Understanding the mindset of fearless girls and addressing their challenges is crucial to understanding successful women leaders’ fabric. To achieve that, our team asked successful women leaders to step up and frame a question that their younger self would ask their present self. Understanding the present leader’s perspective is our greatest shot in understanding the definitive success indicators that have helped some successful women leaders find success through all the odds. Many courageous and successful leaders jumped in and helped us understand their perspective and outcome, a wonderful collage of crucial insights for aspiring leaders to understand and seek answers of. Then women leaders took an extra step and answered those foundational questions seeking insights from their life’s journey. We hope you all like it.

From: Anne Robie, Chief People Officer at Turnitin
Q: What is the secret to success and happiness?
A: The secret is….there is no secret. There is just each moment, and the collection of moments lead to your every day, and all those days lead to your life. Live for every single moment.

From: Deeksha Joshi, Head of Strategy, GRS Liberty Mutual
Q: How did you find success through so many insecurities and struggles?
A: Insecurities and struggles are an essential part of growing up. We don’t work against our fears and struggles but work with them. One key ingredient that helps through darkness is faith. The faith that if you spread light, you will be bound to enjoy some of it. So, life is a journey to find and spread light. Always remember that gratitude is your weapon of choice to acknowledge all those kind souls that stepped in front and helped you find light in the darkness. Life is not a bed of roses, but it is a lot simple and fun if you are the reason for someone else’s success.

From: Phidelia Johnson, Chief Human Resources Officer at PAC-J Services
Q: Why didn’t you pursue your dream of becoming a lawyer?
A: Though becoming a lawyer is still on my bucket list, life seldom happens the way we planned. Don’t stress over which career you will end up with, but keep your eyes and mind open to recognize career opportunities even in uncharted areas. I had never considered management as a career choice, yet I loved it and made a success of it.
Follow the path that life leads you to, regardless of the opinions of others. Life will sometimes throw you a curveball, but don’t let that stop you from pursuing your dreams no matter how long it takes. NEVER diminish small beginnings because life is about exploration and self-discovery. It’s a journey, not a destination.

From: Zaina Orbai, Chief People Officer at The RealReal
Q: How did you create a successful life for yourself despite your early life struggles? 
A: I would answer the same as the advice I would give to my younger self. Believe in yourself AND surround yourself with others who believe in you, especially choosing a spouse who will lift you up when you have self-doubt and help you become the best version of yourself. Leave behind those who are nay-sayers in your life, they are only holding you back from creating your own version of a happy life. 

From: Melissa Rose, CEO at Melissa Rose Consulting
Q: How do you juggle a full-time career and a family of 5 children?
A: Progress over perfection. If you choose to juggle it all, accept that you are going to drop balls along the way. It’s par for the course. Focus on what you’ve accomplished not on what you haven’t.

From: Jeanette Winters, Talent Doc at Winters Advisory Group
Q: If I weren’t afraid of failing, what would I try?
A: I would have pressed myself harder in the sciences area. It was necessarily hard – just completely unknown to me. I could never take a chance of failing because my grades were the very ticket allowing me to be at the University. I needed to give myself the opportunity to fail “outside the system” to grow even more.

From: Fabienne Smolinski, Chief People and CSR Officer at Arbonne
Q: How did you get to where you are while balancing family?
A: Balancing is a myth. The minute you put that out of your head and know there are times where you family won’t come first and where your work won’t come first. It’s more about aligning yourself to cultures, people and organizations that support you. If you’re in an environment that doesn’t value family and understanding the struggle of trying to “balance” it all then you are making your life harder. Make bold decisions that are aligned to your value system and you’ll always win with family and with work.

From: Pam Stampen, Chief People Officer at TASC
Q: What is possible?
A: Anything you set your mind to and they are willing to back up with the work needed to achieve it.

From: Christie Marzari, CLO State of MS at Aflac
Q: Is everything going to be okay?
A: Absolutely. Have faith in yourself. Don’t ever sell yourself short and believe you can do anything you put your mind to.

