to increase my confidence. Over time, being at BAE Systems and going through The BLI has really helped my self-confidence, and being collected in the way that I lead. This has been a huge shift for me.”
Recently, BAE Systems was recognized with The She-Suite 100 Architect of Change award from The She-Suite team, for putting over 100 over their female leaders through The Brand Leadership Institute Program. Emily has personally felt the immense impact of the program, and takes pride in knowing that other females across her organization get to witness and take away from this same experience.
