Sallie Krawcheck, CEO of Ellevate speaks at Barnard College

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Sallie KrawcheckSallie Krawcheck, for those who don’t know, is now the CEO of Ellevate – a women’s professional network, with its tens of thousands of women members around the world formerly known as 85 Broads. She seems almost archetypal as she tells her story, in a wood-paneled room at Barnard College earlier this year (February 2015), where she is speaking to a group of young would-be entrepreneurs. Confident, laid-back and very funny, she describes her dramatic trajectory in the world of finance. For those of you who don’t know Sallie’s journey; she graduated from UNC Chapel Hill, and got a job on wall street, did an MBA at Columbia and before long was Institutional Investor magazine’s top-ranked equity analyst.

Integrity has always been important to her and her guidance to the firm of which she had become CEO, Sanford C Bernstein, was cited as a major reason why this firm withdrew from the underwriting business. This was one of the decisions that caused Fortune to identify her in 2002 as “The Last Honest Analyst.”

Chutes and Ladders

From there she began her swift ascent. Krawcheck seemed for years after to have a golden career. She was tapped for top leadership at the major banks: from Smith Barney to Merrill Lynch to US Trust. Others followed: In 2005, Forbes named Krawcheck as number seven on its list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women. Most recently, Krawcheck was named #9 on Fast Company’s list of the 100 most creative people of 2014.

But it was not all a clear flight path. When a commentator at a recent lecture of hers, at which she shared her insights for younger women who wish to learn from her journey, pointed out that Krawcheck “rose faster and higher than any woman on Wall Street,” Krawcheck replied, with disarming candor, “and fell.”“I rose swiftly and I fell….It isn’t all a straight line. And you will fall – get back up. I just refused to go away.” Krawcheck expanded further on the idea of resilience as a necessary quality for women in leadership. But often women don’t, her questioner pointed out– they might take a setback or professional rejection personally, or feel demotivated. Krawcheck conceded: “It hurts. I ran Smith Barney – I was fired from that. I’m the only woman who has been fired on the front page of the Wall Street Journal two times. It hurts.” Krawcheck continued, “To me you live one life,” she went on, pushing back gently, in a way that felt quite inspiring. “You get one opportunity. You grab it with both hands – the worst thing that can happen is that you fail. To me that is not such a bad alternative.”

She notes that her worst day is better than the days of 99% of the rest of the world. “When you have that lens,” she concludes, “it is not “poor me.” It gives you perspective when you keep in mind where the rest of the world is compared to our good fortune.”

Best Advice

Krawcheck shared three insights, in addition to work your tail off.

Number 1: “Network, network, network.”

She points out that young women say, `“I don’t want to use a connection – I just want to be recognized for myself.”’ The assumption, “”If I just keep my head down and do good work I will be recognized” is, Krawcheck warns, a common myth among women. “There is no HR fairy godmother”,” she declared to roars of laughter and applause. “Who you know is what you know,” she emphasized. “The guys know a lot of people. We need to know a lot of people.” She presents fascinating data that reveal that women don’t see the power of networking until their 30s – by which time the men have moved ahead.

Number 2: “Keep Learning”

The number of women her age, she says, who proclaim, “Oh I don’t get Facebook!” “Well, Facebook is not going anywhere,” she remarked drily, to more laughter. Or “I’m not on LinkedIn” – to which she retorted, “Why? You don’t want anyone to find you?” She pointed out that her ability to find and acquire Ellevate depended on a chain of ten connections.

Number 3: “Avoid Groupthink”

The third insight that she shared that day, is that groupthink is bad for the bottom line, and that in her opinion diversity helps cure groupthink. Bankers, she says, did not see the bubble coming because they were all invested in the groupthink about the sector.

