“A couple of things are true for everyone. One, every person will experience hardship. It’s the human condition. Two, no one invites or wants or desires hardship. But three, the art of living is to find the space in between those two things.”
We talked to Lindsey Roy, SVP Strategy & Brand at Hallmark Cards. At 31, she was named vice-president at Hallmark, one of the youngest VPs in the 100+ year history of the company. Five years later, at 36 years old and with two young children, she was nearly killed in a boating accident and left with an amputated leg and severe limb injuries. In 2017, after years of recovery and adaptation, she delivered a TEDx Talk entitled “What Trauma Taught Me About Happiness.”
Then, at 44 years old, having already fully adapted to several major life changes with the support of her husband Aaron and two children, Roy was diagnosed with a rare and progressive disease that destroyed the blood vessels in her lungs, requiring a double lung transplant in the summer of 2022. The road to recovery started once again.
Across 24 years at Hallmark Cards, Roy has held 12 positions while raising two children, having two life-saving surgeries, adapting to life changes, and recalibrating her dreams. In her book, The Gift of Perspective, she shares “Wisdom I Gained From Losing a Leg and Two Lungs.” She seeks to build our collective wisdom of how to walk the challenges we each face while also lifting each other up. Her story has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, O Magazine, and Working Mother.
On what to do when “why me” comes up in the midst of challenge:
“I have learned there is zero wisdom in asking, ‘Why me?’ It is a road to nowhere. It is a circular reference, infinitely looping. I have spent hours and cycles learning that. In my latest journey with my lungs, when that sentiment would come up, I would mindfully stop my brain from going there. If it would start to wonder there, I would make my brain stop mid-thought and actively think, I’m not even going to entertain the thought.
Others would also say to me, ‘I can’t believe you’re going through this. You’ve already been through so much. It’s not fair.’ But I wouldn’t entertain that. I would try to shut it down, and say, ‘Everybody goes through things. I just had the National Enquirer (sensational) version of problems. That doesn’t mean they’re harder. Problems are relative.’
I would redirect, because ‘why me?’ is simply the biggest waste of time. You’ll never solve it, so shut it down. I’m also a person of faith, so the question was also, ‘Why not me?’ How am I supposed to know how my life was supposed to be when only God knows that?”
On whether challenges shape us or reveal who we are:
“Both. I do believe that as humans, there’s a lot of ‘who we are’ that is already predetermined and pre-established from formative experiences. Those things often are latent, or even unknown, to ourselves, so there is an element of revelation: I might not have known I had those pieces. And that’s akin to the quote from Bob Marley: ‘You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice.’ There’s a lot of truth to adversity revealing parts of yourself.
But, there is definitely also a shaping piece. I now know things that you cannot know because of my experiences. I truly do believe that’s the point of sharing – because you’re never going to know what I know and I’m never going to know what you know. That’s why my purpose is to share: it adds to our collective wisdom. How beautiful that we can each pick up a gem of wisdom from someone else’s path to help us each walk our own.”
On how being confronted with adversity has impacted upon her outlook:
“Honestly, there weren’t many circumstances in my life that had put me in the empathetic seat to feeling otherized. In many ways, I had traditional ‘pathing’ and a more privileged set of circumstances. Then, I was suddenly thrown into being a member of the disabled community, the sick mom at school events, the person missing at work due to a disability situation. All of the sudden, I was a member of a lot of new clubs. I was an amputee, for example. That is a club I never expected to be a member of. I never expected to have a handicap parking pass in my 30s.
Being thrown into this world made me realize a couple of things. One, I learned something about what it feels like to be a part of a community that is not the majority. It gave me a different window into that experience. Two, it made me realize that no matter how hard I try, I’m never going to fully understand the lived experience of someone who is in another category of otherized groups of people. I won’t claim to have a full understanding, but I have a different viewpoint than I would have had without these experiences.”
On how challenges are relative and only internally defined:
“People will start to say to me, ‘My hip is really hurting.’ And then they’ll stop and say, ‘I’m so sorry, that’s nothing compared to what you’ve dealt with.’ I hear this all the time: ‘I’ve got this challenge. No, wait, I shouldn’t even say this to you.’ Even though it’s well intended, I find serious flaw in that thinking. First of all, nobody wants to win the lottery for having the worst problems. Nobody wants to hear, ‘You win: your problems are worse.’
But even more importantly, challenge is so relative because it’s infinitely dimensional. No one knows what your support system is, what resilience you’ve had the opportunity to build or to not build, or what you value most in life. For instance, if someone loses their hair to chemotherapy, that might be much harder on somebody who’s always had beautiful hair as part of their identity versus someone who’s always hated their hair. No one knows how much you value that particular dimension of life. I could name a hundred of these frames, because it is all so relative. So don’t feel shameful about sharing something that’s hard for you. Don’t default to believing that someone else’s challenges are harder. Challenge is relative and depends on so many things. You just can’t compare, and it’s not healthy to do so: it’s another road to nowhere.
Here’s my own little example of not comparing: I always have finger pain because having an extreme version of Raynaud’s Syndrome is one of the common traits of my specific autoimmune disease. My fingers have been in pain on and off for over a decade, lacking the necessary blood flow to keep them warm and high-functioning. I will get skin ulcers on the tips of my fingers or lose part of a fingernail from time to time. You would assume annoyances in your fingers would pale in comparison to having half a leg or an incision across my entire chest from a lung transplant. But on many days, it’s actually been worse. I doubt many people would guess that pain comparison correctly. It just shows you cannot know about somebody else’s challenges. That’s why I find it helpful and connective to talk to other people about what we’ve collectively learned even though our challenges are very different. I heard a profound notion the other day: I may not know your specific pain, but I know pain. How very true for so many of us.”
On navigating hardship through acceptance and beyond:
“The first thing is to know that it’s inevitable that hardship will happen and second, you will despise it. Third, it’s about coming to acceptance. Acceptance is the bottom of the pyramid of dealing with hardship, and even getting to that point is a huge challenge.
Once you can accept and even embrace that a hardship ‘is what it is’ and it’s not going to change, you then have two choices: to either dwell in a negative cycle or to try to create something beneficial out of it. If you can arrive to those points of acceptance, and get your brain in a place where you can spin something good out of it, beautiful things can happen.
I’ve gone through this cycle two big times and many little times. I’ve learned so much about how to make those pathways a little shorter and a little easier that I want to share with others. By no means is it easy: it’s very difficult. But if you know the path, it makes walking it slightly easier. I’ve found doing so is much better than the alternative.”
On why perspective is “the most powerful untapped resource”:
“Here’s a visual metaphor for perspective. Imagine an amazing pool of fresh water that’s the perfect temperature for drinking. It’s a perfectly clear, beautiful mountain stream. We all thirst for that, but we only get to sample little teaspoons here and there. We don’t normally choose when we sample those, because we usually only sample perspective in reaction to other people’s trauma, struggles, and pain. So every once in a while, we’ll hear something that makes us taste that water and all of our surface level worries dissipate. Then we think, ‘Wow, that puts things in perspective.’
I’ve found this water is always available as a resource to us, but you have to choose to walk over, bring a cup and drink. You have to actively do things. For example, the metaphorical walking over is sitting and thinking, ‘this situation looks like a horrible situation, but there’s a thousand things that are going right’ or it looks like asking ‘how could this be worse?’ That’s picking up your cup and taking active steps towards that water. But if you’re the kind of person passively sitting back and waiting on someone to throw you a teaspoon or shower you with a couple of drops, you’re not ever going to really tap into the resource of perspective. It’s actively doing even these exercises that seem so mundane and so silly. But in practice, in the wake of hardship, that’s exactly where the magic happens. You just have to understand how to walk over to that amazing pool, time and time again.
It’s almost like someone saying, ‘You want to be healthier? Exercise and eat well.’ That may be the simplest advice in the world. But it’s very different to hear it than to do it. It’s the same with sustaining perspective.”
On the power of putting perspective into practice:
“I have so many visual, visceral memories of being alone in middle of the night in hospital bathrooms in my rawest, most lonely moments. And I would say aloud, ‘How could this be worse? What is going right?’ And I would make my brain answer the question, and it was so enlightening and powerful, but very simple. It’s very hard and humbling to do that in those raw, raw, raw moments. But it is about making yourself feel vulnerable and silly, and go through the process anyway.
I would come up with things that would buy me enough resource to make it through the night or next day. I would think things like, ‘What’s the worst thing that can happen here?’ Many of those answers could get pretty dark. But then I would say, ‘Okay, let’s think about how that would be.’ I would let myself go to those worst places and instead of fear them, I would walk in those rooms in my mind. Sometimes, I would just try to let go of the control I was trying to grasp and do the thing we proverbially say, ‘Give it to God.’ That helped me more than words can say.
In short, I’ve found that you have to continually work at shifting your perspective to keep your brain focused on anything but those enticing negativity traps. The more you can focus on creating neural pathways that are more positive in nature, the more you train your brain to get better at this type of thinking.
I think it’s also important to add that you don’t have to be perfectly positive every day. There have been countless days where I have wailed or banged my fists or struggled to get out of bed. That’s ok too. But you have to find a way to keep moving forward, and actively shifting how you see things is incredibly powerful in the midst of hardship.”
On overcoming resistance to practicing perspective:
“First of all I would invite any individual to introspectively ask: what stops you from actually exercising your perspective? One suspicion is that I think people feel dumb doing these very simple things because they do seem so mundane and unhelpful until you actually do it. I think some people dismiss that sheer thought of the power of doing this stuff, but it can only be experienced by doing it.
I’m guessing, too, that negativity bias can take over. It’s taken over in my life so many times. You have to hold off that negativity bias to even create the space to ask these silly questions. That negativity bias is an 800 pound gorilla. It will come at you. Your brain is so wired for that. Just having the fortitude to fight that off for five minutes is no small thing.”
On the strategy of “borrowing perspective” in hardship or everyday life:
“When you’re in the middle of hardship or facing a certain fear, you can try ‘borrowing perspective’ from anybody who has gone through a similar situation and arrived to the other side. From where the stand, you can borrow their perspective and say, ‘If they can do this, I can.’
For example, witnessing what Amy Purdy had overcome and achieved with her two prosthetic legs (from world champion para-snowboarder to Dancing With the Stars finalist) became a lifeline of inspiration after my boating accident. I could see beyond the moment I was in. But consider even the more common experience of having a baby. When I was pregnant for the first time, along with all the excitement, I had some fear of childbirth. But I would remind myself that billions of women have had babies throughout history. If so many women had done it before me, surely I could.
