“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
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
Rhonda Johnson: CEO, Different Like You, Inc & Acting Deputy Director, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Intrepid Women Series, People, Voices of ExperienceJohnson speaks about the unfolding of her DEI journey from Wall Street to Washington, D.C., being part of the founding team of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and launching Different Like You, Inc and the Sacki App to weave the principle of inclusion deeper into the social fabric of small businesses and our daily lives.
A Culture Change from NYC to D.C.
Growing up as a New Yorker in a diverse neighborhood, Johnson was struck by the lack of diversity when she entered into Wall Street, often as the only woman or woman of color in the room.
“Different perspectives add value to the solution. If everyone was coming from Harvard or Stanford or Ivy League schools, I felt there wasn’t enough diversity even in the way people think, because they’re trained how to think at these schools,” she recalls. “I was interested in diversity of thought and experience and felt we needed to do something different.”
At James D. Wolfensohn, Inc., a private equity firm, Johnson began recruiting at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), too. Quickly, she witnessed how diversity shifts the culture. She observed how bringing in people of different economic, educational, and ethnic or racial backgrounds disrupts group think and status quo approaches to problem-solving, which also introduces tension.
“At that time, nobody was confronting these questions. What does inclusion look like when you bring in different types of people if we don’t operate on the same plane?” she was asking. “How do we solve this problem?” Diversity was being addressed but inclusion was lacking. Over the years this became a nagging question.
In November 2009, during Barack Obama’s presidency, Johnson moved to Washington D.C. to work in the Office of the Under Secretary for Domestic Finance within the U.S. Treasury. Her boss Jeffrey Goldstein, then chairman at Hellman & Friedman, was nominated to the post and brought her in. She served as a review analyst for two years, during which her passion to advance inclusion increased.
“Back in New York, even though diversity was limited within financial services, I didn’t feel isolated or marginalized, as it was a melting pot. If you work in NYC you are exposed to different types of people as part of daily life. D.C. felt way more polarized. Even where people lived was very racially divided. I was frankly shocked at the difference in culture,” she notes. “It started to slowly change because people of color from across the country were moving to the area to work for Barack Obama, so more racial, ethnic, cultural and economic diversity was being infused into the DC area and the federal government.”
Johnson moved on to become a founding member of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in 2011, initially as D&I Program Analyst and then as Senior Advisor, Office of Minority and Women Inclusion, before stepping into the deputy director role as of April. Now she focuses on assessing diversity and inclusion within financial services, essentially going full circle to help financial institutions address the challenges she identified early in her career.
Why Diverse Perspectives Bring Creativity
“I am curious about people. I want to hear about your story. I want to know about you, what you’re doing, where you’re trying to go,” says Johnson. “I also want to hear your perspective about solutions we’re working on. I feel no one person has the answer, and all products and solutions can benefit from different perspectives.”
Meeting people where they are and valuing collaboration, she is a furtive gatherer and proponent of the creative value of multiple perspectives.
“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,” says Johnson. “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.”
She gives the example of a mechanic looking at a problem in the medical field. Their opinion may be invalidated because they’re not a doctor, but being outside of that frame also gives the mechanic an opportunity to see a totally different solution which the doctor may not be able to consider from his vantage point within it.
“When you have diversity of thought, I genuinely believe you open the door to much more and many creative solutions,” emphasizes Johnson. “I often think the creativity lies not necessarily in the subject matter expert, but in the person who is looking at the problem for the first time.”
Raising Her Voice To Advocate for Inclusion
Johnson has always valued giving employees a voice – through surveys with disaggregated data results, through ERGs, and diversity councils. She also had to raise her own voice to make sure that happened.
“I’ve always been that person to fight for the underdog. I don’t like unfairness,” says Johnson. “So anytime I saw unfair treatment, I was definitely always willing to speak up, even in an environment where I didn’t feel like I had a lot of power.”
Early on in her career, Johnson focused on being observant, listening, learning and working hard, not so much on her voice being heard. Until it became necessary. Compared to the NYC culture, where people were more forthright, Johnson found the culture polite and evasive in D.C.
“There was a disconnect between what people were saying and what they were willing to do,” she observed, “I take people at their word. If you say you support this, I expect your efforts to reflect that, and so when that didn’t happen, I would confront the person. I found out people weren’t used to being challenged on what they promised in this space,” she says. “So I had to find a different way than directly calling people out. That’s when I shifted my approach, I started to dive deep into the research to ensure that my colleagues could better understand the importance of diversity and inclusion initiatives being proposed, I began sharing the data behind the strategies, and working collaboratively to gain buy-in and then documenting the commitments people made. It often requires more work to help people understand the importance of equity, so it became more socially acceptable to also hold them accountable.”
Launching a Social Inclusion App
Her professional focus on DEI and the culture shock of moving from NYC to D.C. also spurred Johnson on an entrepreneurial journey. Whereas in the NYC melting pot, she could go into any restaurant and see diverse customers, when going out with friends in D.C., she often experienced being treated differently.
“People take their biases everywhere and if there’s no incentive to check them, they won’t change. We are imperfect and the result of so much we’ve experienced,” she says. “In the corporate world, we get training to check our biases. But I’m not sure that happens at small businesses, merchants, apparel shops, gift stores and restaurants. I felt there was a need for more communication around how different groups of people are being treated – whether it’s because of race, language proficiency, or size.”