Krawcheck states “Diverse teams lead to higher return on capital, lower risk and greater long term focus. Diverse teams outperform smarter teams. “

Number 4: “Share Information”

Finally she shared the insight that Ellevate’s research shows that women seek different rewards from work than men do. “Meaning and purpose” is number one for women – money is number four. So she suggests that a goal of companies that want to retain and promote women should be to bring “meaning and purpose” into their mission. She comments, “If these institutions were about meaning and purpose, not just money, It could change everything. We are not finding it [these values] in existing companies so we are creating them, and they are amazing.”

She believes that women also need community and companies need women to be in community, and she concluded that when women are in networks such as Ellevate, in which they can share information and knowledge. Sallie quoted a reduced attrition rate for these women compared to that of their peers due to network participation.

Now Krawcheck, who has been at the head of many of these traditional models of a business, is running a 21st century disruptive model, that seeks to combine revenue generation with a transformational mission of identifying and boosting women’s ventures. She is now putting these “Aha!” insights into real time practice; and this kind of project and message, as it moves ahead alongside that of other women pioneers with aligned insights – indeed“could change everything”.

By Guest Contributor Naomi Wolf on behalf of the Athena Leadership Center, a partner of theglasshammer.com

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Movers & Shakers: Sofya Pogreb, COO, TrueAccord

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Sofya PogrebFocus on people, not just projects – that is the “aha” moment Sofya Pogreb had recently when a colleague paid her that compliment. “Spending time working with my peers, mentoring people and trying to understand their needs helps me problem solve and ultimately lead,” she said, adding that companies need to realize that their success lies more in their people and talent than anything else, especially in the fields of technology and finance.

Born in Moscow, Pogreb moved to New York City when she was 14. She attended MIT in the 1990s with the intent of majoring in political science and becoming a lawyer. But it wasn’t long before she realized that most of her fellow students were pursuing computer science, not political science, and although the first time she’d ever touched a computer was her freshman year, she ended up with a double major in computer science and finance.

Pogreb was awarded internships at HP and Intel, and was particularly grateful for her designation as recipient of the “Intel Women in Engineering” honor, which paid a large part of her tuition.

Fascinated by marrying technology and business, she joined McKinsey & Company. “I loved working with smart people, and I enjoyed the variety of projects that the consulting life gives you the opportunity to experience,” she says.

After eight years, she left McKinsey, in part to avoid extensive travel, and landed at PayPal where she grew to run its Americas Risk Management division, leading a team of 40 risk professionals. One of the accomplishments of which she’s the proudest was her role at PayPal helping them assess the risk and reward tradeoff, considering such aspects as how aggressive they wanted to be on fraud and how liberal they wanted to be with merchants.

“My recommendations had significant financial implications, and that was a major change from a consultant relationship, where you give advice but your head is not on the line, so to speak. At PayPal, I had the opportunity to live and breathe the numbers every day.”

A True Fit at TrueAccord

Early in 2015 she left to join TrueAccord as its COO.

She is excited about the challenges inherent in her new position, although she admits she never thought she’d move from a stable corporation to a startup. “When this opportunity presented itself, the leadership team made me feel comfortable I could make it work. I see it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Pogreb sees TrueAccord as leading an industry sea change. “I found the passion of the team to be contagious,” she says, since the debt collection industry is ripe for a change. Although the market is significant, there has been less innovation in the past century than almost any industry.

“We believe there’s a huge opportunity to take the techniques that have been used in marketing and risk management and apply them to this industry. Everyone dreads the call from a debt collector, but what you’re trying to do is have a conversation. Through technology we can identify the right tone and language for each consumer based on what we know about them and then use automation to remind people when bills are due.”

Abandoning Assumptions about the Workforce

Pogreb had two assumptions when she started her career – neither of which turned out to be true. The first was that if she worked hard, she would be appreciated and success would follow. She did find that applicable in the early stages, when her career success was driven by working really hard and being the person on the team that the leadership could always rely on.

