3 - Inspirational stories of woman

JC Townend
Country Manager
United Kingdom

“My first role model was my sister. She was 14 years older and broke through a lot of barriers. She and others were pioneers in steamrolling pathways for women. When she told her school guidance counselor she wanted to get a degree in economics, he immediately suggested, “Home Economics?” Undeterred, she got her PhD in economics and became a senior executive at the Federal Reserve Bank in the U.S. When I did my economics degree more than a decade later, it was considered normal.

“The biggest lesson is the importance of believing in yourself. I was lucky in that I was able to ignore gender stereotypes and just get on with my work. I started in the energy field, and I didn’t really notice that I was often the only woman in the room. I realize now I was blessed to be surrounded by men who didn’t make gender an issue. They were very analytical and cared most about getting the right result. It was a strong meritocracy.

“Similarly, I got my first major promotion to VP and group lead when I was five months pregnant. My boss knew that I was going to be on maternity leave, but it didn’t matter—he still saw me as the right person for the job. He was very analytical and fair-minded, and his confidence in me led to great results for the company. I realize now he was a very special man.”

Click here

Deepali Jain
Managing Director
Singapore

“My first manager, Geetha Rajagopal, taught me what it means to seize the moment. I learned that once you have an opportunity, what you do with it is key. You are in control of your life. You define what being successful means, whether that is being a mother, a wife, or being the CEO of a company. You define who you become.

“Another role model was my most recent manager and mentor, Nicky Wakefield. She taught me that it is important for people to have the freedom to make choices that are reflective of their life goals and innate values, and that we should respect those choices. We should provide opportunities to support their choices rather than share our perspectives on them.

“Dare to be extraordinary. No matter how challenging the road ahead is, move forward with conviction and believe in yourself. Don’t underestimate your ability to achieve great things!”

Mara Turolla
Talent Development Manager,
Diversity & Inclusion
Brazil

“Fortunately, I had several important role models in my personal and professional life. I had a mother, grandmother, and aunts who always reinforced the importance of work and treating everyone with equality and respect. I had teachers who inspired me to enjoy reading and studying and who showed me, even back then, that a woman can be independent and happy alone and that work can be an important source of personal development. I had leaders (women and men) who encouraged me to overcome my limits and fears. Of course, there were countless friends who taught me the power of sorority and who laughed and cried with me along the way. Finally, I have a life partner who makes me reflect and seek to improve myself all the time.

“I have had to mature to understand what lifelong learning means in practice. When we are faced with a need to change ourselves, it can seem quite confusing and frustrating at the time. But each time we change, we are moving step by step towards a better world. I have also learned as a leader that empathy and courage are very valuable assets.

“A big focus of my life has been learning how to ‘be you.’ You need to invest your time and energy to discover who you are and then act on that to become the best version of yourself. Then, you can share your best with the world.”

--- --- ---

Motivational Stories

Pages