She launched differentlikeyouinc.com and the Sacki App. Sacki is similar to Yelp with a diversity matching dimension. Consumers are invited to create a profile and share positive and constructive reviews on their experiences with merchants. Sacki matches consumers (based on their demographic profile) with relevant review data.
In 2015, she first began to frame out the App but then got stalled on development setbacks. During the lull of the lockdown, she decided not to watch television and found that she was re-energized in her passion for developing Sacki.
She notes, “I began to research the impacts on mental health and physical illness from the stress of life for groups of people – Hispanic people, black people, people with disabilities, obese people. All these interactions they have on a day-to-day basis cause so much stress and affect health and mortality,” she says. “How people are treated on a day-to-day basis while going about their lives has such a massive impact on our society, daily micro-aggressions result in anger, frustration, depression, that lead to decisions and behaviors that affect all of us. The goal is that everyone should be treated with dignity and respect.”
Johnson’s Sacki App will hold people accountable in smaller, less formal business settings that also contribute to day-to-day interactions. Currently, the Sacki App is in beta in Atlanta. Sacki will go national to major cities within a year and international within a couple of years. Currently, she is in the process of learning how people behave with the App and what modifications need to be made.
Dealing with development, technology and design, Johnson has been stretched by launching an App, but her entrepreneurial spirit had already been there.
“When I went to the CFPB, I had the opportunity to be super creative informing our office, our function and our role,” she says. “There was a lot of opportunity to be innovative and bold because we were just launching and building the agency.
Building A World Without Shells
“I have always been extremely sensitive, and I think I built this shell around myself because it wasn’t working for me,” she recalls, giving the example of a female colleague once stealing the idea Johnson had shared with her and presenting it to their boss. “I felt so naive. Different incidents in the work culture broke my heart. That hardened me. I didn’t trust people.”
Though part of her feels putting a guard up was necessary, she also knows operating with a survival mechanism is not the same as thriving, and she doesn’t want to do it to herself, anymore.
“What’s for you no one can ever take away. Stay true to yourself. Maintain your authenticity,” she would say she has learned through the years. “I think my authenticity is important. Sometimes you have to figure out whether you’re in the right spaces for who you are, who you truly are,” she muses. “Without the shell, I may not have survived in certain environments. Being authentic may lead you to different places and even doing different things. It sounds cliche but I think people should follow their heart.”
Now Johnson is expanding into more of who she truly is while enjoying the culture and nature of Washington D.C., too. The Sacki App, based on inclusion, is her way of trying to impact the world so people can be who they are everywhere they go.
By: Aimee Hansen
Human Design for Leaders: Understanding Your Inner Authority for Better Decision-Making
Career Advice, Career Tip of the Week!What Is Human Design?
Human design is a technique that combines traditional spiritual beliefs from numerous cultures. Each type factors in your place of birth, date, and time before matching you with your inner authority type.
When someone makes a decision, their metacognition draws from their self-confidence to choose the option that best prevents mistakes or loss of resources. Human design types explain where that self-confidence may come from based on your personal body graph. Understanding your intuitive nature may help optimize your choices based on how your natural energy flow utilizes opportunities.
How to Find Your Human Design Type
Inner authority in human design differs in each person because it comes from your unique personality and intuition. Take a quick human design quiz to get your results. Understanding how you’re one of these types could help you feel more confident when making business decisions.
Sacral
Someone with sacral authority might describe themselves as a person who listens to their gut. Their instinctive feelings are their motor because they’ve spent a lifetime weighing choices and learning from mistakes. Sacral-centered people ground themselves in their physiological responses by recognizing signs of stressors, like fatigue, or indicators of good choices, like an even heartbeat.
Making a decision with your sacral chakra could mean feeling a buzz in your body when something is clearly right or wrong. Imagine conducting a department meeting where you must assign someone to a leadership position on a budget revision project. Two of your best team members volunteer, but your gut says to pick the person who evaluates the math while considering the human impact of budget cuts.
A sacral authority type could also heed this skill when leveraging marketplace research during high-stakes negotiations or deciding how to manage a massive portfolio. Your internal comfort or discomfort is a sign your sacral intuition is pointing you in the best direction.
Self-Projected
People who talk through problems to find solutions use their self-projected authority. This could be you if you’re one of the 95% of Americans who reach for the phone first when they need to talk with someone. You could also journal your thoughts before deciding something, meeting with a therapist, or talking with an executive coaching professional.
Take a human design type test to see your results and consider if they match how you typically make decisions. Seeing it in writing may solidify your decision-making process and teach you how to approach challenging professional dilemmas with confidence.
Human design for leaders may lean more into this inner authority type as well because good bosses are in touch with their self-expression. Knowing who you are as a leader and how you operate best is key to a self-projected leadership style.
Self-projectors may start a conversation with another C-suite peer and realize they need to change their daily workflow to become more productive. This design type will best succeed by naming the challenge with their supervisor and verbally brainstorming new ways to increase their productivity.
Embracing this approach is good for numerous reasons. Self-projectors will reach solutions more quickly by working with their human design type instincts. They’ll also demonstrate effective problem-solving and leadership skills by authentically communicating with others around them. It strengthens the entire workplace — starting with a quick human design quiz.