“As I became more senior, though, willingness to work hard became less of a factor and can even work against you,” she says. “Managers are not looking for me to work hard, but want me to be a strategic thinker and a leader.” She says this continues to be a challenge for her, but also a blessing since these days she can’t put in as many hours with a young family to attend to.

“Managers are not looking for me to work hard, but want me to be a strategic thinker and a leader.”

Pogreb’s second assumption was that she would be offered a well-defined career path, one that laid out how and when she would advance.

“This was never true,” she says. “You can’t count on your employer to map things out. You always have to have a vision in your head of what you’re working toward, and while it’s likely to change, you always have to be heading down a path you have defined.”

She adds that each decision can close some doors, but each one also leads to a learning experience, even perhaps showing you that what you thought you wanted isn’t what you had expected, and it’s time to build a new path.

Pogreb had that experience herself, when she took a break from consulting and joined a large bank, on a quest for a better lifestyle and working hours. “Professionally I have never been so miserable,” she recalls, adding that everyone has different needs but it was not for her. “Not being pushed resulted in my problem-solving skills deteriorating, and that was a huge learning moment; I overshot on my quest for lifestyle.”

However, she adds that it was still a valuable expertise, because it helped her learn about herself and what she needs to be satisfied in her career.

She suggests that women share their vision with their mentors and sponsors, who can then be aware of opportunities that might fit.

She has found sponsors to be vital to her career ascent – and they don’t have to be women, contrary to advice she had initially heard.

“When I remember all the sponsors that I’ve been lucky enough to have, most of them have been men. Men have done wonders for my career by exposing me to opportunities and supporting me when it came to promotions and new responsibilities.”

And that’s the outlook she brings to TrueAccord. She appreciates its diversity in race, gender and age but knows that the important thing is to hire and promote the person who can do the job the best.

A Homegrown Role Model

Pogreb’s work ethic has always been modeled by her mother, who was 40 when she brought her to the United States. A music teacher by training, she had hoped to teach but found it too frustrating to be expected to praise children who weren’t prepared for their lessons.

Instead, she went back to school, supporting the family by cleaning and babysitting, and became a nurse, despite a lack of medical background.

“When I start to think about any problems in my career, I focus on her trajectory — her career path was survival, with no mentors or sponsors. I admire her for pushing through and doing whatever it took to succeed. That’s what I intend to do for my family, but I know it’s a luxury that I can also work in a field I am passionate about.”

As a single mom to an eight-year-old and an 9-month old, Pogreb is devoted to providing that stable life for her children and appreciates that her company provides ample flexibility for her to balance her family priorities with work.

Though free time is hard to come by, she used to be a competitive ballroom dancer, specializing in the quick step tango. She hopes to eventually go back to it since it’s an activity that can be enjoyed at any age. And, she finds that dancing is the perfect metaphor for career success: “You have to work together to be successful.”

By Cathie Ericson

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Making Success Stick!

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women salesGuest contributed by Wendy Wallbridge

There’s no question that women have achieved success in today’s business world. More than half the work force now is female. The familiar “Rosie the Riveter” poster, created in 1942 to help America visualize women in the work force, is an historical artifact now. There is no need to create an image. All we have to do is open our eyes.

But while women have succeeded in numbers, we still do not attain the higher rungs of the success ladder. Few of us climb higher than middle management. As Sheryl Sandberg aptly points out, “Women are not making it to the top of any profession in the world.”

It would be easy to lay the blame on external causes. Systemic sexism persists; we know that. But without making it about “them,” what, first of all, can we women do to understand the challenges that we face, and secondly, what can we do to create change for ourselves and in the system as well?

While there may be external forces at work, if we’re honest, we must acknowledge an internal monologue that holds us back. Somehow we believe we need to continue to prove we have earned the success we have achieved. Even when we succeed, even when we have the coveted job, we seem to think we still need to apply for it. We tend to think there is someone more well-suited for the opportunity, we dismiss our value-add, we opt out, we wait and see.

