Heather Rist Murphy Of Collective Measures On How We Can Increase Women’s Engagement in Leadership and Management
An Interview With Vanessa Ogle
Trusting our own voices, intuition, and value. This is easier said than done in some industries and situations, but our experiences and perspectives matter and make a difference regardless of the bias.
Despite strides towards equality, women remain underrepresented in leadership and management roles across various sectors. In this series, we would like to discuss the barriers to female advancement in these areas and explore actionable strategies for change. We are talking with accomplished women leaders, executives, and pioneers who have navigated these challenges successfully, to hear their experiences, tactics, and advice to inspire and guide the next generation of women toward achieving their full potential in leadership and management roles. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Heather Rist Murphy.
With proven strategic leadership and an unmatched ability to integrate content with performance data, Collective Measures’ Vice President, Brand + Consumer Engagement, Heather Rist Murphy leads the agency’s content marketing, SEO, social media, communications, and experience optimization teams. Heather has been in the industry for almost two decades, with a significant amount of her time being spent in leadership positions. She is a strong leader for her team and for all women at the agency and excels at recognizing individuals for their unique qualities and achievements.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
In college, I was on the path to becoming a psychologist. I obtained my B.A. degree in psychology, gained a minor in marriage and family therapy, and worked at the Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research at the University of Minnesota. Quickly after graduating, I realized it was people’s motivations, actions, and mindsets that fascinated me, which led me on the path to communications and marketing.
I got my official start in the nonprofit world where my psychology background and marketing future merged. It was there I learned to roll up my sleeves and wear multiple hats. I quickly found a passion in communications via social media and dove in to learn all there was to know. This guided me to my communications, brand, and content marketing leadership roles at Cambria, Sun Country Airlines, and Deluxe Corporation. I brought this experience to Collective Measures about eight years ago, where I now lead the content, SEO, social, and communications practices and haven’t looked back.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
The most interesting story in my career is more of a moment of discovery. This moment was when I learned to trust the value I bring to the table and make decisions based on that knowledge. Prior to this realization, I would pour all of my time into my work and prioritize it over other important areas of my life. I did this because I thought it was the way to prove myself and get where I wanted to go in my career. Through a combination of mentors, life experiences, and exposure to healthier balances, I realized it was my smarts, knowledge, intuition, and experience that contributed to my value — not the amount of time or energy I spent pursuing it. This trust became my power. The more I stood in it, the more opportunities came my way. It’s something I now preach to my teams and anyone who comes to me for mentorship.
Can you share a pivotal moment in your career that significantly influenced your path to leadership?
Early in my career, I discovered my love for inspiring people and getting them on board with new ideas. While working in one of my past roles, I remember having a vision to bring home-design journalists from across the U.S. to Minneapolis to experience our company culture and facilities, educate them on our products, and create various memorable experiences for them along the way. Essentially, the idea was to be in the back of their mind when creating relevant editorial content. I had to paint this vision with both story and data to get a budget for it, as well as get teams invested in the concept. Long story short, it worked and paid off. I found this to be both fulfilling and exciting. Perhaps my ability to inspire and influence others was strengthened by my combined psychology and marketing/comms backgrounds. Ultimately, this strength led me on my path to leadership.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Knowing how to ask and receive help is critical to getting where you want to go. It takes a village. It feels impossible to list just one person. Instead, I want to take this opportunity to share the key people and lessons that contributed to my advancement in management and leadership.
It’s also not lost on me that all of these people are women. I naturally gravitated toward each of them for the experience, knowledge, and strengths they demonstrated. I am an example of knowing what possibilities existed because of the representation around me.
Cynthia Betz: For showing me what a calm and steady leader looks like in the eye of a storm. Cynthia combines authenticity and authority to build relationships, problem solve, and steer people/projects in the right direction.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-betz-0a20664a/
Deb Loon Stumbras: For showing me what a connected leader looks like. Deb connects to the mission of the organization and the people it serves. She not only “talked the talk,” she “walked the walk” alongside her team.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborahloon/
Shelly Nelson: For encouraging my potential and being a trusted advisor on my path to leadership. Shelly showed me the importance of demonstrating results. She encouraged me to keep my big ideas, but to also tie them to effort and impact. It was Shelly who pushed me to evolve my storytelling to include data and impact.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelly-nelson-1621255/
Greta Mullen and Brittany Leslie: For being my first “team.” Managing Greta and Brittany taught me a lot about myself and allowed me to try different management styles and solutions. Their success made me feel extremely fulfilled and solidified my desire to be a people manager and leader.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretamullen/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanychaffee/
Melinda Nelson: For teaching me the power of my own thoughts and actions. Melinda gifted me with the understanding of how thoughts influence circumstances. This is now something I practice regularly, allowing me to identify what I want and build the trust in myself to get there.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/melindanelson/
Amanada Brinkman: For masterfully showing me how to influence people and projects through words and actions. Amanda showed me that being a good leader often means building a team that is “smarter” than you in their craft and allowing them the space to show it.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandakbrinkman/
Donna Robinson: For seeing my potential and trusting in my recommendations. Donna taught me that fostering strengths is more effective than focusing only on what needs to be improved.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/donna-robinson-505b12/
Gabby Nelson: For showing me that living authentically and vulnerably is more powerful than forcing a separation of personal and professional. Gabby reinvigorated my desire for self-discovery and reminded me that mentorship and support are critical in every chapter of our careers.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabby-nelson-9a458b4/
Allison McMenimen Bakken: For reminding me to keep the business challenge and goal front and center in times of planning or change. Allison believes in progress over perfection — meaning: don’t spend excess time perfectly detailing something new; instead, be clear with the direction and activate.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonmcmenimenbakken/
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
Daring Greatly by Dr. Brené Brown. Brené’s entire message is to embrace our vulnerability. Daring to be vulnerable is a path to deeper connections and influence. This is a good practice in all areas of our lives, but I have found it especially beneficial in leadership. When I open myself up to share about life, fears, unknowns, or anything that is true, I can tell that people lean in more, especially at work. This vulnerability creates a stronger connection between the team, myself, and the work. I appreciate that Brené’s work disproves the negative narrative that vulnerability shows weakness, and instead demonstrates that vulnerability is the best way to ignite connection, creativity, and innovation.
Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?
I will stay on the Brené Brown appreciation train and share a quote that I both believe in and work on every day.
“To be clear is kind, to be unclear is unkind” — Brené Brown.
I love this “Life Lesson Quote” because it speaks to the importance of using clear communication and setting expectations that everyone is aligned on. In the name of vulnerability, I can get caught up in sharing an inspiring vision or idea and am not always crystal clear on next steps for the team. Feedback helped expose me to this, and to this day, it is something I actively work on. Keeping Brené’s quote in my mind reminds me to end a brainstorm or conversation, ensuring everyone has a clear understanding of context and expectations.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
I’ll be honest, this question stopped me in my tracks. It should be positioned to everyone for the simple goal of self-reflection and accountability. A few things come to mind in answering this question, yet it will surely keep me thinking and reflecting beyond this answer.
As leaders, sometimes it is easy to take the stage we have for granted. It can be easier to bring up an idea to executive leadership or share a perspective with the company solely based on the seniority of our roles. I’ve found that one simple way to make the world a better place is to use my voice to represent ideas, opinions, or successes of my teams that push us all forward. This is not something you can just switch on. It takes an investment in your team and people as well as the ability to listen to all points of view so that people trust me with their ideas and opinions. I work on improving my skills around this every day, and I am committed to it as a leader. Small things like this add up to big wins in making our world a better place for all.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this report, only about 31.7% of top executive positions across industries are held by women. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from leadership and management?
Let’s start with some compelling data to set the stage. About 70% of high school valedictorians are women. On top of that, women continue to outpace men in college enrollment (58%) and graduation (67.9% graduation rate) (Forbes, Medium).
So what exactly is happening between graduation and the trajectory of leadership and management roles for women? I believe it is systemic and unconscious bias, entering motherhood without a structure to support its unreachable balance and expectations (for the 64.2% of mothers who also work outside of the home), and a lack of representation of women in those roles today.
This might be intuitive to you but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become leaders and managers?
Because women are 49.6% of the world population. Period.
Can you please share “5 Things We Need To Increase Women’s Engagement in Leadership and Management?”
1. Trusting our own voices, intuition, and value. This is easier said than done in some industries and situations, but our experiences and perspectives matter and make a difference regardless of the bias.
2. Awareness of unconscious and systemic bias. Especially the additional bias experienced by BIPOC women and working mothers.
3. Representation. History is not a reflection of what is best for leadership or management today (or tomorrow). The more leadership roles women step into, the more women will see themselves in those very roles.
4. Connection, mentorship, and training opportunities. Connection allows women to form supportive relationships and feel seen. Mentorship provides support from people who have been in your shoes and who can share valuable advice and experience. Training is critical to ensure more women gain the tactical skill sets required to manage or lead in their specific field.
5. Flexibility and support (in the form of policy change) in our ecosystem so that women can bring our whole selves to the table. This effort will benefit the business and end product because it will encourage more women to step into leadership roles. And with more women in leadership, then more than half of the population will be represented.
In your opinion, what systemic changes are needed to facilitate more equitable access for women to leadership roles?
The pay gap for women, especially in certain industries where it is much more prevalent from entry-level to leadership roles (financial services, insurance, sales, real estate, etc. according to Forbes Gender Pay Gap Statistics in 2024). Balancing the pay gap will demonstrate that a woman’s time spent in leadership and management is just as valuable as a man’s, and therefore, it will attract more women to these roles.
What strategies have you found most effective in mentoring and supporting other women to pursue leadership positions?
When people think of mentorship, they often think about formal programs or being connected to people outside of your sphere. I have found that some of the most meaningful mentorship relationships I’ve had started within my circle of connections. As leaders, there are many people we are already connected to who would benefit from further support and connection. This same idea is true for people who could support us as leaders and provide valuable experience and advice.