Emotional Solar Plexus
The solar plexus authority centers around emotional waves. You might use this instinct for guidance by following your emotional truth when it points you in specific directions. It’s a crucial part of any workplace because it centralizes everyone’s humanity in business worlds driven by growth charts and revenue.
The most vital part of emotional solar plexus authority is learning your emotional scale. When you feel something, are your emotions reacting at their peak or out of a grounded place in your heart?
Time is the best way to identify this balance. Imagine a team member asking you to plan your workplace’s next holiday party. Waves of excitement and joy overwhelm, instantly bringing to mind ideas for party planning and hosting skills. You recognize how your feelings are a bit strong for the topic, so you let your co-worker know you’ll get back to them tomorrow.
Sitting with the idea overnight allows your emotions to settle back down. You know you’d love to take charge of the party, but emotional clarity reminds you how your upcoming board member meeting require your full attention. The next day, you thank your co-worker for the consideration but pass on hosting duties this year.
Splenic
Spontaneous people often draw their choices from their splenic inner authority. It generates an impulsive energy that is powerful in highly self-aware people. This human design type thrives in roles like entrepreneurship, marketing, and creative director positions. Your splenic authority inspires others through your quick ideas, making this personality type invaluable in the workplace.
Scholars argue that emotions are inherently spontaneous, so people should accept when they happen. Splenic individuals use those same emotions and follow them without overthinking where each path might lead. It’s a skill that makes choices easier if you can identify your automatic emotional responses.
You might listen to your impulses when you get a rush of happiness after solving an efficiency issue with your financial operations team. Listening to your intuition about problem-solving enables you to guide others toward optimized solutions that benefit shareholders and consumers.
Listening to your splenic energy will help you make bigger decisions if you balance it with enough time to consider the pros and cons of your next choice. If a C-suite member asks you whether letting a team member go would be best for their department, the gravity of that decision calls for more time than an instinctive reaction. The intense adrenaline rush is a warning sign that your stress could keep you from seeing the entire situation clearly.
Your initial feelings may be what you go with anyway, but harnessing your splenic mindset and expressing it when you feel is best will ensure you’re a helpful leader in the workplace.
Ego
People with more ego authority tend to consider or prioritize their needs before others. This isn’t always a bad thing, especially if your needs directly tie to your employer’s or company’s.
An executive handling enormous responsibilities every day knows their professional reputation intricately ties to the company they lead. They may push harder for specific changes in brand marketing or business practices so the company works better for consumers, uplifting their reputation simultaneously.
Additionally, this skill can stop massive mistakes from happening. If you’re well-versed in your executive vision, you’ll know which steps could take your teams away from your mission statement in the long term. The personal perspective may save your company from something that costs revenue or even its viability.
Ego-driven choices can also come from a strong desire in your heart. When that overcomes your logical mind, it can leave you emotionally exhausted. It could be easier to make decisions when you note if your ego energy is equally from your head and your heart.
Environmental
Environmental inner authority is another human-design approach to decision-making. Instead of encountering a problem and making a decision based on your instinct, you would wait until you’ve had the chance to consider your response in a more optimum environment.
Emotionally-driven workplace leaders can be engaging and form the heart of their company. It’s also not a skill that’s optimum in every situation. If your human design test result comes back as an environmental authority, you’ll feel more confident in your decisions after spending time in a peaceful place where you can contemplate by yourself.
Picture yourself meeting with the chief financial officer of your company. They mention how it would help quarterly revenue to cut the marketing budget. Reducing your brand exposure instantly feels like a bad idea, but you spend time with the dilemma. Maybe you spend lunch alone in the office kitchen or sit under the stars that night to think it through.
Giving yourself permission to pause is a vital skill in any field. It demonstrates thoughtful leadership and teaches others how to establish boundaries as leaders within their teams.
Lunar
Some people believe they operate best from a place of lunar authority. It means they wait a full moon cycle — 28 days — before making big decisions. Your human design quiz results may reveal this aspect of you, which is a fascinating skill to bring to work every day.
Lunar authority is a lesson in taking time. You won’t be able to wait 28 days for every decision, but it could make the more significant ones more successful. You might use that time to negotiate with others in a series of meetings or plan a detailed campaign approach to expanding your company before committing to anything.
Whether you decide to wait a full month or not, sometimes distance makes it easier to conquer challenges. Don’t be afraid to claim more than a few hours to weigh your options and chart a path forward.
Start Understanding Yourself Better
Inner authority in human design is personal. It depends on your body’s genetic makeup and how energy translates through your chakras. Generating your human design chart will help you connect with your inner authority type and make better decisions in your role as an executive. You’ll know your strengths and potential weaknesses, which is essential for dynamic leaders adapting to industry challenges.
By: Beth Rush is the career and finance editor at Body+Mind. She has 5+ years of experience writing about the power of human design to reveal entrepreneurial potential and time management strategies. She also writes about using the emotion of awe to activate our leadership prowess. You can find her on Twitter @bodymindmag. Subscribe to Body+Mind for more posts by Beth Rush.
(Guest Contribution: The opinions and views of guest contributions are not necessarily those of theglasshammer.com).