Not just our mind, but our wiring—our neuro-circuitry—works against us in this regard. Ironically, while women generally have better memories than men, helping us to multi-task, we also tend to hold on to past failures and ruminate to our own disadvantage. We “stew” in the soup of our imagined shortcomings. As neuropsychologist Rick Hanson says, human brains “are Velcro to bad experiences and Teflon to good experiences.” Unfortunately, that is especially true of women.

It turns out, it takes concerted effort to make positive experiences “stick.” Hanson encourages his clients to “marinate” in positive thoughts by consciously dwelling on the good stuff: happy experiences, satisfaction, joy, for ten to twelve seconds. Evolving neuroscience shows that a practice of this sort (mental activity which stimulates reward neurotransmitters dopamine and natural opioids) stimulates a general “brightening” of the mind. As Hanson says, “neurons that fire together, wire together.” By changing mental activity, by working at making the positive sink in, we can change our neural circuitry, and in turn change the way we think.

The solution for women in the workplace is to target that technique on work experience: Women need to learn how to internalize the successes they have. Re-story their narrative. Re-engineer their mental and emotional wiring. Lay down new neuro-circuitry.

Here are some ways to do that:
  • Keep a Kudos File

Record the progress you make, first in your own words, in a file, along with any acknowledgement you receive from others of your “wins,” whether big or teensy. Archive all emails like: “Hey you killed it at that meeting!” “Great presentation!” “Your execution on that project was flawless.”

  • Stage a Mental Intervention

When you catch yourself speaking to yourself in ways that make you feel small, have a mantra handy that reminds you of who you really are. Say, “I am gracious, magnanimous, a wise leader!” Pause and allow those words to percolate through your mind.

  • Track Your Gains and Appoint an Ally

Identify one valued workplace behavior you want to increase, like speaking up more in meetings, and make note in a document file every time you do it. Then ask a trusted co-worker to point out your progress and also to let you know when you do “that thing” you’re trying to change: being defensive, trying to prove yourself, speaking pessimistically, whatever it may be.

  • Create Community

Form a professional women’s circle of four to six colleagues to support one another in your development and provide honest feedback and encouragement for each other. We need to be heard and hear that we’re not alone in our challenges. Give that meeting a regular slot in your schedule, and stand by it.

  • Embody it

As your head hits the pillow mentally scroll through your day, intentionally focusing on anything you are proud of that happened that day, whether big or small, and allow yourself to really feel the success in your body.

If these suggestions seem simple, good! Just know that they are not simply “helpful hints” but are potentially powerful tools, based on brain science. By changing the way we frame our experience in word and thought, we affect our wiring. We can change the way we think. And if workplace mindset really plays a part in holding women back, the good news is, we can change that.

Guest contributor’s advice and opinions are not necessarily those of theglasshammer.com

Wendy Wallbridge is a strategic advisor and pioneer in the coaching field. As the founder and principal of On Your Mark Corporate Coaching, Wallbridge works with Fortune 100 leaders and teams at organizations such as Intel, Apple, Wells-Fargo and Hewlett-Packard, among others. A popular Tedx speaker and producer of both the TEDxSandHillRdWomen conference and the Women’s Evolutionary Leadership Forum, Wallbridge has earned a reputation for establishing breakthrough conversations that enhance the way women work, live, play, and contribute.She regularly presents to organizations such as UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, the Professional Business Women’s Conference, The Commonwealth Club, Women in Technology International, The Women’s Leadership Forum and the 3% Conference, and also teaches an annual “Leading with Power & Grace” six-month group coaching series for women. For more information, please visit www.wendywallbridge.com.

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All jobs have tasks that we prefer over other tasks | Career Tip Of The Week

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women salesThis Week’s Tip Is…..

All jobs have tasks that we prefer over other tasks. Be honest with yourself, how strategically important are the tasks that you are avoiding? If they rank highly either for your current role or as a development skill, then consider setting time aside formally in your calendar to undertake them on a regular basis as habit can be a great way to embrace them.