We understand it takes courage to use your platform, show your vulnerable side, and showcase insights that has helped you achieve the success that most find an inspirational feat. On behalf of team Work2.0 and TAO.ai, we want to thank all the leaders who are working tirelessly to contribute to the ecosystem and imparting change that is lifting the entire ecosystem to be a place of equity and fairness. While it’s a job too big for any single person, it requires a consistent dialogue/leaning-in and pushing the bar forward, and we salute all the women leaders for working tirelessly to achieve that. I hope all the readers will spread the word about this blog and extend the conversation within their community.

Good leaders all have one thing in common: They create a thriving ecosystem around them and ensure to seek/provide help. While the world is moving progressively in ensuring giving women leaders the equity they deserve, it is not even close. To celebrate Women History Month, our team has asked some successful women leaders to impart wisdom/knowledge by means of life lessons, that has helped these leaders keep raising the glass ceiling. We kept our ask to seek feedback from leaders on one foundational question: “What advice would you give to your younger self?”. The outcome is a beautiful ensemble of great insights and life lessons that are crucial and foundational for the new generation. We are thankful to the contributing leaders that helped us put together these golden nuggets of wisdom. I hope you enjoy it. Please email us at info [at] work2 [dot] org if you are a women leader and want to contribute to the topic.

Let’s read what leaders have to answer: “What advice would you give to your younger self?”

Embrace your whole self
Oh, sweet girl – you are full of love and life – don’t play small for anyone or anything – embrace your whole, beautiful, messy self and squeeze as much joy out of this crazy life as possible! – Anne Robie, Chief People Officer at Turnitin

Earn success and pay it forward
We all share the earth with so many great and inspirational people. Enjoy every bit of interaction as you get surfing through life. You will often be perceived differently, or many times your insecurities will try to take the worst of you. While they will certainly bother you, never let them define you. Whenever you feel discouraged, always remember that you are amongst the privileged ones and don’t give up. Let me give you one powerful thought that always works for me. The world is wonderful, and your energy, love, kindness, and empathy will keep it wonderful, so keep on spreading love and always trust yourself. I know you will grow up to be a wonderful person. – Deeksha Joshi, Head of Strategy, GRS Liberty Mutual

Celebrate your uniqueness
Don’t be afraid of your background. It’s not a life sentence. Yes, life will get tough, but press on. But don’t be afraid, because there will always be cheerleaders along the way rooting for your success. Find them and be a cheerleader yourself. Celebrate your uniqueness and values unapologetically. Find your voice in every situation, and don’t shy away from your strengths. – Phidelia Johnson, Chief Human Resources Officer at PAC-J Services

Don’t be afraid to take risks, make mistakes
Believe in yourself and dream bigger than what you can see around you and what you are told, as that advice is a result of the past not the future. When you start living in a world of what can be, you may very well surprise yourself on how capable you truly are. So don’t be afraid to take risks, make mistakes, learn, grow and realize what you can become. – Zaina Orbai, Chief People Officer at The RealReal

Listen to those who support your dreams and aspirations
Don’t let other people’s fears and insecurities hold you back. Listen to those who support your dreams and aspirations. – Melissa Rose, CEO at Melissa Rose Consulting

Be fanatical about where you invest your energy, heart, and mind
Be very careful on how you invest each moment – time is neither an ally or asset. It’s a real use it or lose it precious commodity. Be fanatical about where you invest your energy, heart, and mind. – Jeanette Winters, Talent Doc at Winters Advisory Group

Go work for an employer who will pay you in equity
If I were to give my younger self any sort of professional advice, it would be: Go work for an employer who will pay you in equity. And by the way, encourage the women in your life to do the same—because owning equity in a successful company can make a material impact on our ability to grow wealth, and to ultimately close the wealth gap. – Suzy Walther, Chief People Officer at Carta

Trust yourself and be authentic
Trust yourself and be authentic. Show up as you, not how you think others want you to be or what you think is the “norm”. – Fabienne Smolinski, Chief People and CSR Officer at Arbonne

You can do anything
That you can do anything you can dream of. – Christie Marzari, CLO State of MS at Aflac

Don’t be afraid to be persistent
The advice I recently gave one of my daughters would have been great for me when I was younger. This advice is to not be afraid to be persistent. Persistence is not a bad trait but instead shows that you are tenacious and passionate. Most people will not look negatively at someone who is so determined that they continue to reach out and follow up in a professional manner. – Trish Keller, Chief Technology Officer at Citizen Watch America