Lola Ninonuevo: International Chief Operating Officer, Wells Fargo
People, Voices of ExperienceWhen she was twelve years old, Ninonuevo told her mother she wanted to travel internationally, see the world and become a business woman. Growing up speaking Spanish at home, she then studied Japanese while obtaining her economics degree, began her career in a Japanese bank in New York, and has spent the last 25 years working out of London in global positions, joining Wells Fargo in 2020 to help lead the international business strategy.
Finding a Bigger Reset in London
From early on, her Puerto Rican mom and Cuban Puerto Rican father impressed upon Ninonuevo the value of a good career. She was drawn to banking for the multicultural, international environment and the financial security. In 1991, she took that first trading assistant job with a small Japanese bank in World Trade Center in New York. As the only woman on the trading floor, she both served tea but was empowered early on to take on additional responsibilities such as cash management for the branch and representing the bank at industry round tables hosted by Paul Volcker, former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank. Having gained experienced in the fixed income market, she then joined BlackRock, which at the time was a start-up and small boutique asset manager, and worked with the founding partners to set up the middle office and trading support functions.
In 1996, she was approached by HSBC to help build out their Global Markets business. She was attracted to their global footprint, and in 1999, she relocated to London with HSBC and went onto work for 23 years across a variety of global roles in the Corporate and Investment Bank. London offered her international travel, a strong learning curve and new career prospects. But what London also provided was a reset and new freedom of self, supported by now being a part of a multicultural global and diverse organization.
“I had not been ‘out’ in the workplace in New York, and that was hard. It impacted my decisions and ability to bring myself to work, for example talking about what I had done over the weekend and attending corporate events with my partner,” she recalls. “I felt more at home in London where I felt comfortable to be more open about my personal life, because I could be Lola, the American woman who moved. Not the Puerto Rican woman. Not the gay woman. It was just Lola.”
Two decades later, in 2020, Ninonuevo was approached for the COO role at Wells Fargo. While still based in London, returning to a U.S. work culture has felt like a homecoming. She notes that John Langley, CIB COO and Head of International, has been a fantastic leader, support and sponsor. Ninonuevo has found a welcoming, collaborative and optimistic culture at Wells Fargo and enjoys connecting with both international colleagues from different backgrounds as well as reconnecting with American colleagues across the US.
“I can be an American advocate while bringing my international perspective to the table to help drive the Wells Fargo global strategy,” she says. “It feels like coming home, and it’s fantastic to be back.”
Creating a Brand of Speaking the Truth
When it comes to rising up to the executive level, Ninonuevo notes self-awareness is critical – including knowing what you’re good at and what you’re not and building a team that complements your strengths and weaknesses. Resilience and being a powerful collaborator are also essential.
“In banking these days, with both the complexity and risk management challenges we’ve had since the crisis, connecting the dots and bringing people together to solve problems is a key part of what I bring to the table,” she reflects. “I really focus on building relationships. I’m honest and candid in my approach.”
Her willingness to be incisive, which found a home in British culture, helped Ninonuevo to breakthrough to the C-suite in 2012. When HSBC was in a crisis with compliance issues, she stood up and spoke truthfully about what was going well and what was not going well. That became a turning point in her career, catapulting her into a global role leading the firm wide compliance transformation across 60 countries.
“When I came in and talked to the board and the regulators, they knew they were going to get honest and balanced feedback. And that became my personal brand – a person with integrity that got the job done. In my opinion, since the crisis, the role of women in banking has become very important in C-suite jobs. Because I personally think we are more inclined to ask difficult questions, be honest, and not just go along for the sake of going along. And that tribal mentality of going along was a pitfall in the industry.”
Pivoting to a Collective Leader Mindset
“In my opinion, being a true leader is not just about managing up anymore or trying to get the next job,” says Ninonuevo. “I genuinely think I should be judged based on the teams I build and how I encourage and empower them.”
This involves a greater level of willingness to let go and let learn.
“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,” she says. “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.”
Visibility has been the major factor that distinguishes the C-Suite from other levels of leadership, and again asks one to evolve.
“The visibility and impact you can have as a C-Suite leader are multiplied. It’s so important to be aware of how you behave, how you treat people, and how you react under stress.”
The Obligation of Being a Voice
“With all the learnings on how important it is to have diversity and diversity of thought around the table, and often being the only woman in the conversation, I feel it’s my obligation to ask those difficult questions and make sure we’re challenging ourselves to do the right things and to hold ourselves accountable,” says Ninonuevo. “So I’ve used the difference as an opportunity to have a voice, to be honest and to say it like it is.”
Ninonuevo has reflected with compassion, too. “When firms are in crisis, they are driven by fear. And when you’re afraid, you basically hire in your own image because you trust it and it’s what you know. Taking risk is hard when you’re in a crisis.”
When it comes to managing your career, Ninonuevo emphasizes to be your own advocate, communicate your ambitions to your stakeholders regularly, focus on your transferable skills and don’t be afraid to go after challenging roles.
“As Citi’s Jane Fraser has spoken to, your career is over decades. It’s not the be-all and end-all. There’s periods where you can really lean in and put 100% into it, and there’s periods where you can’t, and that’s okay as long as you stay connected.”