There’s also ‘borrowing perspective’ as a daily practice so you don’t slip into taking things for granted. This is harder. When you’re in hardship, you’re searching for coping mechanisms. But when you’re going about your daily life, and things are going well, we often just coast. In those coasting moments, borrowing perspective would be to pause and recognize things we often don’t give any thought to, such as, ‘Wow, I live in America today instead of a war torn country’ or ‘I was just able to walk into the baseball game with functioning legs and lungs.’
Right now, we’re talking about my hard stuff, but I have a million blessings. For example, I grew up in a home where my parents loved each other and offered me love unconditionally. I have a wonderful husband and two amazing kids. I’ve always loved my job. There are a million gifts that we take for granted simply because we haven’t had to experience the broken version of that experience.”
On why authenticity and vulnerability are essential to leadership:
“It’s a trap to believe there is a certain way we are supposed to be to be successful. For example, we equate leader mentality to an ‘early bird gets the worm’ mentality. I’m a night owl. My hours are more bartender than typical Corporate America. You’re supposed to wear heels. I can’t wear heels. You’re supposed to not talk too much about your kids. That’s the most important thing in my life!
The more you can just be who you are, the more powerful that is. Whatever it is that you have that’s different, it can be something that truly makes you unique, but you can’t be scared of it. You have to let that difference shine and that takes courage and vulnerability. Being vulnerable feels like being exposed, being naked, letting someone see that part of yourself that you don’t think you should show. But that’s where your authenticity will make others appreciate you even more and where you can find your special sauce to add value to any team or situation. It’s important to find the space where you’re comfortable and have that courage to bring in more of yourself.
For myself, I’ve always been the same person whether 10:00 at night or 10:00 in the morning at work. But I’ve learned it’s also about sharing the ugly parts of yourself in the right setting, in the right way: that’s where connection happens.
Being vulnerable is connective. When someone has been vulnerable with you, you trust them more. When you take the lead and show vulnerability, it engenders trust. I have seen this so many times, and most recently, after speaking in a manufacturing plant in Kansas City. Most of the audience were men and they were telling me the most beautiful, vulnerable things that had happened in their life, because I threw it all out there first.
Vulnerability is a flywheel. Somebody has to take the lead to get it moving.”
On letting who you truly are authentically guide your path:
“There’s this type A personality model we’ve pedestaled where you have the calendar, menu and schedule planned. To some degree, that behavior is necessary and awesome. If you’re authentically that kind of person, great. But it’s also okay if you’re not.
When I was starting, people used to give me the advice to map out my career. Later, they’d advise to do three years of this project or take this lateral move to gain an experience for promotion. I would secretly dismiss that advice, even as a young professional, because it was never my mentality to do those things. I would also borrow perspective by looking at others who’d never worked in that division, or sought out a masters degree, or whatever – and were doing great. Today, I don’t have a masters and I didn’t do jobs I hated. I was in an environment of great mentors: being in fertile soil helps.
No one set of advice works for everybody. You don’t have to take advice that you don’t want to take. There are things that will unfold for you that maybe no one else could have predicted. Let that happen. Just be you, let go a bit, and see what happens.
Everyone is going to give you advice. Even in medicine, I’ve learned that if you ask ten different people the same question, often you’re going to get two to ten different answers. Many questions don’t have a precise singular answer. Now, if you get ten out of ten same answers, maybe you should follow that advice. But if you get nine one way and one the other, then you get to weigh your decision with that in mind. I think there’s a lot of power in that. But it’s vulnerability inducing to even entertain those thoughts.”
On the power of being able to let go of the plan and embrace the now:
“When I was 20 years old, I thought the perfect age to get married would be 26, the perfect age to have a baby would be 28, and the perfect place to live would be X…none of those things happened. That movie did not play out. Now when I look back at my life, I didn’t know the perfect age to do this or the right way to do that.
People say ‘this is more than I ever imagined.’ That can absolutely be true, but it can only be true if you let go of your preconceived notion of how it should be and realize there is no perfect plan. There’s only what actually plays out and how you embrace that. But there’s so much value in letting go of what was and being okay with what is.
Also, it’s human nature to compare. But if you’re going to compare, don’t let your brain compare things to a state that you can’t control. You can’t control when you fall in love, when someone hires you, or the result of a physical accident. So do not let yourself compare to some preconceived notion or some past, because it is another circular reference to the path to nowhere. It’s fruitless and futile. You will never be able to get out of that hole.
Rather, what you can do is say that didn’t happen. This did happen. What can I attach myself to now? To use a metaphor, imagine you’re swimming down the river because you fell out of a boat. You might want to be back in that boat, but that’s not an option anymore. So you better grab a tree to hold onto. May you’ll find that tree is cool and beautiful, and you’re going to hang out there. But you can’t compare to things that you thought had to happen. I’ve failed many times, but the consciousness of this line of thinking is what’s important.”
On learning how to trust in and surrender to your unique life path:
“I’ve had to work really hard on growing my trust, and for me that means having faith. Of five brands of belief I have identified that have supported me, that’s the most important one. It’s so easy to say it, but very different to really open yourself up to that relationship where God is truly in control. For me, trusting really is letting go and realizing that there is a path I’m supposed to walk. I don’t get to pick that path, but I can find joy in walking it, no matter what it looks like to others.
Years ago, we had the traveling Titanic exhibit in Kansas City. When you walked in, you received a secret little envelope. At the end, you were told your fate based on math. Are you someone who drowned? Are you someone who survived? It was just based on the math of the event and the math of the people walking through.
God handed me this little secret envelope that I’ve only read 20% of or 40% of, or who knows, and I don’t get to change what’s in that envelope. But the more I embrace what’s in that envelope and realize that once again, I’m not in control, the better everything is. It’s believing deep down that whatever it is, it’s going to be okay, so give up the control. I’m constantly reminding myself to go back and find my center there. And when I do, it is the most freeing feeling ever.”
Interviewed by Aimee Hansen
Empowering Black Female Professionals: Navigating Career Advancement and Corporate Support
Black History Month, Career AdvicePeople of color are still facing systemic barriers and yet Black female professionals continue to show up to bring invaluable perspectives, skills, and talents to the table. However, to fully harness their potential, it’s crucial to address the obstacles they encounter and recognize the pivotal role that both managers and companies play in their career advancement. It is worth checking out our extensive past coverage on Black women’s advancement and how the Black feminist movement was completely different to the names that we might associate with the topic – bell hooks is less of a household name for example.
Black women in corporate settings often encounter a multitude of challenges that can impede their career progression. These challenges include systemic racism, gender biases, and intersectional discrimination. Tsedale M. Melaku’s book You Don’t Look Like a Lawyer: Black Women and Systemic Gendered Racisim highlights how race and gender create barriers to recruitment, professional development, and advancement to partnership for Black women in elite corporate law firms.
Stereotypes and unconscious biases may lead to being overlooked for promotions or opportunities for growth. Additionally, navigating corporate culture that may not fully embrace diversity and inclusion can be isolating and exhausting with a researched psychological toll of being one of the only senior women of color.
Despite these challenges, there are several strategies Black female professionals can employ to advance in their careers:
Building a strong network is crucial. Cultivating a supportive network of mentors, sponsors, and peers can provide valuable guidance, opportunities, and advocacy. Seeking out individuals who can offer mentorship and sponsorship can help navigate challenges and open doors to new opportunities. Goldman Sachs has a Black Analyst and Associate program that enables connection and learning and has proven to retain and help develop Black and African American talent. Investing in continuous learning and skill development is essential for staying competitive in today’s rapidly evolving workplace. Pursuing professional development opportunities, acquiring new skills, and seeking feedback can enhance capabilities and increase visibility within the organization.
Developing strong communication skills, including assertiveness, can be instrumental in advocating for oneself and expressing career goals and aspirations. Assertive communication involves confidently articulating one’s achievements, skills, and ambitions, as well as setting boundaries when necessary. However there has been research that suggests that women of color fall foul of a negative stereotype of the “Angry Black Woman” so there is a difficult and unfair line to tow as that is not applied to others. #SoftBlackGirl offers solid advice regarding celebrating and communicating wins regularly.
Actively seeking visibility within the organization by volunteering for high-impact projects, participating in cross-functional teams, and contributing thought leadership can increase recognition and demonstrate leadership potential. Advocating for oneself is crucial in ensuring that achievements and contributions are recognized and rewarded. Black female professionals should feel empowered to speak up about their accomplishments, express career aspirations, and negotiate for advancement opportunities.
Corporate organizations play a pivotal role in creating an inclusive environment where Black female professionals can thrive. To support their success, companies should implement the following initiatives:
Diversity and Inclusion Programs: Establishing robust diversity and inclusion programs that prioritize representation, equity, and belonging can foster an environment where Black female professionals feel valued and supported. These programs should include initiatives such as mentorship programs and leadership development opportunities. These programs have to be useful by design and will not be unless they are supported from the top with an integral place in the talent strategy. These programs need to be structural not superficial. Unconscious bias training has become in mode – and the research is mixed on it- some say that awareness of bias reduces bias but studies show perspective taking is more effective and lasting.
Accessibility and Transparency: Companies should ensure that advancement opportunities are accessible to all employees based on merit and potential, regardless of race or gender. Implementing transparent promotion processes and addressing biases in decision-making can help mitigate disparities in career advancement.
Mentorship and Sponsorship Programs: Creating formal mentorship and sponsorship programs that pair Black female professionals with senior leaders who can provide guidance, advocacy, and career support is essential. These programs should focus on fostering meaningful relationships and providing opportunities for skill development and visibility.
Leadership Accountability: Holding leaders and managers accountable for promoting diversity and inclusion within their teams and advocating for the advancement of Black female professionals is crucial. Leadership accountability can be demonstrated through setting diversity goals, measuring progress, and fostering a culture of inclusivity. You would think it would go without saying that companies must actively address bias and discrimination in the workplace by implementing policies and practices that promote fairness and equity. This includes addressing microaggressions, providing diversity training, and creating channels for reporting and addressing discriminatory behavior.
The journey for Black female professionals to advance in their careers is multifaceted and requires both individual resilience and organizational support. By employing strategic career advancement strategies and advocating for systemic change within companies, Black female professionals can overcome barriers and achieve success. It is imperative for corporate organizations to prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives to create a more inclusive and equitable workplace where all employees, including Black women, can thrive and reach their full potential.
