The path of leadership is both an honor and a humbling experience. The journey for leaders has many lessons for the reflective observer. I have learned leadership through both personal and professional achievement. I was fortunate to play competitive volleyball on an NCAA Final Four team and high school state championship women’s team. I have always had a high commitment to education and athletics as a way to learn and grow both mentally and physically. I have been honored in my high school and college athletic hall of fames for displaying attributes such as teamwork, discipline, perseverance, and focus. This has translated to the corporate environment just as effectively. I learned to establish open, candid, trustworthy communication and commit to the highest standard of integrity and work ethic. As a sports team we learned to promote communication to achieve our team competition goals. We listened actively to each other and overcame the most difficult situations together. We set and pursued aggressive goals and championed each other to success.
From my first job at 3M in St. Paul, Minnesota, I realized the gifts I received in women’s athletics would seamlessly incorporate into the corporate world. I learned how to navigate a complex, diverse work environment successfully. I learned the skills of focus, tenacity, and client service working for such a well-respected world-class organization.
I worked my way through a decade of financial services exams, professional designations, and earning the CFP designation. I have been recruited to excellent financial service firms to learn and grow in my career over the past twenty years. Together, my husband and I have followed our dream and have enjoyed all the steps in the journey. I enjoy working at a firm that lives the values of honesty, integrity, and service for clients. I feel honored to lead more than five hundred Schwab Private Client employees. We keep it simple and straightforward for the client, listen closely, and see the world through the client’s eyes. It’s an honor and a humbling experience that I love.
What advice would you give young women building/preparing for a career?
Set and pursue aggressive goals. Place importance on organizational success over individual success and learn to enjoy the constant change in your role and firm. Convey a commitment to understanding others first, and doing what is best for clients. Have a strong work ethic. Realistically appraise your strengths and weaknesses and share credit and visibility. Project confidence even when the project or concept is not supported by others. Seek and embrace constructive feedback.