Why Relaxing Into Yourself Makes All the Difference
Ninonuevo admits that for years, being gay and feeling unable to talk about her life outside of the workplace inhibited her ability to relate and feel belonging with colleagues on a personal level, but that also touches upon everything else.
“In the workplace, people relate and connect by sharing things about themselves, whether it’s their family life, their children, or what they did over the weekend,” she says. “I found it really hard to share because I was self-conscious.”
If she could go back and give her junior self some words to lighten the road ahead, she would advise to be more of herself at work, sooner. But, at times, she worried about how others would react and whether it would count against her. She even got a coach to seek out help in confidence-building.
“After a few seconds of work, he stopped and told me, ‘You don’t have a confidence issue. You’re confident. You know what you’re doing. People enjoy working with you,’” says Ninonuevo. “Then, he said, ‘You just need to be yourself and selectively find opportunities to do that and connect.’”
For her, this meant becoming more willing to bring her full self to work, despite the challenges she felt. As a change agent, once she becomes aware of something, Ninonuevo starts to move forward in a more effective way.
“Before that, I’m sure I was projecting a lack of confidence. But I was just closed with that part of myself. But the more that I was myself, the more I relaxed, my body language relaxed and people relaxed around me,” she says. “I started being more approachable, people enjoyed working with me more, and I got results from that. I actually had more gravitas because I felt relaxed and confident and became a better communicator, and it all started coming together.”
Ninonuevo is a dual citizen, practices pilates and enjoys walks. She loves spending time with her six year old daughter, traveling and good food and wine. After a month in Spain, she’s been inspired to get her Spanish fluency to where it was those years ago, back when she first professed to her mother that she would become an international business woman…let alone, fill a big seat in the C-Suite.
By Aimee Hansen
Making Your Mark as a Female Entrepreneur (+Statistics)
Career Advice, NewsFrom identifying a niche to building a solid network, developing a business plan, and embracing digital marketing, we’ll provide insights and practical tips that can help women entrepreneurs achieve their goals and overcome obstacles. Then, we’ll share some women in business statistics so you can see real-world examples of how women are currently leading the charge.
So, whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting as a young woman in business, read on to discover how to turn your entrepreneurial dreams into a reality.
Find a niche:
When starting a business, identifying a gap in the market that you can fill is essential. This could be a product or service that’s not currently available or an area where there’s a lack of competition. Conduct market research to identify potential opportunities and validate your ideas.
Steps to building a strong network:
Networking is an essential part of entrepreneurship. Building a solid network is an integral part of entrepreneurship—especially in industries completely dominated by men. Here are some steps to help you build a strong network:
1. Identify your goals:
Before you start building your network, you must identify your goals. What do you want to achieve? Who do you need to connect with? Having a clear idea of your goals will help you focus your efforts and build meaningful relationships.
2. Attend events:
Attend networking events, conferences, and industry associations. Look for events that are relevant to your industry or interests. This will help you connect with other like-minded individuals and potential customers.
3. Join online communities:
Join relevant online communities and participate in discussions. This could be on social media, forums, or other online platforms. This will help you build relationships and gain insights from others in your industry.
4. Leverage existing relationships:
Remember your existing relationships. Reach out to former colleagues, classmates, and acquaintances. Tell them about your business and ask for introductions to potential customers or other relevant individuals.
When building relationships, it’s important to be genuine and helpful. Refrain from approaching networking with a transactional mindset. Instead, focus on building meaningful relationships with others. Offer value and help others whenever possible.
5. Follow up:
After meeting someone, be sure to follow up. Send an email or connect on LinkedIn to stay in touch. This will help you maintain relationships and keep the conversation going.
By following these steps, you can build a strong network to help you succeed as an entrepreneur. Building relationships takes time and effort, but it’s worth it in the long run. You can also nurture an inner circle of women as you network — this can help support your growth and advancement in your industry.
Develop a business plan:
A business plan is a roadmap for your business. It outlines your goals, strategies, and financial projections. A well-written business plan will help you stay focused and on track. It will also be useful when seeking funding or investment.
Embrace digital marketing:
Digital marketing is an effective and cost-efficient way to promote your business. Use social media, email marketing, and other digital channels to reach a wider audience. Develop a content marketing strategy that provides value to your audience and positions you as an expert. This is especially important in key job markets where women are underrepresented, like STEM.
Continuously learn and adapt:
Entrepreneurship is a learning process. Stay up-to-date with the latest industry trends and innovations. Attend conferences, read industry publications, and seek out mentors and advisors. Be open to feedback and adjust your strategies accordingly. Continuously improving and adapting will help you stay ahead of the competition. These statistics are a great way to learn from the past to be a force to be reckoned with in the future:
By following these strategies, female entrepreneurs can increase their chances of building a successful business. Staying focused, working hard, and persevering through challenges is important for success. With dedication and some luck, you can turn your entrepreneurial dreams into a reality.
(The opinions and views of guest contributions are not necessarily those of theglasshammer.com).
First, The Glass Ceiling – Now, Women Fight Robots for Their Careers
Career Advice, Career Tip of the Week!Recently McKinsey Global Institute released the study, Generative AI and the future of work in America. The report was a measured exploration of “Which jobs will be in demand? Which ones are shrinking? And which ones could be hardest to fill?” The headlines in the media were quite different. “Nearly 80% of women’s jobs could be disrupted, automated by AI.”