Diversity work requires organizational development, leadership, and commitment from everyone. Gatherings in employee resource groups, big ticket speakers and requested assimilation to the model of work, which was built postwar for white men, just isn’t the answer.
Evolved Employer, the organizational development consulting arm of theglasshammer works with companies to ensure companies understand systemically the work that creates a more level playing ground for all to thrive- true talent meritocracy.
By Nicki Gilmour, founder and CEO of TheGlasshammer.com
Vanessa McMichael: Head of Corporate & Public Entity (CPE) Strategy, Wells Fargo
Black History Month, Movers and Shakers, PeopleMcMichael shares her insights on finding her niche in the financial industry, using her voice to elevate and empower others, and being a single mother while working towards her career goals.
Putting in the Work
Speaking to what she has learned so far in her career, McMichael maintains, “you have to put in the work. There’s no substitute for it. Any leader that you speak with has put in the work and is still putting in the work. It’s something that I harp on a lot, because it is necessary. It certainly has gotten me to where I am today.”
McMichael is the first person in her family to go to a traditional four-year college, and she recognizes her parents as giving her the grit and work ethic to succeed. Her father, an African American nuclear engineer and small business owner, emphasized to McMichael throughout her childhood, “Vanessa, you have to work hard. You’re going to have to work harder than other people.” It was an important life lesson that aided his own success, and one that he passed on to her.
Giving birth to Vanessa in high school, her mother did not get the chance to graduate and subsequently worked in factories her entire life. When her parents split up when she was young, she witnessed her mother work hard to rebuild her life, demonstrating to McMichael that, “if you want it, you have to go get it. No one else is going to just hand you what it is you think you need.” And, even more importantly, she saw firsthand how women can do it all.
Moreover, Vanessa is a childhood cancer survivor, and this is one of the central reasons why she strives to seize each day. This is also a reason why she has to be mindful about taking on too much, “because it’s easy to do when you’re trying to make the most of every day.” And although her parents taught her how to work hard through leading by example, her experience with cancer was a significant contributor to her drive and work ethic. She highlights that going through an experience like that suddenly, with no prior family history, and as a child, “changes your perspective and stays with you.”
McMichael took these experiences to heart, and it gave her the drive to reach goals she set for herself. After studying Japanese in high school, she attended Howard University’s business school. Initially, she wanted to move to Japan and create commercials, and she thought business school was a good starting point. But instead, she discovered her path to the banking/financial services industry after listening to a presentation by Wachovia on campus. She remembers being struck by the diverse representation of people at the presentation and compelled by the work they described.
After graduating and working for Wachovia for a few years, she then went on to get an MBA from one of the top business schools in the country, the University of Chicago Booth Business School. Following her MBA, she joined a rotational program at Wells Fargo on the trading floor where she had the opportunity to explore different areas of the business. It was during that program that she “stumbled” into the strategy group, an area she has been working in ever since.
Finding Her Niche
Working in the strategy group at Wells Fargo for over a decade, McMichael points to the value of finding your niche and a role that is a “good” fit. In particular, she highlights the variety of work she does day-to-day and the relationships that she has made as what keeps her role fresh and interesting.
“With our clients, who are corporations and public entities, my job is to equip them with what they need to make informed fixed income decisions. So, with that, my day-to-day is always different. I can talk to five retailers in one day, all in the same industry, but the conversations are varied.”
Vanessa added that although each client situation is unique, there has been a shift in the broader conversation with clients this year as the rate environment falls. “We are no longer in an environment where organizations can sit back and earn interest on excess cash so easily.”
Harkening back to her high school dream of creating commercials in Japan, she recognizes that her career at Wells Fargo is maybe not so far off from where she thought she would start: “I’m not creating commercials, but I am creating stories. I’m telling the story of what’s happening in fixed income markets and how the narrative can impact my clients.”
Another element of her job that she enjoys is having the opportunity to speak at conferences that corporate and public entity clients attend. She adds, “That’s probably what I enjoy the most about my job, is getting on stage. I’ve even told folks that I’m probably more comfortable getting on the stage in front of a lot of people than having a one-on-one.”
McMichael recently had the opportunity to speak to a much larger audience when she was interviewed on Bloomberg TV, addressing money market funds and the outlook for 2024. As this was her first live TV experience, she was initially nervous about being on camera, but then she found her rhythm, and it turned out to be a lot of fun.
Mentorship and Sponsorship
McMichael recognizes mentorship and sponsorship as contributing factors to getting her to where she is today, particularly as they not only helped her learn the “rules of the road,” but also “what I need to know” to succeed.
“I’ve had to build mentorship relationships to learn the rules of the road on the trading floor because the rules are not apparent all the time.” She adds that it is important to have both mentors and sponsors because, “sponsors are the folks who are telling me what I need to know and helping me take action to obtain it. I’m sharing projects that I’m working on or what I’m thinking, and they will say, okay, ‘you’re thinking this, you should go meet this person.’ That’s part of the role of a sponsor and the other part is speaking on your behalf when you’re not in the room.”
Using Her Voice
Reflecting on being a woman of color in the financial industry, McMichael believes that she is in control of how she is perceived, so it is important to use her voice to that effect.
“Going into situations, I’m very aware of who I am. I am a woman. I look different. I don’t think people automatically assume that I’m Black because I am mixed. So, I have a voice, and I use it. Instead of shying away or being self-conscious, I use it as an advantage. I want to be a good representative of women, of women of color, and of diverse women. We all have a voice, and we have to advocate for ourselves.”
McMichael takes action and uses her voice by supporting other women through the WomenGoFar network in Wells Fargo’s Corporate & Investment Banking division. While on the committee she created a speed networking event where women had the chance to meet five to ten new people within an hour. It was an impactful way for junior women to get a chance to meet women leaders, who might not otherwise have the time to commit to a longer networking activity during work hours. And likewise, the senior leaders appreciated interacting and hearing from junior women across business lines.
Taking her support for women in the workplace a step further, McMichael recently coordinated a wellness workshop on stress and the impact it can have on the body, particularly as women are often juggling many different demands on their time and energy. This topic is especially important to her given her health history. McMichael is thrilled this initial idea has developed into a Wellness Series and is looking forward to creating additional content to further promote the well-being of women.
In addition to taking action to elevate women, McMichael has a network of African American colleagues that she engages with regularly, whether through sharing job opportunities or articles of interest to keep the dialogue going. “We have Employee Resource Networks for diverse teammates, but this is a grassroots way that I’m trying to engage and educate particularly around internal mobility for our diverse talent.”
These projects demonstrate the value of creating a space for connection that supports the advancement and inclusion of a diverse workforce.
Being a Single Parent and Succeeding in a Career in Finance
Connecting with colleagues who can understand her experience was also an important part of McMichael’s journey, as there was a time that she balanced being a single mother and developing her career. McMichael remembers when she first became a mother, she met senior women around her with stay-at-home husbands, and so her confidence wavered as to whether she would be able to advance in her career without one. She worried that she would be “stuck,” because she did not have the same kind of support. But she met other single parents at Wells Fargo who could relate from a lifestyle perspective.
“That connection with people opened this new life for me. One where I went from feeling isolated and stuck to one where I felt empowered and supported.” She continues, “If I could speak to younger Vanessa, I would tell her not to feel that you can’t be successful in this business, because you’re a single parent.”
McMichael expresses her joy in motherhood and the exciting prospect of sharing her interests with her now older daughter. Recently, McMichael introduced her daughter to salsa dance, a passion she held before becoming a mom. They also enjoy traveling and exploring together. As she looks ahead, McMichael is energized to continue growing and challenging herself at work, while keeping up with her daughter and husband and their busy life at home.
By Jessica Robaire
Op-Ed: Reshaping the Work Landscape – Women’s Work and the Longevity Revolution
Career AdviceAs leaders, we focus on the company’s interests, and we are committed to the transition process. But it is not easy. Transitioning out of a strong leadership job can be difficult. We love what we do; we know how to do it; we do it well; we have energy. So, we train, we mentor, we transfer, we give power away – and then, we unconsciously may take it back, here and there. It is a struggle, because – as in any transition – emotions arise: the fear of losing relevance, power, purpose. We are excited about what succession opens for others, but we also need to get excited for what the transition brings for us.
Introspecting is necessary to envision a new purpose. Purpose ignites; but it takes time to mature. Consider:
As we explore, life may feel fragmented; gaining clarity is a process. A third party can be helpful in facilitating introspection and help us redirect our energy and strengths from what we are leaving to what is ahead.
Typically, a company’s succession plan focuses on grooming the upcoming leaders through mentoring, coaching, training – but rarely puts focus on the above re-invention strategies or coaching for leaders who are transitioning out of their roles. There is an underlying assumption that they should figure it out on their own (aren’t they leaders?) or that they will simply disappear, retire. This is old thinking, a 20th century mentality of an 85-year life cycle of Learn-Work-Retire.
We need new thinking about the work cycle: a longevity revolution is taking place.
The global population over age 60 is growing at an unprecedented pace: from 1 billion in 2019, it is estimated to grow to 1.4 billion in 2030 and to 2.1 billion in 2050. High income countries lead this trend: people over 65 are now 30% in Japan, 24% in Italy, 23% in Finland, and 17% in the US. The fastest growing age-group is people over 75, and the second fastest, centenarians. People in their 60’s today, have over a third of their life ahead! My own father, aged 102, is an amazing centenarian, independent, public speaker, learner, friend, traveler, partner. And this phenomenon is even more relevant for us women: we tend to live longer than men; in 2024, a whooping 78% of all centenarians are women.
Not only do women live longer; many women still earn less, comparatively; women may have slowed down work during childrearing years or may be responsible for parents who live longer too, resulting in less overall accumulated resources and wealth. We, women live longer, but we also need to work much longer.
Many older women are still shown or insinuated the door, but the landscape is changing. Women over fifty-five has been the fastest-growing age segment in the workforce. In contrast, the number of men over fifty-five working is projected to decline by 3 percent.
In 2021, Forbes launched its first yearly “50 over 50”, a selection of female leaders in their 50’s, 60’s and beyond, who are making it happen – creators, entrepreneurs, scientists, leaders, CEOs. Natalie de Vries, selected as a leader in my own field of work (architecture) said: “Visibility for women in architecture is crucial to improving equality in our profession.”
How can we support women rising to executive level and then beyond? Below are some key strategies, further developed by Carson College of Business and Harvard Business Review:
Women in their 50’s and beyond may have their best working years ahead: with family mission completed, they are highly experienced and driven. They tend to be more team and company focused than self-focused. A study by McKinsey reveals a correlation between gender diversity at executive level and financial performance.
