San Francisco SVP Suggests Business Students Seek That Inner Motivation
San Francisco business students have the opportunity to gain valuable insight from Catherine Courage, SVP of customer experience at Citrix. Named one of the Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Technology by the California Diversity Council and among the 10 Rising Stars at the World's Most Innovative Companies by Forbes, Courage is responsible for leading a talented staff to create innovative products, with services that provide an exceptional experience to both customers and employees.
What is your background and education?
"I grew up in St. John's Newfoundland, an island off the east coast of Canada — as far east as you can go in North America — a beautiful and fascinating place. I graduated with honors from Memorial University of Newfoundland with a B.S. in Psychology and from the University of Toronto with a master's degree in Applied Science, specializing in human factor. To borrow a metaphor from Sheryl Sandberg, I came into my role not by climbing a ladder, but by pivoting, jumping and twisting my way up a jungle gym. Prior to joining Citrix, I worked for Salesforce.com and Oracle, which is where my passion for people-centric design first became a career."
How has your education helped you in your current position?
"I believe a background in psychology was a great foundation. Understanding people and human behavior is core to any job. I was fortunate to then discover the field of human factors—the design of systems around human needs—and spent time researching areas such as driving behavior. I invested significant time in understanding the roles and intersections of engineering, project management and interaction design. Today, I help drive innovation and deliver an outstanding experience for both our customers and employees."
What career advice can you share with students interested in a business career?
"'Stay hungry. Stay foolish.' Since his death, Steve Jobs' Stanford University commencement address has become legendary, and for good reason. The speech ended with that quote, and it has since stuck with me. What great words to live by. Sometimes, maybe most times, we get set in our ways and take it all too seriously. I believe you have to find the things that you love and that motivate you, open yourself to new possibilities, and have a great time along the way."
Randy Yagi is a freelance writer covering all things San Francisco. In 2012, he was awarded a Media Fellowship from Stanford University. His work can be found on Examiner.com Examiner.com.