In reality, what the studies said isn’t really new. It’s the same American story, different facts. Replace “AI” with “pandemic” or “economic downturn” and experts arrive at the same conclusion. In times of upheaval, the people who are hit the hardest in America are women, particularly women who are members of targeted groups with less power and privilege.
Here’s how women can prepare and optimize opportunities for the AI era.
1. Take “STOP AI” off the table .
We can no better stop the AI train than we can stop capitalism. Despite this, many people are working to stop companies from using AI technology instead of humans. This is a losing battle. We live in a capitalist society where maximizing profits is the priority. There are some uses of AI which absolutely can be regulated, such as the demands outlined in the SAG strike. That said, AI isn’t coming, it’s already here. McKinsey estimated that “half of today’s work activities could be automated between 2030 and 2060.” The question isn’t if, or even when. The question is what can you do to prepare?
2. Give the right support to the right people.
Women and people of color in low wage jobs without higher education are most likely to be impacted by AI. They are fourteen times more likely to have their jobs disrupted than higher-wage positions. For these women, education and training to keep up with this emerging technology is a must. Unfortunately, childcare responsibilities still disproportionately fall on women, and this takes a toll. For example, according to the KFF Women’s Health Survey, during the pandemic, “Three out of ten working mothers said they had to take time off because school or daycare was closed.” If women don’t have access to affordable childcare, they are the childcare. Women must have access to training and education, but this is impossible for many without care for their children. They must go hand in hand.
3. Make a difference.
One critical way to claim space is to support other women. If you’re a leader in the public or private sector, work to implement new practices and programs now to position your employees for success in the new era of generative AI. For example, even if your organization doesn’t have the budget for in-house education, experts are now predicting that “Implementing AI can bring about a transformative change in access to education through the creation of personalized learning programs that are tailored to suit each student’s unique learning style, preference, and aptitude.” In other words, AI can help you scale and tailor education for your employees affordably. Get creative about making a difference.
4. Robot-Proof Your Job.
Women are conditioned to be caretakers both in their actions and their communication. This has often resulted in women doing jobs which capitalize on our ability to read people and communicate well, the jobs that require soft skills. The great irony is that soft skills have traditionally been devalued by many because, well, when women go into fields, the field gets less respect and pay. Yet in the new world of AI, those are the very skills that AI just can’t do well. For example, teachers, nurses and therapists are not predicted to be replaced by AI any time soon. If you have soft skills, go into fields that require them, or use those skills to help you stand out in your field. Jobs where humanistic tasks are required, or will augment the job, will be much safer from displacement. If you don’t feel your soft skills are strong, it’s time to brush up on them.
5. Take Advantage of the Positives .
AI is positioned to help women more than men in ways we really need it. One example? Domestic labor. Women have been held back for years by the amount of time they spend on domestic labor. A Pew Research study just recently reported that, “Even when earnings are similar, husbands spend more time on paid work and leisure, while wives devote more time to caregiving and housework.” Should relationships be more equitable? Of course. But they aren’t, and AI has the potential to allow women with the financial means to lessen their domestic load. In fact, research suggests AI may be able to automate about 39 per cent of domestic work within 10 years. Find every advantage like this and capitalize on it.
6. Position Yourself for Success.
This is a pivotal moment in history where women can jump into a field that men do not yet fully dominate. Take every opportunity to educate yourself about this emerging technology while it’s developing. By doing so you will not only survive, but you will position yourself as a leader. If your employer doesn’t support continuing education, get ahead of the problem and think about finding a place that does now. Think ahead so you don’t get left behind.
We can’t stop the AI train. But unlike other times in history, we know this train is coming, and we can prepare for it. This is a moment for women to uplift each other and succeed in a field we have not yet been shut out of. Technological apocalypse need not be our destiny. Women shouldn’t just survive the AI train. With the right preparation, we can thrive.
By: Eliza VanCort, Transformation Teacher and #1 bestselling author of A Woman’s Guide to Claiming Space: Stand Tall. Raise Your Voice. Be Heard (named Maria Shriver’s book of the week), who has dedicated her life to empowering women to live bravely and claim the space they deserve.
(The opinions and views of guest contributions are not necessarily those of theglasshammer.com).
Why Introverts Make Powerful Leaders
Career Advice, Career Tip of the Week!, NewsWhat Is an Introvert?
An introvert is someone who may keep to themselves more often than not. They recharge their batteries by working and relaxing alone and may prefer small groups to large gatherings. However, being an introvert doesn’t mean someone is afraid of speaking or can’t step up to be a leader. Around 12% of people identify themselves as completely introverted, often drifting toward extroverted partners who likely can help them express themselves better.
Some traits commonly associated with introverted people include the following:
These traits are loosely related to introverts, meaning they may not fit every introverted person and might even relate to some extroverts. Many introverted people enjoy being around others and participating in social activities — they may just choose to take part on their own terms.
Introverts and extroverts have their places in business. However, workplaces with extroverted leaders yield 14% lower profits on average. While every person is different, introverts more often have traits that would make for exemplary leadership.
