Kim Hayes, the founding partner and CEO of the Ambit Group, sat down with Women of Washington radio show hosts Aileen Black and Gigi Schumm to discuss her rise from being a southern farm girl to a 2013 Fed 100 award winner.

On leadership and what makes a leader, Hayes said, “I think what people miss is that being a leader, being a parent, being a human being means that what you want might not be what the people you’re with need, and you have to be able to put your own self aside and help them find what they need.”

Hayes also gave advice to women applying for positions in the federal and technology spheres.

“I need you to bring deeper skills. We’re in the federal space. I’m a services company. The services that we sell to the government are rated based on the resumes presented. And sometimes you may not have been given enough opportunities to find those skill sets that your male counterparts might have. So look at your resume. How does it weigh? Can you take extra classes, can you get extra certifications?”

Hayes also looked back on her career path and her most influential mentors. She said her mother was one of her greatest role models.

“Watching her growing up, she had no pride of ‘I’m beyond this.’ She did whatever she had to do…But at the same time, she would take the time to say, ‘how do you feel today?’ Make some cookies, things that made people feel like they were more to you than just the dollars they earned.”

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