By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist

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Voice of Experience: Beth Paul, Assurance Partner with PwC US

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Beth PaulBeth Paul made partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) after she was with the firm 13 years. A graduate from Pace University and a skilled accountant, she is guided by a quiet pragmatism and sharp intellect. These qualities give Paul a confidence and sensibility that remains down to earth despite her great success.

Paul began working at PwC directly upon graduation in 1992. Her career began in the auditing practice working on companies in the industrial products sector. After spending seven years in that sector, she joined the national professional service group for what was supposed to be a two-year tour in PwC’s SEC services group. Instead, she stayed in that group and was made a partner in 2005, a feat she acknowledges as her proudest professional achievement. “That day created a memory that will last forever. It has been 10 years, but in some ways, it feels like yesterday.”

Use feedback to build your brand

After 22 years with PwC, Paul feels that young women coming into the profession will benefit from understanding the importance of building their brand as well as some of the barriers that can prevent them from doing it most effectively. Essentially, Paul believes that your professional growth is built upon being able to hear what your co-workers, supervisors and mentors have to say about their impression of you and your work.

“You have to get candid feedback early and often. You will get different feedback at each stage of your career—but in order for you to advance, people have to be able to see you in the role. You need to be able to build a brand that allows you to project that image. That is why the feedback is so important; we can all have blinders on as to what we are really like. If you don’t get feedback, you won’t know how to progress—you can’t fix what nobody’s telling you need adjustment.”

Accessible accounting practices are best

In 2012, Paul was asked to join the firm’s accounting services group within the national professional services group as the strategic thought leader. In this role, she works with other leaders in her firm to determine the firm’s position on emerging trends in auditing, accounting and financial reporting. Paul is now deeply engaged in her new role and one of her primary goals is to help the firm share their insights and perspectives on accounting developments through new mediums, such as videos and new distribution channels such as the use of social media and PwC’s CFOdirect e-newsletter and website.

“I am most excited about the fact that we are trying new and different things, like social media, to distribute our content. We are also looking to expand our audience by tailoring the message to a variety of audiences.”

She says that one of the most interesting trends in accounting today is the Financial Accounting Standard Board’s simplification initiative.

“Thinking about ways to change the current standards to remove complexity will help reduce costs, minimize the possibility of inconsistent or incorrect application, and ultimately make it easier for all stakeholders.”

You won’t ever be in the locker room

In terms of barriers for women in her industry, Paul loops back to the importance of being able to receive feedback, and using this feedback in a productive manner instead of dwelling on it or letting it get you down. She reflects about some great advice she was given as a new partner that helped her understand this process and how it can affect women differently than men.

“I was a brand new partner, and a very seasoned female partner said to me, ‘when men are in the locker room together, they can tell each other what they did wrong, then slap each other on the butt and walk out of there with insight into what they need to do better next time. You aren’t going to be in the locker room so, you are going to need to be more proactive in how you get the feedback you need to succeed.’”

This advice helped Paul see how important it was for women to find an advocate who would not be afraid to speak openly with them about their performance. Paul is clear that women and men are definitely different, but she lays part of the responsibility to see that difference—and do something about it – with women.

“You can’t just ignore it; you have to do something about it. You have to be willing to listen to the feedback constructively because the more you are willing to listen, the more people are going to be willing to give you that feedback and help you.”

And, for the women who share a seat at her table, she believes they owe it those who are less tenured to reach out, mentor them and be engaged with the younger women making their way up the ladder.

A calm focus wins over fast and busy

Paul believes that PwC provides a very supportive working environment, for men and women alike. PwC offers flexibility programs to help women and men accommodate their family life and navigate the many decisions between balancing life and work. “I’m proud that we have a very inclusive and collaborative culture.”