3 Stellar Traits of an Introvert Leader
Introverts often have traits that ensure they can lead teams well. Sometimes, the best leader isn’t an outgoing one who blazes the way — it’s the strong one who quietly reassures their team while supporting them from behind and picking them up when they fall. Strong leaders allow their employees to stand on their own without getting in the way of their successes, but they’re always there to provide guidance and offer a listening ear.
Many introverts are born with traits that naturally help them grow into better leaders than their peers. While some introverted people may not feel comfortable leading large groups, their quiet awareness and thoughtful decision-making can be vital to any team.
1. Expert Listening Skills
Many introverts prefer to listen over talk, participating more passively in conversations. Because they spend less time talking, they can study their conversational partners and pick up on small nuances, especially tone and body language, making them experts at listening to and reading people.
For example, something as simple as the pitch of someone’s voice can indicate whether they’re nervous or confident, something that people who aren’t as intuitive wouldn’t pick up on. Introverts might be able to identify these subtle changes in a person because their listening skills are often sublime.
2. Sincerity Above All
Extroverts can be genuine, too — they may find it easy to connect with other people and praise them for their exploits. However, you may be less likely to receive compliments from an introvert. Since introverted people often don’t talk as much as extroverts, going out of their way to compliment someone might mean much more than an extrovert who praises someone whenever they get the chance.
Around 96% of people feel praise makes them more productive, so an introverted leader who genuinely expresses their opinions is a must-have in any business. An introverted leader will assess the situation and praise anyone who deserves it — and they’ll be able to guide anyone who needs assistance.
Similarly, introverts will stand up for themselves. Introverted people may often come off as shy, but in a workplace, they can feel empowered to stand behind their decisions and won’t let people walk all over them. An introvert can exude confidence just as much as an extrovert, so employers can feel assured in enlisting an introvert in a leadership space.
3. More Creative Solutions
Extroverts and introverts can both be creative, but since introverts use self-reflection and think before acting, they have more time and opportunity to develop innovative solutions to tricky problems. When in business, you must understand situations from several angles. Having someone who considers every perspective is vital to the well-being of any company.
The best decision-making process relies on gathering the necessary information and sitting with it before making any conclusions too hastily. Many introverted people prefer to wait before making a decision and think over all the possible outcomes and variables so they understand the facts before making a decision. This person is valuable for any business, especially during times of crisis.
Introverts often use their intuition, leading them to success and practical decision-making. As a result, they’re more likely to realize when someone needs a little extra encouragement or just a friend to lean on. They’ll likely ensure everyone is involved in a project or feels appreciated in their team. That way, these leaders know everyone is included in a group.
How to Make Yourself a Better Leader
The good news is you don’t have to change yourself to become a better leader or pretend to be something you’re not. Both introverts and extroverts are valuable in leadership roles — as long as they demonstrate the right skills to prove they can support a team.
If you want to gain some of the most beneficial traits of a powerful leader, you’ll have to tap into yourself and learn how to reflect and listen more than you talk and act. Introverts make great leaders because they tend to solve problems more effectively, adding immense value to their company.
Here are some soft skills you should work on building if you want to succeed in a leadership role:
You shouldn’t have to change who you are to fit any role. However, improving certain skills and learning different methods of problem-solving and communication can benefit you as you transition into a leadership position.
Introverts Are Some of the Best Employees to Have
Introverts tend to lean on the more intuitive and reflective side, making them an asset to any business, thanks to the skills they’ve honed in their interactions throughout the years. They’ll provide a fresh viewpoint and sage wisdom after thinking over certain possibilities. While some introverts might not have the best conversational skills, they’ll do their jobs to the best of their abilities and tackle new things that come their way.
However, both introverts and extroverts can make great employees. The best team members are well-rounded and demonstrate characteristics that will help a business flourish and positively affect company culture. One personality trait can’t guarantee a good leader, but it can help people understand where they’re lacking and how they can improve for the sake of their workplace.
By: Mia Barnes is a freelance writer and researcher who specializes in mental wellbeing and workplace wellness. Mia is also the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Body+Mind magazine, an online women’s health publication.
(The opinions and views of guest contributions are not necessarily those of theglasshammer.com).
Alison Taylor: Investment Vice President, PGIM Real Estate
Movers and Shakers, PeopleTaylor joined PGIM Real Estate after graduating from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia. She had an initial introduction to real estate through prior internships and coursework but found a home at PGIM, and she has grown within the company into a leadership role.
“The longer I worked here and the more I learned, the more interesting real estate became – especially the debt side,” says Taylor. “It surprises me how much I continue to enjoy and feel challenged by the work and the opportunities that have been afforded to me here at PGIM.”
Continuing to Learn Each Day
“No day and no deal are the same,” says Taylor. “Each day presents a different challenge, and I can truly say that I learn something new every single day.”
She loves the variety of her days, which has progressed by the shifting office dynamics during and following the pandemic. As a self-starter, Taylor works independently, pacing herself towards deadlines, which serves in her multi-faceted role. “I have a lot of different responsibilities and work cross-functionally with people across the business, but I’m able to keep on track, juggle a bunch of things and know what needs to be placed on the back burner.”
Taylor feels she brings realness to the table, but she proves that it doesn’t have to hit hard – that people can assert their own opinions while valuing others’.