I have found that the most effective thing in mentoring and supporting other women on their path to leadership is to validate their worth and value. You can do this by helping them identify and build upon their strengths. You can do this by helping them identify what they want and why. You can also do this by bringing them into the equation when opportunities present themselves or when it would matter to bring up their name and work.
As you can see from my long list of people who have helped me along my path, I navigate toward other strong women to form connections and help envision what’s possible. I encourage other women to do the same. There is power in numbers and connection.
How would you advise a woman leader about how to navigate the challenges of being a woman in a leadership role within a male-dominated industry?
We know that women continue to be outnumbered by men in senior leadership positions across all industries, but especially so in fields like manufacturing (24.6% women); agriculture (23.3%); supply chain and transportation (23.0%); oil, gas, and mining (18.6%); and infrastructure (16.1%) according to the World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report 2023.
(https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-gender-gap-report-2023/in-full/gender-gaps-in-the-workforce/#:~:text=Women%20continue%20to%20be%20outnumbered,%25)%3B%20and%20Infrastructure%20(16.1%25).
If you are a woman entering leadership or management in a male-dominated industry, I would encourage you to:
- Build a supportive network of mentors and allies by reaching out to women in leadership or people with experience within your company or industry. This is a time when you will likely need to reach outside of your sphere of connection to find these relationships.
- Set boundaries and preconceive your approach to navigating challenging situations like not being invited to a golf outing where business will be discussed or being passed up for an opportunity.
- Choose companies with clear policies and growth plans.
- Champion the work of others to bring more women into leadership roles alongside you.
How do you balance the demand for authoritative leadership with the stereotypical expectations of female behavior in professional settings?
The question of balancing the demand of authoritative leadership with stereotypical expectations of female behavior does not sit well with me. Women leaders should not have to think about this balance. Men don’t.
But in reality, we do.
Let me start by talking about unconscious bias, specifically something called managers’ unconscious bias. This is where women are judged more critically and on a more personal level than men in the workplace. According to a new report from Textio, which analyzed performance reviews for more than 23,000 workers across over 25 organizations, about 76% of top-performing women received negative feedback from their bosses compared to just 2% of high-achieving men.
This analysis found that top female staffers often experience unfavorable assessments and are more likely to be judged on aspects of their social presentation. About 88% of these women workers received feedback on their personalities, while the same is true for only 12% of their male counterparts according to the report. For example, performance reviews may revolve around a woman “being a joy to work with” or “needs to be a bit more confident and have a bit more self-belief” instead of focusing on a recent project or how she can better structure an argument to be sound.
(source: Textio via Reshma Saujani, CEO and Founder of Moms First US and Girls who Code
Textio Language Bias in Performance Feedback Report 2024: https://textio.com/feedback-bias-2024)
This data tells me that women have more expectations placed on them and are more often evaluated based on who they are versus what they do. This is why balancing the demand for authoritative leadership with stereotypical expectations of women requires a systemic solution rather than an individual one. Women deserve explicit and actionable feedback on their work output rather than their personality in the workplace. I would encourage women to directly ask for feedback on their work performance if it is not provided. I would also encourage women to ask for specific examples if the feedback provided is not concrete.
My hope is that with increased women in leadership, the need for this balance will be erased and the narrative will be more about what makes a good leader versus what makes a woman a good leader.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I would inspire a movement around the simple act of connection. If each person reached out to someone every day to ask how they are doing, offer an ear, or ask for their ideas/perception on a situation, we would not only improve our collective self-worth and value, we would also spark creativity and innovation. Your simple invitation for connection could positively impact someone struggling with mental health and/or unlock an idea for something that could change the world.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Follow me on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherristmurphy/) and check out Collective Measures: https://www.collectivemeasures.com/. We’re a media agency that specializes in full-funnel connections strategy and advanced analytics.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
About The Interviewer: Vanessa Ogle is a mom, entrepreneur, inventor, writer, and singer/songwriter. Vanessa’s talent in building world-class leadership teams focused on diversity, a culture of service, and innovation through inclusion allowed her to be one of the most acclaimed Latina CEO’s in the last 30 years. She collaborated with the world’s leading technology and content companies such as Netflix, Amazon, HBO, and Broadcom to bring innovative solutions to travelers and hotels around the world. Vanessa is the lead inventor on 120+ U.S. Patents. Accolades include: FAST 100, Entrepreneur 360 Best Companies, Inc. 500 and then another six times on the Inc. 5000. Vanessa was personally honored with Inc. 100 Female Founder’s Award, Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and Enterprising Women of the Year among others. Vanessa now spends her time sharing stories to inspire and give hope through articles, speaking engagements and music. In her spare time she writes and plays music in the Amazon best selling new band HigherHill, teaches surfing clinics, trains dogs, and cheers on her children.
Please connect with Vanessa here on linkedin and subscribe to her newsletter Unplugged as well as follow her on Substack, Instagram, Facebook, and X and of course on her website VanessaOgle.
Heather Rist Murphy Of Collective Measures On How We Can Increase Women’s Engagement in Leadership… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.