Outside the office

When not at work, Paul enjoys her daughter’s competitive cheer competitions. To help balance out the busyness, Paul started practicing yoga three years ago and finds it tremendously beneficial.

“Yoga is really about being in the moment and having that clear focus. I think there is a real place for that. It has impacted me greatly, and not just in a healthy, get-fit way, but from a broader perspective. When you apply that focus to work, you can really get a lot done in a short amount of time.”

By Rebecca S. Caum

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Men Who Get It: Douglas Kennedy, President/CEO, Peapack-Gladstone Bank

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Doug KennedyDoug Kennedy has always been committed to championing women in the workforce throughout his banking career, which began as a full-time teller working his way through college.

Not only did his teller position begin his career in banking, but it also earned him a wife. After college, he joined the training program of a local Connecticut bank, where he began by working in a branch. As the industry deregulated, banks were increasingly growing, and so did Kennedy’s career. He held leadership roles with a number of banks, most recently with Capital One where he was responsible for commercial lending in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast; he was also market president for New Jersey. Two years ago, he joined Peapack-Gladstone Bank as its president and CEO.

A Diversity Champion

Diversity has always been important to Kennedy.

“If there wasn’t diversity, the world would be a boring place, and you’d never progress beyond your own beliefs and capabilities,” Kennedy says. For him, diversity starts in his family life. “At the end of the day, I am aware of the diversity in my personal life; this life experience translates easily to what diversity means at the bank.”

Over his 35-year career, Kennedy has worked alongside many talented women and has championed women’s issues, including a job-share situation early in his career with two women whom he knew were top performers that the bank needed to keep.

“It was not well received at the time, and I really had to push for it since management feared that male clients wouldn’t appreciate it.”

Kennedy collected statistics that showed that the job-share employees were more productive than their male counterparts. Armed with the numbers, his human resources department invited him to an off-site meeting of 400 bank leaders, where he was able to show that it wasn’t a crazy, far-fetched idea. “The proof was in the numbers,” he says. “Having math to prove something as a banker elevates it from just an opinion to a fact.” His presentation helped pave the way for additional similar job-share situations — a huge advance at a time when the lack of technology made it harder for women to stay in the workforce.

Maintain Diversity

Currently, more than half of Peapack-Gladstone Bank’s employees are female, and six months ago, he was instrumental in starting a woman’s organization called LEAD (Leadership, Education, Advocacy and Development) which invites senior women in to speak about their careers and the challenges they have faced. The bank’s executive vice president, Karen Rockoff, acts as the senior female leader, and has created a curriculum that speaks to women’s needs and interests and is helping the company develop an agenda to support them.

His goals for the year include accessing female senior leaders in the organization who can organize talks around wealth and how to plan for retirement. “Women can have a gap with financial issues, and since that’s one of our core competencies, we want to deliver those insights to our employees,” he says. In addition, the curriculum will double as an outreach for other corporations with women’s groups.

Kennedy says that he approaches diversity from an enlightened perspective. “I just never have differentiated people on the basis of gender, starting with my wife and I, who have always viewed each other as equal partners. Just because I had the role of breadwinner didn’t give me any authority above hers managing the family and household. So with an equal partnership at home it has been a fairly natural approach when I come to work.”

He says that he would always consider the best person for a position — whether it is a man or a woman. “You have to look at each position and ask yourself, ‘What are the skills each candidate has, what are the skills that are needed, and do they align?’”

Advice for Leaders

Though he sees the prejudice changing, he believes that men would benefit from listening more. “If you are willing to listen to different perspectives, at the end of the day you will end up benefitting. Despite my experience and leadership, it doesn’t mean I have all the answers. We all gain by paying attention to diverse views.”

He says that the key to success in an organization is hiring people who are thoughtful, who have more knowledge about a particular subject and then tapping into that talent — no matter who it is – which will always end up delivering better results. Listening will help any leader find great ideas and solutions to problems.