“I’m very to the point, but not in an aggressive manner. When I was working on the originations side of the business, I was able to pass on a deal or let someone down nicely, but they would still walk away feeling good about themselves,” she says.
Lessons Learned Growing into a Leadership Role
As someone who was driven to grow into a leadership role, Ali shared several tips to help achieve the next level – and beyond – of her career, despite what tensions and challenges she faced.
In her ever-evolving role, Taylor notes that being approachable is not only important in showcasing her desire to learn and take on more responsibilities to senior leaders – but it is also important in demonstrating the importance of quality work and strong leadership attributes to her junior team members.
“There can be a double-edged sword as I weave my personal stories into my professional relationships, so I can build and continue to maintain them. I have this ability to connect with younger colleagues who may view me more as a friend while still being able to be taken seriously,” she says. “You need to strike a balance of approachability and authority, so that when we’re actually working on projects and dealing with teams, everyone sees that this is business. I expect very high-quality work and sometimes, we’ll be working late. But I’ll be there right alongside my colleagues.”
Currently, Taylor sees herself straddling the line between taking on the responsibility of seniority and still actually doing the work to show more junior members how it’s done and what’s expected.
“It can be a weird limbo state, where you’re not quite the final decision-maker, but you’re experienced enough to know what will drive successful outcomes for the company,” she says. “That can be a challenge day-to-day.”
As she has risen through the ranks, Taylor has started to learn the art of delegation and saying ‘no.’
“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,” she says. “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.”
She notes this is especially important after working remotely during the pandemic, which created an expectation of 24/7 availability.
“It’s important to not always be accessible via setting clear boundaries, such as calendar blocks and/or letting colleagues know you’ll get back to them,” she says. “Once you’ve reached a certain point, where people know you are responsive and trustworthy, you can put those boundaries in place, and there’s something powerful about that.”
Recently, Taylor received the feedback that she needs to work on being too responsive. Rather than going with her gut reaction to respond immediately, she was advised that, ‘Sometimes, you need to sit on things to let both parties think. Once you have, you’ll come to a better conclusion.’
Receiving that advice was somewhat liberating, as Taylor has realized some matters work themselves out over a walk or a ponder, without needing immediate response or engagement. Plus, she notes her initial gut response is not always the most thoughtful or comprehensive.
Leading with Connection and Collaboration
“Everyone talks about how male-dominated commercial real estate is, but I feel like I’ve worked at a company with better gender balance and that helps grow and support female leaders, which has been amazing,” says Taylor. She has been shown that it’s okay to leave work for a priority at home or family activity to attend to.
“The best leaders I’ve seen have always made time for people – regardless of level and the topic of conversation,” she says. “When meeting with senior leaders, I feel like they’ve given me their undivided attention, which shows me they care and want to help me learn and succeed.”
In fact, even though she often finds herself in back-to-back meetings, Taylor makes relationship-building one of her top priorities, dedicating time to foster connections – no matter the workload.
When it comes to the PGIM work culture, she enjoys being surrounded by smart people who are willing to put in the work to get the job done, while also respecting personal boundaries and valuing work-life balance.
“The structure is not very hierarchical in that everyone is very accessible up to the MD level. For being within a Fortune 500 company, it feels like a lean entrepreneurial structure,” she observes. “Everyone is trying to advance our initiatives and share information, so it’s a very collaborative environment. It fits well with my personality, which is probably why I’ve been here for more than a decade.”
Acting As a Chameleon – Leveraging Her Strength of Adaptability
When thrown into new situations, Taylor remembers what a previous manager told her – that she adapts well to a new environment because not only does she take her responsibilities very seriously and make intelligent decisions, but she also knows when she needs to ask for help. Although some may find asking for help to be a weakness, it’s something Taylor considers to be a strength, enabling her to better understand her work or situation she is facing.
In her career thus far, the ability to assess and adapt to situations has enabled her not to stress the small stuff as much. She admits that it used to bother her if she wasn’t invited to a property tour or closing dinner after a deal she’d worked hard on, but after a few years, she realized that more than enough invitations will come along – so there’s no need to covet them.
“At a certain point in your career, you’re being asked to travel to this and that. You’ll have too many things to attend and will be pulled in different directions,” she says. “It’s a thirty- or forty-year career, so you don’t have to do it all within your first couple years. Just put your head down, do the work and form those relationships because it’s a small sector and everyone’s paths cross again.”
Be Yourself, Everywhere
When it comes to looking ahead, Taylor aspires to continue rising into leadership roles and gain more people-management experience. She also hopes to continue doing the things she loves, such as traveling to new places, curling up with a good book (her most recent read is Rules of Civility, after reading A Gentleman in Moscow by the same author) and working out – all activities that she attributes to keeping her mental health strong.
She loves traveling and planning international trips and visited Dubai and the Maldives in January for her own honeymoon.
Morning workouts are an important part of her routine to maintain balance, and she especially enjoys boxing as an energy outlet.
Taylor once heard that the most successful people are the same exact selves in their personal lives as professional lives.
“You don’t have to come in like a professional bulldog and run the show if that’s not really your personality. You can still be successful,” she says. “The mentors that have most inspired me blend both worlds and stay true to themselves.”
By Aimee Hansen