First in an occasional series, profiling members of Executive Jane. Executive Jane is a women’s executive advisory group for directors, VPs, or middle managers founded by executive coach Kathryn Tack. The group helps women who want to continue to move forward in their careers but don’t always find mentors or a specific track to help them do that. Learn more or apply to join Executive Jane at www.executivejane.com

Professional development is essential for everyone, but plotting a strategy to move your career forward can be difficult—especially if you don’t have a strong coach or mentor. For women, and for people of color, professional development can be “hard to figure out on your own,” says Sandra Williams Blakemore, who joined Executive Jane when one of her supervisors, who was also a member, invited her.

Sandra is currently a brand management director at ConAgra Foods, having worked her way up the ladder since 2003, when she joined the company as a brand manager for Hebrew National hot dogs—one of the hundreds of products the giant food company produces.

The Harvard graduate, who also holds an MBA from University of Maryland, started her brand management career at Nabisco Foods.

One thing she enjoys about being a part of Executive Jane: “learning to be my authentic self.” In the group, which meets monthly, she has found a support system: other women she can speak with candidly about the challenges of the workplace. She is always building relationships with role models she can emulate, and receives coaching that helps her set goals and determine her specific next steps. (Learn more about the Executive Jane experience here.)

“You can’t just watch the senior leaders at your company, and do the same thing they do,” she explains. Different people have different styles, and what works for one person might not work for everyone.

Specifically, women who try to act just like their male bosses might not get the same results as men do from their leadership style. A boss, for example, might have a blustery leadership style that includes abrasive behavior, swearing, or tough guy tactics. That style might work for a well-established white man, but if a woman of color used him for a role model and copied that behavior, she might not experience the same success or have her leadership received in the same way.

Sandra’s membership in Executive Jane has helped her to focus on next steps in her career. Her resume shows a steady climb up the corporate ladder, first at Nabisco and then at ConAgra, but like many women, she needed encouragement and strategy to keep moving forward.

“I love that we candidly discuss issues that affect us as women. And it is a place to develop my leadership, my executive presence. You don’t get that kind of help on the job, in part because companies have had to cut back, so they don’t spend money on employee development as much as they used to.”

Sandra continues to learn a lot from being a part of Executive Jane. The group has challenged her to clarify goals and thoughtfully plan her career path.

Her advice to younger women? “Have a support system,” she says. “You can’t make it alone. And make sure you have a rich, full life outside of work.” Executive Jane and the friendships she’s made there are part of that “rich, full life.” She’s also found it very fulfilling to serve on the board of Youth Outreach Services in Chicago since 2008, and currently serving as its president.

“I tell young women to look at life holistically,” she says. “You do the best you can in your career, absolutely, but don’t make it the only thing in your life. Find other areas where you can get joy in your life. Know who you are, both at work and outside of work.”

Many of the women in Executive Jane have found that developing interests outside of work helps them to do better at work, because it provides balance and brings fresh ideas and influences into their lives.

Sandra says Executive Jane “helps me understand how I can improve myself. I’m an introvert, so I need to learn how to let people see me, to strengthen my executive presence. Years ago, (before joining Executive Jane) I felt like I was on an island. When I looked at the directors at my company, there were not many women or people of color. Now, because of the group, I feel more connected and supported.”

Interested in joining an Executive Jane group? Learn more here.