The future of women’s work is also influenced by the tightening labor markets in developed nations, given their declining populations. Companies will be driven to retain their older talent and leaders, who were traditionally transitioned out. This is an emerging imperative for business and illuminates a new angle to diversity.
Myself, l love to work, and I am proud to be a role model for women in the workplace. We are the first generation of women working past our 60’s, changing old age narratives in society, in companies, and within ourselves. We are open to reboot, redirect, recreate, but we have no role models ahead of us. Here we are again, a generation leading how women work. We trailblazed before; we can trailblaze again.
Age offers enormous potential – accumulated knowledge, techniques, wisdom, insights, stories, relationships, ability to ideate, manage, mentor, and speak up. We can continue contributing to companies or to the world as leaders, strategists, problem-solvers, creatives, coaches, speakers, or storytellers. It is up to us to continue to make ourselves visible and relevant, for us, and for the women coming up after us. Soon, they’ll be sixty too.
We summon the courage to reinvent ourselves again and again. We tap into our next superpower – our age.
By Liora Haymann, Managing Director, OBMI International
(Guest Contribution: The opinions and views of guest contributions are not necessarily those of theglasshammer.com).
Natalie Gill, Head of DEI Strategy & Industry Engagement, PGIM
Movers and Shakers, People“I’ve had a varied career, but now, as a DEI executive, my role is about celebrating diversity and amplifying the voices of those who feel unheard or unable to contribute to their full potential, due to cultural or systemic barriers,” says Natalie Gill. “I am motivated by the opportunity to influence change at a larger scale. Whilst my contribution in those moments is seemingly small, I am proud that it helps create a legacy for future generations.”
Charting A New Trajectory
“We’re accustomed to thinking that a successful career in financial services should have a linear, one directional trajectory working up through a hierarchy of corporate titles. But the path to my definition of ‘success’ – career fulfillment –is not always taken by climbing the corporate ladder,” says Gill. “My career has been a wonderful lattice of sideways, upwards and sometimes, even downward moves. Taking ownership of my career in this way has enabled me to build a unique portfolio of skills and expertise, and has ultimately led me to forge a successful, purposeful career doing what I love.”
Some of those career moves were intentional, with a clear objective to broaden her exposure or responsibilities. However, Gill has also allowed her decisions to be influenced by significant life moments. During the first eleven years of her career at Goldman Sachs, Gill’s priority was travel, and she jumped on every opportunity to expand her horizons. Then, with two young children at home, she elected to take a two-and-a-half-year career break. When she returned to the industry, Gill first picked up where she left off with a temporary consulting role at Morgan Stanley, followed by a role in regulatory reform at Deutsche Bank.
“Returning to financial services after a career break offered a pivotal window for me to pause, reflect and ask what I really wanted to be doing with my career. It was either a midlife crisis or an epiphany moment,” she says. “For me, having children really focused my career ambitions because I wanted to do something that would make them proud of me.”
Years earlier, she had encouraged and supported her husband to leave his job in investment banking to realize his ambition to become a firefighter, setting a precedent for making bold career changes. Having studied economics at Newcastle University in England, specializing in the economics of inequality and poverty and development economics, Gill’s passion for fairness, equity and inclusion had been a thread throughout her career.
So, in 2016, she made the decision to step away from financial services to join a gender diversity consultancy. “At the time, the consultancy was working closely with the UK Government’s Equality Office. I found it immensely rewarding, and after three years there, I decided to blend my two areas of expertise – DEI and financial services.” This led Gill to move back into the financial services industry as a DEI practitioner in 2019, most recently joining PGIM in her current role in 2022.
Why Being “Invested” Matters in DEI
“For me, the role of DEI is a vocational one,” says Gill. “If companies want to remain successful in the future, they can’t have a culture where everyone thinks the same and agrees with each other. We need alternative perspectives and different ways of thinking to innovate and deliver the best solutions for our clients. And I take it seriously that I have a responsibility to support and represent those at work who, perhaps, don’t feel as heard.”
Gill complements her passion for DEI with a love for numbers, enabling her to take a data-driven and evidence-based approach to her work.
“My background in economics has led me to approach DEI more systematically perhaps than those who have come to the profession through a more traditional route. I see data as critical to evidencing areas of inequity and accelerating change. It’s particularly important in the DEI sphere to remind people of the potential business outcomes and to measure progress and impact,” she says.
Compared to other DEI roles she’s held, her role at PGIM is both employee- and industry-focused. Part of her responsibility is to ensure the company culture is inclusive and enables all employees to thrive. Another piece is leveraging the opportunity for PGIM to play a role in driving change in the industry.
“Currently, we are operating in a fairly polarized environment around the world when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion, which extends to the workplace. Given my global role, it’s imperative for me to have a deep understanding of industry, society and legal standards on DEI in every region we operate in,” says Gill. “For example, in the UK and Europe, there is an expectation for firms to take greater accountability in driving social change given local governments and regulators have identified a connection between conduct, culture and inclusion.” She continues, “Because of this, the broader impact of DEI becomes far more important as our clients and employees demand more from us.”
Using Your Voice and Broadening Your Perspective
A key part of Gill’s role is to challenge the status quo, to encourage leaders and managers to disrupt their default thinking. She takes a straight-forward, fact-based approach to communicating and tries to challenge people to think differently. But being direct didn’t come naturally. With a Royal Air Force pilot father and a mother who was a teacher, Gill grew up in a family where hierarchy, respect for seniority and deference were instilled. When she first entered the working world, she deferred to titles, but through her experience, she learned that titles and seniority aren’t everything.
“The best leaders are those who recognize you don’t have to be the most senior person in the room to bring valuable insight or perspective that drives change or helps to make the optimum decision,” she says. “We’re all here because we have a role to play and a level of expertise in a particular area. Part of my journey has been overcoming my discomfort when faced with resistance and instead, learning how I can better use my knowledge and expertise to address the differing perspectives in a room and influence people to see DEI as a business imperative.”
Gill’s learning curve has been building up a strong support network for a role that spans the organization and beyond. “Driving inclusive culture change touches every part of the organization, so you can’t do it on your own,” notes Gill. “So, taking the time to build the network of people who can support you is important.”
Inspired from the idea of creating your personal boardroom from Zella King and Amanda Scott, Gill identified the six to twelve people that will most help her to succeed in her role. For example, she seeks guidance from friends and mentors who she knows will challenge her thinking, highlight her blind spots and help strengthen her resolve. She also regularly leverages the opportunities to expand her perspective and circle.
“When I have the opportunity to go out and mix, either at an internal function or an external event, I actively and intentionally speak to people who I wouldn’t ordinarily know,” she says. “Sometimes you have to overcome the tendency to sit in safety and familiarity because building a valuable network is about breaking out of your comfort zone and putting yourself in a position to meet people who maybe have different experiences and backgrounds than you.”
How Different Experiences Inform Your Leadership
Gill’s work experiences at different organizations have been a boon to her success. Over the last 20-plus years, she has worked for British, American, German, Spanish and Japanese organizations, and each has had different systems, approaches, processes and cultural nuances, giving rise to different perspectives. Working across multiple geographical regions, she’s also gained insight into translating her message, so it lands effectively for a given audience.
Regardless of whether someone moves firms or stays within the same, one of the biggest experiences she learned from is having different managers.
“We talk a lot about what ‘good’ leadership is and how it should be role-modelled by the most senior people in our organizations. However, we’re most impacted in our day-to-day by our immediate managers and the people we work most closely with. Throughout my career, I’ve probably learned as much from poor managers about how I don’t want to behave as a leader as from those who were better at it.”
Several years ago, a respected manager imparted on Gill that their job was not to be the loudest voice in the room – but to amplify and curate the voices of everybody else in the room. Gill embraced this approach to leadership and believes that the best gauge for her success is whether the people around her are succeeding. This, she says, comes down to the privilege of being in a position where you can choose to create positive impact for others.
“To me, it’s not about how or why you are in a position of leadership. It’s about how you choose to use that privilege – recognizing, in the moment, where and how you’re able to positively support and influence other people’s careers,” she notes. “My success, as a leader, is about leveraging my privilege to uplift others—acknowledging different perspectives, viewpoints, and experiences.”
Taking Ownership of Your Journey
Gill emphasizes taking ownership of your own career, which includes seeking out people who inspire you to learn more. Rather than waiting on a formal mentor program, actively reach out to people who spark your interest and grow your own network.
“Too often, I see colleagues wait to be assigned a mentor through a random matching process. There’s much more to be gained from identifying someone who inspires you and reaching out to them directly. If you tell someone that you’re fascinated by the work they do, and you’d like fifteen minutes to learn more about what they do and how they got there, it’s incredibly rare for that person to say ‘no.’ If they do, it’s likely due to time constraints,” she notes. “Yet, we’re quite reticent, and maybe even more so culturally here in England, to knock on someone’s door and ask.”
The notion of taking control of and shaping your own career is one that Gill imparts to the many young people she mentors, including her own children. “I’m proud that my children have seen, firsthand, that it’s possible to pivot mid-career to get fulfillment. I hope they will be inspired to take similar action to achieve a sense of purpose in their own careers when the time comes.”
“Whether you opt for a more traditional ladder or a broader lattice of work experiences, it’s also important to find time to recharge. Early on, one of my closest mentors told me that I am solely accountable for the balance between work and the rest of my life.” Gill continues, “In a role like diversity, equity and inclusion, where there is always more to achieve, this can sometimes be difficult to switch off, but I know I am more effective, more influential and more motivated to succeed afterwards.”
In her downtime, Gill likes to stay active with Pilates and a women’s field hockey league. She also enjoys reading psychological thrillers with a traditional English cup of tea.
By Aimee Hansen
How to Learn from Tough Feedback When it Feels like Criticism
Career Advice, Career Tip of the Week!Understanding Constructive Criticism
Constructive criticism is a process by which you receive valid opinions on your work, including positive and negative comments. This type of criticism aims to improve your performance or productivity on the job.
You may experience constructive criticism in meetings with higher management. It can also occur more organically when, for example, a colleague suggests improvements to your work on a project. Ultimately, constructive criticism always aims to provide feedback that helps you learn where to improve your career.
Differentiating Feedback from Bias
There are clear differences between constructive feedback and destructive criticism informed by implicit bias. Identifying these two separate forms of criticism can help you know how to accept critical comments in the workplace.