Create a space for success for many through your example
Life and work are not a zero-sum game. Be confident, have a plan for success, and work that plan harder than you would have ever thought possible to achieve those things that are important to you; but also remember that for you to win at work and at life, does not mean someone else has to lose. Create a space for success for many through your example. Lend a hand to others as they strive for success and celebrate their achievements as well. Know that not everyone will repay your kindness with kindness. These people do not define you. Getting to a destination, knowing you have done your best and that you have helped others find the best in themselves, is the definition of a career and life well-lived. – Pam Stampen, Chief People Officer at TASC

We understand it takes courage to show your vulnerable side, and showcase insights that have helped you achieve the success that most find an inspirational feat. On behalf of team Work2.0 and TAO.ai, we want to thank all the leaders who are working tirelessly to contribute to society and imparting change that is lifting the entire ecosystem to be a place of equity and fairness. While it’s a job too big for any single person, it requires a consistent dialogue/leaning-in and pushing the bar forward, and we salute all the women leaders for helping to achieve that. I hope all the readers will spread the word about this blog and extend the conversation within their community.

Discussing Data, Innovation, and Creativity with Josh Linkner talks about using little creativity spurts to use for disruption. He sheds light on how organizations could embrace creativity and use little creative innovation to help stir for big breakthroughs. She shared lots of examples of big little breakthroughs.

Bio:
He has been the founder and CEO of five tech companies, which sold for a combined value of over $200 million. He’s the author of four books including the New York Times Bestsellers, Disciplined Dreaming, and The Road to Reinvention.
This guy just loves starting and building companies. He’s the founding partner of Detroit Venture Partners and has been involved in the launch of over 100 startups.
Today, Josh serves as Chairman and co-founder of Platypus Labs, an innovation research, training, and consulting firm. He has twice been named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and is a recipient of the United States Presidential Champion of Change Award.
Josh is also a passionate Detroiter, the father of four, a professional-level jazz guitarist, and has a slightly odd obsession for greasy pizza

Josh’s Book:
Big Little Breakthroughs https://amzn.to/3usFCLm

Josh’s Recommendations:
Think Like a Monk: Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Every Day https://amzn.to/3bzvyYh
Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World https://amzn.to/37K4PqW
Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know https://amzn.to/37MepcR

Discussion Timeline:
TIMELINE

Some questions we covered:
1. Starter: Give your starter pitch 1 point that Big Little Breakthroughs points to:
2. Vishal briefly introduce Josh
3. What are you seeing the role of innovation in the middle of firefight[pandemic]
4. What is the state of enterprise investments to promote innovation?
5. What are some easy to fix bottlenecks to get enterprises to keep on innovating
6. What are some misconceptions about innovation and its adoption
7. Explain your journey to your current role?
8. Could you share something about your current role?
9. What does your company do?
10. Explain your journey to this book?
11. Why write this book?
12. Why are you so passionate about helping everyday people become everyday innovators?
13. What’s the most misunderstood thing around human creativity?
14. What’s your favorite brainstorming technique?
15. From doing the research for your new book, Big Little Breakthroughs, what surprised you the most?
16. What are 1-3 best practices that you think are the key to success in your journey?
17. Do you have any favorite read?
18. As a closing remark, what would you like to tell our audience?

About TAO.ai[Sponsor]:
TAO is building the World’s largest and AI-powered Skills Universe and Community powering career development platform empowering some of the World’s largest communities/organizations. Learn more at https://TAO.ai

About FutureOfData:
FutureOfData takes you on the journey with leaders, experts, academics, authors, and change-makers designing the future of data, analytics, and insights.

About AnalyticsWeek.com
FutureOfData is managed by AnalyticsWeek.com, a #FutureOfData Leadership community of Organization architects and leaders.

Sponsorship / Guest Request should be directed to [email protected]

Keywords:
#FutureofData #Work2.0 #Work2dot0 #Leadership #Growth #Org2dot0 #Work2 #Org2

The post Using little creative ideas to spurt up big disruptions appeared first on Future Of Data Podcast.