“If everyone at our company had identical experiences and thoughts, we would be a colossal failure. Diversity is one of the principle assets of any organization and is essential to achieving our future success.”

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Is being a pessimist at work bad for your career?

pessimist1Is the office coffee maker half empty or half full? Does simply ‘thinking positively’ help to achieve the desired outcome, or does being too upbeat remove your ability to critically analyze and learn from business and life situations? Does pessimism allow you to spot the obstacles lurking ahead in the distance?

Read more

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3 signs your perfectionism is killing your career…and how to overcome it

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Sad businesswomanGuest Contribution by Luisa Zhou

Successful high achievers (like you and me) have a huge disadvantage when it comes to advancing our careers.

It’s the fear of not being perfect.

If you’re constantly scrambling to fix “just one more thing,” if your social life no longer exists because you’re always working, or if you worry perpetually about others’ opinions, then you know what I’m talking about.

And while it’s gotten you to where you are today, you know that if you keep on working like this, you’ll burn out long before you get that coveted “C” title.

So what’s an ambitious professional to do?

Below are the top 3 signs your perfectionism is hurting instead of helping, and what to do instead.

1. You live by an all-or-nothing mentality. Every project you oversee has to be as flawless as the Hope Diamond.

Do any of the following sound familiar?

This is still not good enough!

I need to push the deadline back because this isn’t just right…

How can I face that client after that mistake?!

If so, you need to: Get comfortable with good enough, and leverage the 80/20 rule – the principle that 80% of your results will come from 20% of your efforts.

The key is figuring out which 20%. Is it really that important that your presentation’s footer isn’t perfectly centered? Or are you the only one who will even notice? And is it really necessary to chew yourself out for that small mishap your client has already forgotten?

Place yourself in the other party’s shoes (your audience, your boss, or your client) and ask yourself what they care about. Then focus on those areas and let go of the little things they don’t care about.

2. You take rejection personally.

Does the thought of making a mistake keep you up at night? Did you not speak up during that meeting because you were afraid of sounding stupid? And have you not asked for that bonus you deserve because you’re afraid your boss will say no?

If you said yes to any of those, here’s what to do: Think through the worst case scenario. Will you get fired? Will you be physically harmed? Will your colleagues secretly judge you and whisper that you’re incompetent?

Once I realized that rejection is not something to be feared and has no real consequences (aside from some bruised feelings), I learned to actually embrace taking on situations with rejection potential. Not because I’m a masochist, but because I realized they were actually win-win situations for me.

Worst case scenario, I would learn something new (oh, this didn’t work). Or, best case scenario, I would get what I wanted. When you think about it that way, doesn’t it seem a waste not to put yourself out there?

3. You can’t remember the last time you savored a career win – you were already on to your next big goal.

Do you ever feel a little dizzy when you think about your achievements and what you have to do next? And when was the last time you took a few to congratulate yourself on all you’ve accomplished?

If you can’t remember, here’s what to do: Look inside yourself and examine what motivates you. For perfectionists, it’s often a fear of failure and of not being good enough.

Before realizing this, I was incredibly fearful. I was afraid of not getting that promotion, of not advancing quickly enough, and most of all, I was afraid that if I didn’t stop being afraid, I would lose my steam. One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do was let go of that fear, and honestly it was a long and difficult process.

But once I did, I realized that it’s even more powerful to be motivated by positive forces – by passion, service, and love. Letting go of my perfectionism didn’t hinder me as I’d once feared, but instead allowed me to succeed more than ever before. Specifically, within the space of one year, I got a new job, a 32% raise, and a promotion, and launched a successful side business.

Now it’s your turn. What new levels of greatness will you achieve once you get out of your own way?

Luisa Zhou is a business coach for aspiring entrepreneurs. Join Luisa’s newsletter for coaching opportunities and bi-weekly tips for starting your side business.