Constructive Feedback
Managers or peers offering suggestions on strengthening your professional skills are offering constructive feedback. This type of criticism focuses on building up an employee rather than tearing them down. Feedback balances both recognition of your accomplishments and suggestions for improving future projects.
Identifying Implicit Bias
Implicit bias, also called unconscious bias, is a human condition still present in workplaces today. It exists in the form of gender, racial, age, similarity, and confirmation biases, among others. Criticism rooted in bias is not meant to be productive but reflects the individual’s prejudices or biases.
Processing Criticism Positively
While criticism is hard for anyone to take, you can change how you respond and handle it so it reflects better on you and improves your work performance.
If you fear becoming emotional while receiving criticism, practice some techniques to maintain your composure. Box breathing, or 4×4 breathing, is one of the most effective ways to promote relaxation during or immediately after a stressful experience. Taking a short break or a brief walk outside can also give you the space to process criticism positively.
Learning from Criticism
Constructive criticism offers you the chance to learn from your mistakes. Some steps you can take to learn from criticism include:
The best way to learn from criticism is to turn that criticism into actionable goals. Identify critical areas for improvement and create a timeline with your manager for reassessment.
Leveraging Criticism for Career Growth
Once you’ve learned how to handle criticism positively, how can you use it to propel your career forward? As tough as it is to receive criticism, not receiving it can harm your career. Constructive criticism will become invaluable as you grow in your professional field, so you want to use it to your advantage when it occurs.
Being able to accept criticism at work shows maturity. Open-mindedly receiving constructive criticism gives your employer a positive impression, and they are more likely to offer you helpful suggestions. Listening carefully to criticism will also help you build stronger relationships with colleagues.
Additionally, people who learn from their mistakes are usually more successful than those who refuse to reflect on their actions and decisions. Learning to take constructive criticism is a vital skill that is essential to professional growth.
Taking constructive feedback seriously lets you identify your weaknesses while improving your skills and earning the respect of your colleagues. Use that feedback wisely, accept it professionally and gracefully, and you will supercharge your career.
By: Indiana Lee is a passionate writer from the Pacific Northwest, specializing in business operations, leadership, and marketing. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
(Guest Contribution: The opinions and views of guest contributions are not necessarily those of theglasshammer.com).
2023: Words of Wisdom from Women In Leadership (Part 2)
People, Thought Leaders, Voices of ExperiencePlease make sure to check out Part 1 of this year round-up! Below we share more words of wisdom and inspiration. Thank you each for the gift of your energy, time and insight!
“I feel strongly about focusing on doing right by others. Ambition goes awry if you don’t have respect for individuals, and if you don’t think about what motivates them. I want to understand what’s important to the people with whom I work. I focus on treating individuals how I would want to be treated – including respecting their differences, talents and expertise.” – Alexandra Tyler: Managing Director, Digital Transformation Leader, Accenture Song
“Some people believe that passion will help you find what you want to do. I don’t really believe in that. I believe that you have to know what you want. Knowing what you want and doing something actionable towards it will bring the passion.” – Nadiya Kreynin: Chief Executive Officer, Forte DGTL and Chief Operations Office, Forte Group
“As leaders, we have to be willing to hear some difficult things and have better self-awareness, which isn’t always easy. If we do, we can become better leaders by being open-minded to making changes based on what people are telling us. This has enabled me to take pride in the leader that I’ve become.” – Tiffany Fleming: Vice President, Client Onboarding & Trading Documentation, PGIM Fixed Income
“I subscribe to the theory that the best leaders – not only with words but through their actions – encourage and inspire others to achieve their best. That is how some of the most influential leaders have impacted me in my career, and I aspire to have the same impact on others.” – LaShonda Fuselier: Head of Multi-National Corporations Subsidiary Coverage, Corporate and Investment Banking, Wells Fargo
“If you have the right skills and are prepared, don’t be afraid when the opportunity comes to you. No one can tell you it’s not possible… If you have the passion for the work, there’s always a way. Pick the right field, pick the right industry, pick the right job that you have passion for.” – Wanda Woo: Partner, Capital Markets, Shearman & Sterling LLC (Hong Kong)
“There’s an obsession with very young entrepreneurs, like Mark Zuckerberg, who quit college and go off to start their companies. But I think building a new scalable business is really, really hard. I don’t think I could have done it when I was in my 20s. There’s a lot of evidence that the most successful entrepreneurs are people who start their companies in their late 30s and early 40s. I started when I was 37. I think that coming to entrepreneurship a bit later, after I had done a lot of different things, made me much more prepared for the resilience and patience that was required and is still required for what we’re building.” – Sylvana Quader Sinha, Founder and CEO of Praava Health
“There’s power in the pivot. You can’t get stuck. You don’t want to plateau. You always want to stay fresh and connected. Pivoting is inevitable. You can’t not pivot, and if you feel like it’s not working, that’s your sign. For every single problem, there is a solution. You just have to spend enough time to let it present itself. Sometimes, the solution is a tweak. But recognize where you are – and be willing to turn where you want to go, in whatever you are doing, whether it’s a 180 or a few degrees.” –Sherin Dawud: CEO at Nura Co. and Co-Founder at Power Pump Girls
“If we’re having a discussion, my focus is on the topic. I’m assuming that we’re both focusing on the content. But, with time, I’ve learned that many people focus on the relationship, and may sacrifice items in the topic to protect the relationship. For example, they may not contradict. They may not bring up their ideas because they may be different from what somebody else in a more powerful position may be saying. They may feel vulnerable in expressing something. I make sure to say upfront I value the discussion of viewpoints and being contradicted.” – Liora Haymann: Managing Director, OBM International
“How constructively you approach anything is going to be the difference-maker for you and for all those who work with you and for you. When you hit those roadblocks and it’s tempting to pivot to feeling captive or negative, I force myself to remember that the only way out is forward. Approach issues constructively and that will help you rise above the challenge or circumstance, to focus on a solution.” –Vanessa Rodriguez: Head of Community Lending & Investment, Commercial Real Estate, Wells Fargo
“When you have different cultures, there’s a lot of things that can be misinterpreted. For example, I use my hands a lot and I might find certain hand movements mean something else in another culture that I did not intend. One thing that is helpful that I’ve learned, and work with my leadership team on, is to start with your intent. Because there’s a lot about communication that doesn’t land the way you want to say it. Often, simply leading with your intent before you even start the conversation can change the ability to have difficult conversations.” – Dr. Sheena Menezes: Co-Founder and CEO, Simple HealthKit Inc
“When you’re junior and hungry, you work late, so you can take it all on. However, I think it serves your growth to start setting boundaries as you advance. I don’t have children yet, but I am still going to sign off at a reasonable time and have a nice dinner with my husband. You need to set boundaries, and sometimes, it means saying no or that you’ll look into something at a later time – as your schedule and workload permits.” – Alison Taylor: Investment Vice President, PGIM Real Estate
“In my opinion, being a true leader is not just about managing up anymore or trying to get the next job. I genuinely think I should be judged based on the teams I build and how I encourage and empower them…When I was progressing through my career, a lot of it was about me and developing my technical skill set: I’ve got to manage up, I’ve got to manage sideways. I’ve got to manage down. All of those facets still exist. But that’s the big leadership pivot people don’t realize: You don’t have all the answers. You’re there to listen. You’re there to serve and support others to be successful.” – Lola Ninonuevo: International Chief Operating Officer, Wells Fargo
“So many big decisions have been made by people who were all thinking alike. I feel it’s critical to have different perspectives on solving problems, especially big problems. More than one thing can be true. I try to remind people that it doesn’t have to be either/or. It can be and. I like to consider how we can meld ideas to come up with a good solution. If there are two opposing ideas, rarely is one or both entirely wrong.” – Rhonda Johnson: CEO, Different Like You, Inc & Acting Deputy Director, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
“Don’t be afraid to take the road less traveled, because as you do, you will find new horizons that will take you to the next level. Finding something you’re passionate about is important because you’ll do better than if you’re forcing yourself into a career or role that isn’t the best fit for you.” – Helen Chang: Managing Director, Head of Asia Pacific ex Japan, Client Advisory Group, PGIM
“It’s a trap to believe there is a certain way we are supposed to be to be successful. For example, we equate leader mentality to an ‘early bird gets the worm’ mentality. I’m a night owl. My hours are more bartender than typical Corporate America. You’re supposed to wear heels. I can’t wear heels. You’re supposed to not talk too much about your kids. That’s the most important thing in my life! The more you can just be who you are, the more powerful that is. Whatever it is that you have that’s different, it can be something that truly makes you unique, but you can’t be scared of it. You have to let that difference shine and that takes courage and vulnerability.” – Lindsey Roy: Hallmark Cards, SVP Strategy & Brand & Motivational Speaker
Interviewed by Aimee Hansen
2023: Words of Wisdom from Women In Leadership (Part 1)
People, Voices of ExperienceLooking across our leader profiles in 2023, we share words of wisdom and inspiration from each woman we’ve talked to this year (look out for Part 2 next week). Thank you for the gift of your energy, time and insight!
“Get in there early with a contribution to the discussion. Other people feel relieved and appreciate it when somebody says something first and are likely to even build on it. And I learned that contributing early liberates you to relax and enjoy the discussion, because you’re not beating yourself up about not having said anything yet. You may find you are building up to something even bigger to say, but at least you feel good because you’ve contributed.” – Ruth Harper: SVP, Chief Communications & Sustainability Officer, ManpowerGroup
“We’re all drops in the ocean, but together we can move the moon. Small things matter. Because if we all do one small act, together, collectively and as a community, we can move mountains, and that’s always been the case. I think we each create a ripple in the water from just a drop, and that if we all work together, this change can really occur. It’s not just one thing that’s going to be the answer to our issues, it’s going to be an ecosystem of many things working together to create resilience.” – Alice Chun: Female Inventor, Founder and CEO of Solight Design, Inc.
