Strategy and Supportive Oversight: What the Weight of Leadership Means

Alley Denmark, Senior Vice President (SVP) of Internal Audit Technology & Innovation at Navy Federal, leads the new Technology & Innovation team—a role in which she has learned a lot about leadership. Denmark’s team puts three Internal Audit teams—IT Audit (Technology Assurance Services), Technology & Analytics (Audit Technology Management and Data Analytics), and Strategic Audit (Advisory Services)—under one umbrella to facilitate robust coverage of Navy Federal’s technology and data risks.

Since becoming a first-time leader, Denmark tells Fairygodboss that she understands the weight of what leadership means.

“You are not just responsible for yourself, but for the work and well-being of your team,” she says. “Learning how to support others as a leader versus as a peer was a challenging, but rewarding experience—and one that I think is a life-long learning journey for all leaders as we move into new roles, navigate changes in both the industry and throughout the world, and meet new people.”

As a first-time leader, her focus was on ensuring her team accomplished their tasks; however, as she advanced into more senior leadership roles, she had to widen her lens. Gradually, she shifted her attention away from the day-to-day operations to focusing on her team’s overall strategy. And as she settles into her current role as SVP, she must not only offer strategic oversight for the Internal Audit teams, but participate in strategic discussions for Navy Federal at large.

“I’m currently focused on learning all that I can about the areas of Navy Federal that I previously was less familiar with so that I can add value in organizational discussions and connect dots for my team to elevate the audit work they deliver, so it is in line with and furthers organizational objectives and strategies,” she explains.

Here, we caught up with Denmark to learn all about how she’s doing just that—as well to hear her advice for other women moving into leadership roles.

How would you describe your leadership style?

I like to think I’m a very energetic, collaborative, and inclusive leader. I focus on creating a strategy for the team that shows them how their work is connected to the broader success of the organization and then facilitating a culture that fosters collaboration to achieve that vision.

I am extremely passionate about the work our team does to support the organization, and I constantly look for ways to generate excitement and energy! As an example, within Internal Audit, we have a strategy that is clearly aligned to the goals of the organization (each Internal Audit goal is mapped one-for-one to an organizational goal), and we’ve developed Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) to show how successful we are at achieving those goals. Each quarter, we hold a Town Hall where we share our OKR results for that quarter and talk to the team about our progress against our strategy. We celebrate our successes and talk about opportunities we have to be even better.

Recognizing that it takes all of us to achieve our vision, we have also implemented processes that enable collaboration. Each team member in Internal Audit has a performance goal that is built around developing and maintaining relationships both within and outside of Internal Audit. And we have created steps in our audit process for auditors to reach out to other business units to gather input on audit scope and approach. These, among others, help our teams grow their network, cement them as a vital part of Navy Federal, and demonstrate our commitment to collaboration as an imperative to achieve our broader organizational objectives.

What’s one strategy you’ve used when managing an individual or team that you think has been particularly effective?

Recognizing that no one person has all of the answers, I try to create a space where all team members can bring their ideas to the table and respectfully challenge each other. This way, we can ultimately arrive at the right decision for the situation at hand.

I often ask my team to “put the data on the table so we can move it around and figure out what works.” This means: Everyone who has some ideas or knowledge that could contribute to solving a problem should share that with others. Together, we can put the pieces together and drive progress. Sometimes, we may not have all the pieces of the puzzle, and that’s okay, too.

At Navy Federal we have a saying of “Do, Learn, Grow.” I promote that mantra in my teams. We don’t always have all the information, but we try to make the best decisions in the moment with the data we have (and acknowledging the data we don’t have!), and then we learn and grow from the outcome. This allows us to make incremental progress towards our broader goals, promotes collaborative problem solving, and gives team members the freedom to make mistakes. After all, we learn just as much, if not more, from our failures as we do from our successes.

What’s the No. 1 thing you hope your direct reports are getting out of working with you?

I hope they feel that my leadership fuels a passion and connection to the broader mission of Internal Audit and Navy Federal. I also hope that they understand very clearly how their work makes a difference and supports the organization and its mission to serve our members. 

How do you think about ensuring your direct report(s) feel well-supported in their lives both in and out of the office?

Our work is rewarding, but it is also challenging. Auditors face complex situations every day and then go home to navigate their personal and family lives—we are always on!

I try to stay in sync with my team members. I recognize that they are juggling so much, and I try to ask them how they, as individuals, are doing—not just how work is going, or even how their families are. I try to create a safe space where they can talk (or vent!) because I believe that just saying words out loud can be really freeing. I also look for ways that I can very practically support them both in challenging times and during times when they are driving to accomplish big goals. Whether that is creating flexibility in their work schedules during times of hardship or finding unique stretch assignments for them to develop new skills, I try to focus on ensuring my actions and words reflect my sincere support for them.

While building your team, what did you learn that surprised you most?

Perhaps not a “surprise,” but the biggest thing I’ve learned in building my team is that everyone has to play their role well for the entire team to succeed. As I moved out of the day-to-day workings of the team, I had a hard time “giving up” things that I used to do. Sometimes it was because I had grown proud of being someone that “had all the answers,” and sometimes it was because I thought I was being helpful to the team in sharing my experiences or knowledge about projects they were working on.

What I learned is that, while it is important for leaders to have oversight and support the team through their work, my participation in the day-to-day was not always helpful. For one, my participation was robbing them of the opportunities to learn on their own or find new ways of accomplishing goals. It also meant that I had less time to focus on playing my actual role well.

While navigating this balance is still tricky, I try and vocalize how I’m navigating it with my team and my leader… because success really is about everyone playing their role and having the safety to communicate courageously, but always respectfully, with each other.

What is your top piece of advice for other women who are moving into or want to move into leadership?

Be curious and empathetic. You are part of something bigger than yourself, and it takes everyone to achieve the mission and vision of the organization.

Recognize that other leaders and team members sit in a different role than you do, and they have their own lived experience that informs the decisions they make. Ask questions to understand others’ experiences and perspectives so you can learn from them, and apply these learnings to your own work. As we understand each other better, we will collaborate more efficiently and, hopefully, have more fun doing it!

All of this contributes to an inclusive culture—one that brings people together to further the goals of the organization.