Guest advice and opinions are not necessarily those of theglasshammer.com

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Career Tip of the Week

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Women workingThis Week’s Tip Is…

Do you have so many meetings in your calendar that you don’t have the time to do the actual work?

In a world of constant contact of live and virtual meetings and a flurry of emails to answer, it is hard to find time to do uninterrupted work sometimes.

Schedule time in your calendar every day to not be disturbed and resist the temptation to check your email during that time. Let people such as team members or managers know that you are working on a project and will get back to them later that day. Manage expectations and stay focused on productivity in this time.

Welcome to Career Tip of the Week. In this column we aim to provide you with a useful snippet of advice to carry with you all week as you navigate the day to day path in your career.

By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist

Contact nicki@theglasshammer.com if you would like to hire an executive coach to help you navigate the path to optimal personal success at work.

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Voice of Experience: Kristin Olson, Partner, Goldman Sachs

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Kristin OlsonFor Kristin Olson, career success comes from being reflective about what you enjoy doing and finding a career role that plays to your interests and your strengths. “Over a long career, pursuing something that interests you and challenges you daily will make you much more successful and happier.”

Olson is a lifer at Goldman, having joined the firm as an analyst in the Financial Institutions Group in the Investment Banking Division right out of her undergraduate studies at Georgetown. She figured it would be a great fit for her international economics background and an ideal launching pad to learn in a firm renowned for its accomplished professionals and tremendous amounts of deal activity. As an analyst, she had what she calls a “phenomenal two year experience,” which included cultivating relationships with other employees who have grown in the firm with her and are now in senior positions.

After two years in the analyst program, in 2000 she joined Goldman’s dotcom effort focused on online wealth management, where she worked primarily on marketing and client acquisition activities. She then joined the Special Investments Group within the Investment Management Division, where she has been ever since, earning steady promotions, until she was named partner in 2014.

“Making partner at the firm where I spent my entire career is something that makes me incredibly proud. When I started as an analyst I couldn’t have imagined it happening. I have had the opportunity to help build and be a part of an incredible team with impressive longevity.”

Olson sees the industry as one that will continue to be exciting.The alternative investment landscape continues to evolve and change and become more accessible to a wider universe of investors.In particular, focusing on alternatives allows Olson to hone in on what the interesting investment trends are and how to access them.For example, today technology is transforming and disrupting traditional industries left and right, providing compelling investment opportunities to capitalize on that growth.

Advice For Women That Resonates

In her experience, Olson has found that women are more likely to second guess themselves or feel less secure in their abilities. “Women have to first recognize their abilities and then be more vocal and speak up. They tend to stay quiet even though they have the same skill set and are just as capable. If there were more female role models at senior levels that would help the confidence of more junior women,” she said, adding that it has to be a priority to get more women role models at higher levels throughout the industry.

She advises young women entering the industry to be themselves, be heard and not to try to conform too much. “Teams really benefit from a female approach and the diversity of thought we bring. Some women feel like they don’t want to stand out, but they fail to recognize that being a woman can be and is an asset.”

And for women who have achieved career success, she urges them to continue to challenge themselves. “It’s easy to become complacent, but when you accept those stretch assignments, you’ll find it’s the best way to continue to learn and grow.” In addition, she finds that stepping outside your comfort zone can allow you to meet a new universe of colleagues, and even find a role you didn’t know would inspire you.

Olson herself had that experience, working with a mentor in investment banking, who had always told her she should consider sales. “He urged me to consider a sales role right up until I ended up in one, and he was right. I enjoy the dynamic nature of managing client relationships and it challenges me constantly”

Goldman Sachs’ Investment Management Division has its own women’s network, with which Olson has been involved over the course of her career. She and a colleague recently assumed leadership of the group and are planning future events. Olson has found it to be an excellent way to get to know more women in the division with its focus on mentorship and networking events.

With two young children, Olson and her husband have their hands full outside of the office too.

By Cathie Ericson

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