“We are all humans having a human experience and so you ought to be able to connect with anybody on some level. Different perspectives are something to embrace, not something to close yourself off to, because they help you to think and see things from different perspectives.” – Loretta Pearce: Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Shearman & Sterling LLP
“I have walked into several rooms where I wasn’t invited, but I acted like I belonged. Then what are they going to do except welcome me? You walk into a room, and you act like you belong. Take a seat at the table. Not in a chair along the wall, but at the table. And then raise your voice when you speak so you can be heard.” – Avis Yates Rivers: CEO at Technology Concepts Group Int’l., LLC
“I walk into every new thing I do with an understanding of ‘I know what I know’ but ‘I know what I don’t know,’ too. I’m comfortable about being vulnerable enough to ask people to help me. Women put too much pressure on themselves by thinking they have to walk into a role fully capable and qualified, when the reality is that long as you have the core of what you need to do the job, you can build and learn. As long as you’re willing to be vulnerable enough to admit that you’re going to need help or to learn new skills as you navigate, you can take on those bigger jobs.” – Judith Barry: Co-Head of Global Equities, Wells Fargo
“Somewhere along the way of observing women progress in their careers, I realized that no one ever got very far if they cared too much about: What do others think? How did I come across? Was I likeable? And so on. You get to a certain place because you channeled that energy not on worrying about whether people like you or your answer, but on asking how do I get the job at hand done?” – Marcella Sivilotti: Chief Strategy Officer, PGIM
“Confidence is so important, yet sometimes ‘confidence’ can be felt by women as a negative because we don’t want to come across arrogant or as a know-it-all. We need to take these words that have negative associations and switch them into positives. There is also a huge amount of negative connotation around the phrase ‘being selfish.’ But it is so important that at times you put yourself first. Prioritize your own development, personal learning journey, self-care, and look to make choices that help you, not just other people all the time. I think it’s breaking those associations in our head that suggest ‘If I’m confident…I’m perceived as arrogant’ or ‘If I’m selfish… I’m a mean person.’ It can feel very uncomfortable, but it is these simple things that can make a massive difference and it is not about changing your values, just your priorities.” – Loretta Franks: VP, Chief Data & Analytics Officer at Kellogg Company
“I’ve had many experiences where I felt uncomfortable raising a topic but I did it anyway, because there was merit in it. If we’re going to have diversity of thought, then as leaders and as professionals, we have to evaluate the things that make us uncomfortable and really decipher, what is this individual trying to say? What is the goal here? Because if you believe intentions are good, you might want to tune your ear and try to better understand what is being said, versus dismissing or disqualifying it.” – Melinda Cora: Principal, Head of Product Implementation and Project Management at PGIM Quantitative Solutions
“Many people have idea ‘sparks,’ small or large, and too many people squash their sparks. But it’s with those sparks that you can improve organizations and improve yourself. It could be as small as a change in process or as massive as complete transformation. Being able to embrace the spark is the essence of organizational and personal development.” – Geneviève Piché: Head of Sustainable Finance and Advisory, Corporate & Investment Banking, Wells Fargo
“Part of a leadership vision includes incorporating a learning curve in how you get there. None of us are always right and we’re all going to make mistakes as we go along. But the objective is still the right objective. You’ve got to move and learn along the way how to best make it where you want to go.” – Kelley Conway: Head of Corporate & Digital Strategy, Northern Trust
“I think that we have to fight. I think that we need to ask for what we need. I think we need to stop apologizing. I think we need to not think something is wrong with us and instead see the system as broken and demand for it to change.” – Reshma Saujani: Founder and CEO of Moms First
“Many women in leadership roles still don’t give themselves enough credit that we are, indeed, leaders. We feel like we never get ‘there.’ The first time someone reached out to ask for time on my calendar, I had to take a step back and realize I have gone through this 25+ year career path and people are interested in connecting with me as a leader. But I also know it’s a two-way street. There is always something we can learn from each other, no matter what your level is within an organization.” – Tiara Henderson: Corporate and Investment Banking Head of Women’s Segment and Commercial Real Estate Head of Diverse Segments, Wells Fargo
“By focusing on internal gratification, I’ve naturally been given more opportunities without necessarily focusing on what I have to do to get to the next step or to get promoted, because those are external focuses. By doing what I want to do – to grow and to learn and to do it for myself – I’ve just had those opportunities come to me…Everyone’s way towards internal gratification is different, but I feel that when you do things for yourself, you exude different energy and attract more of what you want.” – Mikaylee O’Connor: Principal, Senior Defined Contribution Strategist, PGIM DC Solutions
“In my team, we’re all scientists and we want to get things done and we want them to be perfect, so we give our best and go above and beyond. But I always like to remind my team that the job is important, but so are your health and family. While there are times when you may have to work extra hours to meet your objectives, doing so is never sustainable in the long run.” – Fabiola Gutierrez-Orozco: R&D Director, Global Nutrition Science, Reckitt
“The more I go through life, the more I realize we do not know what challenges people have every day. So above all, we need to practice kindness towards ourselves and others.” – Graciella Dominguez: Vice President of Investment Operations, Operations and Innovations, PGIM
Interviewed by Aimee Hansen
Lindsey Roy: Hallmark Cards, SVP Strategy & Brand & Motivational Speaker
Intrepid Women Series, People, Voices of ExperienceWe talked to Lindsey Roy, SVP Strategy & Brand at Hallmark Cards. At 31, she was named vice-president at Hallmark, one of the youngest VPs in the 100+ year history of the company. Five years later, at 36 years old and with two young children, she was nearly killed in a boating accident and left with an amputated leg and severe limb injuries. In 2017, after years of recovery and adaptation, she delivered a TEDx Talk entitled “What Trauma Taught Me About Happiness.”
Then, at 44 years old, having already fully adapted to several major life changes with the support of her husband Aaron and two children, Roy was diagnosed with a rare and progressive disease that destroyed the blood vessels in her lungs, requiring a double lung transplant in the summer of 2022. The road to recovery started once again.
Across 24 years at Hallmark Cards, Roy has held 12 positions while raising two children, having two life-saving surgeries, adapting to life changes, and recalibrating her dreams. In her book, The Gift of Perspective, she shares “Wisdom I Gained From Losing a Leg and Two Lungs.” She seeks to build our collective wisdom of how to walk the challenges we each face while also lifting each other up. Her story has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, O Magazine, and Working Mother.
On what to do when “why me” comes up in the midst of challenge:
“I have learned there is zero wisdom in asking, ‘Why me?’ It is a road to nowhere. It is a circular reference, infinitely looping. I have spent hours and cycles learning that. In my latest journey with my lungs, when that sentiment would come up, I would mindfully stop my brain from going there. If it would start to wonder there, I would make my brain stop mid-thought and actively think, I’m not even going to entertain the thought.
Others would also say to me, ‘I can’t believe you’re going through this. You’ve already been through so much. It’s not fair.’ But I wouldn’t entertain that. I would try to shut it down, and say, ‘Everybody goes through things. I just had the National Enquirer (sensational) version of problems. That doesn’t mean they’re harder. Problems are relative.’
I would redirect, because ‘why me?’ is simply the biggest waste of time. You’ll never solve it, so shut it down. I’m also a person of faith, so the question was also, ‘Why not me?’ How am I supposed to know how my life was supposed to be when only God knows that?”
On whether challenges shape us or reveal who we are:
“Both. I do believe that as humans, there’s a lot of ‘who we are’ that is already predetermined and pre-established from formative experiences. Those things often are latent, or even unknown, to ourselves, so there is an element of revelation: I might not have known I had those pieces. And that’s akin to the quote from Bob Marley: ‘You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice.’ There’s a lot of truth to adversity revealing parts of yourself.
But, there is definitely also a shaping piece. I now know things that you cannot know because of my experiences. I truly do believe that’s the point of sharing – because you’re never going to know what I know and I’m never going to know what you know. That’s why my purpose is to share: it adds to our collective wisdom. How beautiful that we can each pick up a gem of wisdom from someone else’s path to help us each walk our own.”
On how being confronted with adversity has impacted upon her outlook:
“Honestly, there weren’t many circumstances in my life that had put me in the empathetic seat to feeling otherized. In many ways, I had traditional ‘pathing’ and a more privileged set of circumstances. Then, I was suddenly thrown into being a member of the disabled community, the sick mom at school events, the person missing at work due to a disability situation. All of the sudden, I was a member of a lot of new clubs. I was an amputee, for example. That is a club I never expected to be a member of. I never expected to have a handicap parking pass in my 30s.
Being thrown into this world made me realize a couple of things. One, I learned something about what it feels like to be a part of a community that is not the majority. It gave me a different window into that experience. Two, it made me realize that no matter how hard I try, I’m never going to fully understand the lived experience of someone who is in another category of otherized groups of people. I won’t claim to have a full understanding, but I have a different viewpoint than I would have had without these experiences.”
On how challenges are relative and only internally defined:
“People will start to say to me, ‘My hip is really hurting.’ And then they’ll stop and say, ‘I’m so sorry, that’s nothing compared to what you’ve dealt with.’ I hear this all the time: ‘I’ve got this challenge. No, wait, I shouldn’t even say this to you.’ Even though it’s well intended, I find serious flaw in that thinking. First of all, nobody wants to win the lottery for having the worst problems. Nobody wants to hear, ‘You win: your problems are worse.’
But even more importantly, challenge is so relative because it’s infinitely dimensional. No one knows what your support system is, what resilience you’ve had the opportunity to build or to not build, or what you value most in life. For instance, if someone loses their hair to chemotherapy, that might be much harder on somebody who’s always had beautiful hair as part of their identity versus someone who’s always hated their hair. No one knows how much you value that particular dimension of life. I could name a hundred of these frames, because it is all so relative. So don’t feel shameful about sharing something that’s hard for you. Don’t default to believing that someone else’s challenges are harder. Challenge is relative and depends on so many things. You just can’t compare, and it’s not healthy to do so: it’s another road to nowhere.
Here’s my own little example of not comparing: I always have finger pain because having an extreme version of Raynaud’s Syndrome is one of the common traits of my specific autoimmune disease. My fingers have been in pain on and off for over a decade, lacking the necessary blood flow to keep them warm and high-functioning. I will get skin ulcers on the tips of my fingers or lose part of a fingernail from time to time. You would assume annoyances in your fingers would pale in comparison to having half a leg or an incision across my entire chest from a lung transplant. But on many days, it’s actually been worse. I doubt many people would guess that pain comparison correctly. It just shows you cannot know about somebody else’s challenges. That’s why I find it helpful and connective to talk to other people about what we’ve collectively learned even though our challenges are very different. I heard a profound notion the other day: I may not know your specific pain, but I know pain. How very true for so many of us.”
On navigating hardship through acceptance and beyond:
“The first thing is to know that it’s inevitable that hardship will happen and second, you will despise it. Third, it’s about coming to acceptance. Acceptance is the bottom of the pyramid of dealing with hardship, and even getting to that point is a huge challenge.
Once you can accept and even embrace that a hardship ‘is what it is’ and it’s not going to change, you then have two choices: to either dwell in a negative cycle or to try to create something beneficial out of it. If you can arrive to those points of acceptance, and get your brain in a place where you can spin something good out of it, beautiful things can happen.
I’ve gone through this cycle two big times and many little times. I’ve learned so much about how to make those pathways a little shorter and a little easier that I want to share with others. By no means is it easy: it’s very difficult. But if you know the path, it makes walking it slightly easier. I’ve found doing so is much better than the alternative.”
On why perspective is “the most powerful untapped resource”:
“Here’s a visual metaphor for perspective. Imagine an amazing pool of fresh water that’s the perfect temperature for drinking. It’s a perfectly clear, beautiful mountain stream. We all thirst for that, but we only get to sample little teaspoons here and there. We don’t normally choose when we sample those, because we usually only sample perspective in reaction to other people’s trauma, struggles, and pain. So every once in a while, we’ll hear something that makes us taste that water and all of our surface level worries dissipate. Then we think, ‘Wow, that puts things in perspective.’
I’ve found this water is always available as a resource to us, but you have to choose to walk over, bring a cup and drink. You have to actively do things. For example, the metaphorical walking over is sitting and thinking, ‘this situation looks like a horrible situation, but there’s a thousand things that are going right’ or it looks like asking ‘how could this be worse?’ That’s picking up your cup and taking active steps towards that water. But if you’re the kind of person passively sitting back and waiting on someone to throw you a teaspoon or shower you with a couple of drops, you’re not ever going to really tap into the resource of perspective. It’s actively doing even these exercises that seem so mundane and so silly. But in practice, in the wake of hardship, that’s exactly where the magic happens. You just have to understand how to walk over to that amazing pool, time and time again.
It’s almost like someone saying, ‘You want to be healthier? Exercise and eat well.’ That may be the simplest advice in the world. But it’s very different to hear it than to do it. It’s the same with sustaining perspective.”
On the power of putting perspective into practice:
“I have so many visual, visceral memories of being alone in middle of the night in hospital bathrooms in my rawest, most lonely moments. And I would say aloud, ‘How could this be worse? What is going right?’ And I would make my brain answer the question, and it was so enlightening and powerful, but very simple. It’s very hard and humbling to do that in those raw, raw, raw moments. But it is about making yourself feel vulnerable and silly, and go through the process anyway.
I would come up with things that would buy me enough resource to make it through the night or next day. I would think things like, ‘What’s the worst thing that can happen here?’ Many of those answers could get pretty dark. But then I would say, ‘Okay, let’s think about how that would be.’ I would let myself go to those worst places and instead of fear them, I would walk in those rooms in my mind. Sometimes, I would just try to let go of the control I was trying to grasp and do the thing we proverbially say, ‘Give it to God.’ That helped me more than words can say.
In short, I’ve found that you have to continually work at shifting your perspective to keep your brain focused on anything but those enticing negativity traps. The more you can focus on creating neural pathways that are more positive in nature, the more you train your brain to get better at this type of thinking.
I think it’s also important to add that you don’t have to be perfectly positive every day. There have been countless days where I have wailed or banged my fists or struggled to get out of bed. That’s ok too. But you have to find a way to keep moving forward, and actively shifting how you see things is incredibly powerful in the midst of hardship.”
On overcoming resistance to practicing perspective:
“First of all I would invite any individual to introspectively ask: what stops you from actually exercising your perspective? One suspicion is that I think people feel dumb doing these very simple things because they do seem so mundane and unhelpful until you actually do it. I think some people dismiss that sheer thought of the power of doing this stuff, but it can only be experienced by doing it.
I’m guessing, too, that negativity bias can take over. It’s taken over in my life so many times. You have to hold off that negativity bias to even create the space to ask these silly questions. That negativity bias is an 800 pound gorilla. It will come at you. Your brain is so wired for that. Just having the fortitude to fight that off for five minutes is no small thing.”
On the strategy of “borrowing perspective” in hardship or everyday life:
“When you’re in the middle of hardship or facing a certain fear, you can try ‘borrowing perspective’ from anybody who has gone through a similar situation and arrived to the other side. From where the stand, you can borrow their perspective and say, ‘If they can do this, I can.’
For example, witnessing what Amy Purdy had overcome and achieved with her two prosthetic legs (from world champion para-snowboarder to Dancing With the Stars finalist) became a lifeline of inspiration after my boating accident. I could see beyond the moment I was in. But consider even the more common experience of having a baby. When I was pregnant for the first time, along with all the excitement, I had some fear of childbirth. But I would remind myself that billions of women have had babies throughout history. If so many women had done it before me, surely I could.
There’s also ‘borrowing perspective’ as a daily practice so you don’t slip into taking things for granted. This is harder. When you’re in hardship, you’re searching for coping mechanisms. But when you’re going about your daily life, and things are going well, we often just coast. In those coasting moments, borrowing perspective would be to pause and recognize things we often don’t give any thought to, such as, ‘Wow, I live in America today instead of a war torn country’ or ‘I was just able to walk into the baseball game with functioning legs and lungs.’
Right now, we’re talking about my hard stuff, but I have a million blessings. For example, I grew up in a home where my parents loved each other and offered me love unconditionally. I have a wonderful husband and two amazing kids. I’ve always loved my job. There are a million gifts that we take for granted simply because we haven’t had to experience the broken version of that experience.”
On why authenticity and vulnerability are essential to leadership:
“It’s a trap to believe there is a certain way we are supposed to be to be successful. For example, we equate leader mentality to an ‘early bird gets the worm’ mentality. I’m a night owl. My hours are more bartender than typical Corporate America. You’re supposed to wear heels. I can’t wear heels. You’re supposed to not talk too much about your kids. That’s the most important thing in my life!
The more you can just be who you are, the more powerful that is. Whatever it is that you have that’s different, it can be something that truly makes you unique, but you can’t be scared of it. You have to let that difference shine and that takes courage and vulnerability. Being vulnerable feels like being exposed, being naked, letting someone see that part of yourself that you don’t think you should show. But that’s where your authenticity will make others appreciate you even more and where you can find your special sauce to add value to any team or situation. It’s important to find the space where you’re comfortable and have that courage to bring in more of yourself.
For myself, I’ve always been the same person whether 10:00 at night or 10:00 in the morning at work. But I’ve learned it’s also about sharing the ugly parts of yourself in the right setting, in the right way: that’s where connection happens.
Being vulnerable is connective. When someone has been vulnerable with you, you trust them more. When you take the lead and show vulnerability, it engenders trust. I have seen this so many times, and most recently, after speaking in a manufacturing plant in Kansas City. Most of the audience were men and they were telling me the most beautiful, vulnerable things that had happened in their life, because I threw it all out there first.
Vulnerability is a flywheel. Somebody has to take the lead to get it moving.”
On letting who you truly are authentically guide your path:
“There’s this type A personality model we’ve pedestaled where you have the calendar, menu and schedule planned. To some degree, that behavior is necessary and awesome. If you’re authentically that kind of person, great. But it’s also okay if you’re not.
When I was starting, people used to give me the advice to map out my career. Later, they’d advise to do three years of this project or take this lateral move to gain an experience for promotion. I would secretly dismiss that advice, even as a young professional, because it was never my mentality to do those things. I would also borrow perspective by looking at others who’d never worked in that division, or sought out a masters degree, or whatever – and were doing great. Today, I don’t have a masters and I didn’t do jobs I hated. I was in an environment of great mentors: being in fertile soil helps.
No one set of advice works for everybody. You don’t have to take advice that you don’t want to take. There are things that will unfold for you that maybe no one else could have predicted. Let that happen. Just be you, let go a bit, and see what happens.
Everyone is going to give you advice. Even in medicine, I’ve learned that if you ask ten different people the same question, often you’re going to get two to ten different answers. Many questions don’t have a precise singular answer. Now, if you get ten out of ten same answers, maybe you should follow that advice. But if you get nine one way and one the other, then you get to weigh your decision with that in mind. I think there’s a lot of power in that. But it’s vulnerability inducing to even entertain those thoughts.”
On the power of being able to let go of the plan and embrace the now:
“When I was 20 years old, I thought the perfect age to get married would be 26, the perfect age to have a baby would be 28, and the perfect place to live would be X…none of those things happened. That movie did not play out. Now when I look back at my life, I didn’t know the perfect age to do this or the right way to do that.
People say ‘this is more than I ever imagined.’ That can absolutely be true, but it can only be true if you let go of your preconceived notion of how it should be and realize there is no perfect plan. There’s only what actually plays out and how you embrace that. But there’s so much value in letting go of what was and being okay with what is.
Also, it’s human nature to compare. But if you’re going to compare, don’t let your brain compare things to a state that you can’t control. You can’t control when you fall in love, when someone hires you, or the result of a physical accident. So do not let yourself compare to some preconceived notion or some past, because it is another circular reference to the path to nowhere. It’s fruitless and futile. You will never be able to get out of that hole.
Rather, what you can do is say that didn’t happen. This did happen. What can I attach myself to now? To use a metaphor, imagine you’re swimming down the river because you fell out of a boat. You might want to be back in that boat, but that’s not an option anymore. So you better grab a tree to hold onto. May you’ll find that tree is cool and beautiful, and you’re going to hang out there. But you can’t compare to things that you thought had to happen. I’ve failed many times, but the consciousness of this line of thinking is what’s important.”
On learning how to trust in and surrender to your unique life path:
“I’ve had to work really hard on growing my trust, and for me that means having faith. Of five brands of belief I have identified that have supported me, that’s the most important one. It’s so easy to say it, but very different to really open yourself up to that relationship where God is truly in control. For me, trusting really is letting go and realizing that there is a path I’m supposed to walk. I don’t get to pick that path, but I can find joy in walking it, no matter what it looks like to others.
Years ago, we had the traveling Titanic exhibit in Kansas City. When you walked in, you received a secret little envelope. At the end, you were told your fate based on math. Are you someone who drowned? Are you someone who survived? It was just based on the math of the event and the math of the people walking through.
God handed me this little secret envelope that I’ve only read 20% of or 40% of, or who knows, and I don’t get to change what’s in that envelope. But the more I embrace what’s in that envelope and realize that once again, I’m not in control, the better everything is. It’s believing deep down that whatever it is, it’s going to be okay, so give up the control. I’m constantly reminding myself to go back and find my center there. And when I do, it is the most freeing feeling ever.”
Interviewed by Aimee Hansen
Can Personal Setbacks Enhance Your Leadership? Turning Challenges Into Growth
Career Advice, Career Tip of the Week!There’s no question that women in leadership roles often have to deal with unique, specific challenges. Being able to overcome those hurdles can help you foster enhanced leadership skills and empathy.
With that in mind, knowing how to connect personal setbacks to career growth can make a big difference in how you carry yourself in a professional setting, and how you move forward in a leadership position.
The Overlap Between Personal and Professional
Striking a healthy work-life balance is important for everyone. But, it can feel like walking a tightrope when you’re a woman in leadership. Unfortunately, gender bias still exists in many industries, and it can cause many women to feel guilty about spending too much time at home. You might rush to complete milestones at work, or feel a sense of competition. You might even feel guilt for taking the time to practice self-care.
It’s important to let go of that guilt. There’s a greater overlap between the things you learn at home and what you can use at work than you might think. For example, if your family has struggled with financial difficulties in the past, you can use the skills you learned from overcoming those issues to help your business manage its finances, too. Managing personal finance challenges can help with:
When you have experience with financial setbacks, you’ll feel more comfortable and knowledgeable talking about them. That can help to break the taboo around money in an office setting, and allow for more transparency when it comes to your business’s financial situation. It can also help remind us that when we face challenges on a personal level, we gain spiritual wisdom that we can bring with us into the workplace too.
Mental Health Awareness
Over 40 million adults in the U.S. deal with anxiety. Millions more struggle with depression, and a variety of other mental health conditions. While the stigma surrounding mental health has lessened over the years, it can often still be found in the workplace. Some people are afraid to talk about their mental health issues, so they struggle in silence. Too many business settings don’t do enough to promote mental health and create a safe working environment that allows people to open up about their struggles.
When we normalize conversations concerning topics like anxiety, depression, and burnout in the workplace, we begin to see just how many people are affected — and we may even begin to see how these issues might be stemming from cultural and systemic factors, rather than personal ones. When you realize that some of these struggles are less about personal factors than you originally first perceived, you’ll naturally want to create mentally healthier work environments. All of this helps support professional workplaces that support personal health and wellbeing.
If you’ve dealt with mental health issues in the past – or you’re still dealing with them – you can use those issues to be a better leader and create a healthier workplace environment. It should come as no surprise that your job can actually have an impact on your mental well-being. Fostering a workplace that promotes mental health awareness can help with things like:
When you’re in a leadership role, people will look to you for the “green light” when it comes to certain issues. If you’re willing to open up about your own mental health struggles, it will be easier for others to come forward and do the same. When word gets out that your work environment has completely slashed the taboo nature of mental health issues, it’s likely that you’ll increase employee retention while becoming a more desirable business for new hires.
The Importance of Empathy
Overcoming personal challenges can help to boost your emotional intelligence. Specifically, it can make you more empathetic. You might not think that’s an important skill to have, especially as a woman who wants to be taken seriously in the workforce. But, empathy goes a long way – especially in a leadership position. In fact, it’s one of the top leadership qualities, as vulnerable, empathetic leaders are better able to:
Leaders who have overcome mental health issues, themselves, are naturally more likely to be empathetic. Taking care of a family and dealing with the daily challenges and setbacks that arise from being a leader at home can also carry over into the workplace. Leaders who empathize aren’t showing weakness. Rather, they are able to identify the feelings of the people working for them. Not only does that help with self-awareness, but it makes them more thoughtful, conscientious, and confident in their decisions.
One example of empathy-as-a-strength can be shown in the form of cultural wealth — more specifically resistant capital. Resistant capital is “the inherited foundation and historical legacy of communities of color and marginalized groups in resisting inequality and pursuing equal rights.” This includes resisting stereotypes that you don’t identify with. If you’ve ever had to integrate from another culture, you understand how hard it can be to feel like an outsider — and you can bring that knowledge as a strength to your workforce.
Leaders who are empathetic understand the needs of those who work for them. They’re more likely to build healthy relationships with those people, fostering a more positive, communicative work environment.
Emotional intelligence is more than just a soft skill. Take the same empathy you might show to your family and friends and carry it over into the workplace.
Everyone faces challenges in their personal lives. Using those setbacks to enhance your leadership can be an effective way to “humanize” yourself in the business world while still gaining the respect you deserve. Learn from your setbacks instead of letting them bring you down. They can help you become the leader you were born to be.
By: Indiana Lee is a passionate writer from the Pacific Northwest, specializing in business operations, leadership, and marketing. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
Helen Chang: Managing Director, Head of Asia Pacific ex Japan, Client Advisory Group, PGIM
People, Voices of ExperienceChang shares her journey about the benefit of international perspectives, taking on new opportunities to evolve and inspiring yourself and others through passion.
Growing Your Career from Outside the Comfort Zone
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Chang went to boarding school in the UK, attended college in Canada and then started as a trainee at JP Morgan Chase where she gained exposure to various areas of banking. She then obtained her MBA at Yale University. Living abroad at an early age, she developed an international perspective and a high degree of adaptability in connecting with multicultural people from different backgrounds.
While at Yale, Chang worked on Wall Street for a summer before returning to Hong Kong with Credit Suisse. She then decided to take a major career pivot from sell-side (lending and credits) in the private sector to the buy-side (investments and policymaking) in the public sector by joining the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) (the de facto Central Bank in Hong Kong). Eventually, she was promoted to lead the internal direct investment team, where she gained deep insight into asset management and the investment decision-making process. She also went onto work in international relations, working with central banks and sovereign wealth funds in the region. It’s safe to say that Chang built a solid growth platform to build upon with her deep knowledge of central banking over nearly a decade.
After leaving HKMA for a brief stint with Standard Chartered Bank, Chang went back to the private sector with Principal Global Investors in asset management. There, she was charged with building the business and investment profile across North Asia. In this role, she grew the business from scratch and was instrumental in raising assets, increasing headcount from one to eighteen by the time she left to take on a new and exciting role with PGIM Fixed Income in 2020. Beginning in her new role just two days before the COVID-19 pandemic, she embraced the opportunity to lead a broader regional remit.
“As an Asian, I was brought up in a culture where my parents told me to be modest. So, we’d often say we’re not very good in doing certain things, when in fact, we were,” says Chang. “In interacting with so many diverse backgrounds internationally, I’ve learned you need to believe in yourself, and you need to be open-minded and have the courage to get out of your comfort zone.”
“I was courageous enough to make many career moves even when people advised me not to make those changes,” she says. “In hindsight, I feel I’m a more well-rounded professional and person for having experienced both the private and public sector as well as both buy-side and sell-sides.”
Embracing Vast Opportunities to Develop and Grow
Chang encourages taking a long-term approach to career development, advising others to prioritize new opportunities and experiences. While there may be detours on a career path, all experiences will contribute to one’s future career trajectory. She provides two examples from her journey.
First, in broadening her exposure and knowledge base during her tenure in the public sector, Chang experienced the biggest culture shock of her journey. The long and painstaking decision-making processes and lobbying to many stakeholders were a major adjustment to her private sector background. Even though this challenged her patience, she also feels it was one of the most rewarding experiences and enhanced her ability to get to where she sits today.
Second, Chang learned about what she wanted to do when she took on a new role at Standard Chartered. In what she now judges as too early, Chang says she took on a senior management role, which comprised of sitting in executive meetings, reporting progress and focusing on developing people internally. While she enjoyed parts of this role, she found herself missing her active strategic role in developing and growing the business. She had the big title. She was competent. But it simply didn’t get her heart beating or her blood pumping to be so far removed from the strategic work she loved doing, so she knew she had to move on.
“I’ve always enjoyed building business, and this is where I know I add the most value,” she says.
Using Your Voice with Confidence in Your Knowledge
Often the only woman in the room, Chang has been fortunate enough to have coworkers and mentors from diverse backgrounds who helped shape her leadership style and showed her the value of speaking up.
“Like most Asians, we can be shy and were taught that speaking up may not be courteous, but in reality, it’s not the case.” She notes, “I’ve learned from these leaders, and a lot of them have become very senior executives, in the United States and across Asia.”
Being comfortable voicing her opinions was something that happened slowly for Chang. Early on, she was more conservative about using her voice, but as she advanced, she began to realize that she was hesitating to speak when others who were unafraid to use their voices in the room simply did not possess the same expertise she had.
“You build up your confidence. Once people know you know the business, they respect you and are more open to hearing what you have to say,” she says. “But you need to work hard and know your stuff: you can’t bluff. Because once you start bluffing, people don’t believe you.”
Inspiring Others to Enjoy Work and Grow
“As a leader, gone are the days when one can be bureaucratic. When I started my career, some leaders would say, ‘I’m senior, your job is to listen.’ Things have changed. Many of my team members are younger than me and have a different mentality when it comes to leadership and management styles. Using an old-fashioned management style won’t work – nor is it beneficial to the business,” she says. “It’s important to have connectivity with your whole team, to be able to joke and laugh with them, which helps contribute to them enjoying being at work and enables them to produce a high-quality of work. We’re no longer talking about how many hours you spend in the office, but how much you deliver.”
The successful leaders who have inspired Chang are people who were never afraid to take calculated risks and knew how to inspire a team. They have a passion for their work and for making a difference with their contribution, even in the face of adversity.
“If you love and are passionate about something, you’ll be able to do well. Sometimes there are even these hidden abilities within yourself that you didn’t know,” she says. “So, when you see passionate leaders doing what they love and bringing out more of themselves, it inspires you to think maybe I can as well.”
Nurturing Diversity to Thrive
True to her own international perspective and tasked with the challenge of working across cultural nuances in building relationships with clients and counterparts in the region, her team of direct reports is diverse. She appreciates the cultural transparency in advising clients honestly on what will and will not work, and the focus on long-term business building.
“I have always believed in diversity to help the team grow and build business,” Chang says. “I encourage people to speak up. No one will get punished if they don’t speak. It’s just more engaging when the team share their perspectives and what’s on their minds.”
Having experienced various company cultures, too, Chang appreciates how PGIM is team-oriented, encourages diversity and is respectful of people, which she thinks drives firm loyalty and longer tenures. Even though PGIM is one of the largest asset managers in the world, Chang says that it doesn’t have the same grueling workplace culture that other NYC-firms she worked for has and encourages flexibility while also getting the job done.
The Importance of a Refreshed Perspective
When not traveling for work, Chang enjoys spending time with her family. She also enjoys cooking, hiking and personal travel.
Chang emphasizes the importance of recharging and taking good breaks to rejuvenate yourself to start the week with a clear head and on a positive note. Coming back with a fresh perspective is important to making a stronger impact and contributions to her job, as she continues to do.
By Aimee Hansen