Taking the Career Path Less Traveled Makes All the Difference

A: All of us have unconscious biases. The challenge is to understand them and overcome them by thinking differently. As an example, a leader may think women won’t be interested in taking on certain assignments once they reach childbearing years but, clearly, as leaders we should ask first – never assume.

The more we can educate ourselves on our unconscious biases, the better we’ll be at shaping a future that doesn’t repeat the mistakes of the past. I’ve had to learn what mine are for this reason. My advice is for all leaders to understand their biases so they can be challenged and tested as we go forward.

A: Get out of your comfort zone. In the past, I’ve experienced fear over taking on roles or projects, knowing I had gaps in my knowledge. But, my personal fears tended to be bigger than the actual gaps I had. Often those gaps were bridged by my support networks and the generosity and support of others.

When you acknowledge you may not have everything it takes, you invite people to help. We often think we’re alone, but we’re not – we just need the willingness to ask and listen. The more you stretch and the more you succeed, the more confident you will become.

A: First of all, I never impose a definition of success, because success looks different for everyone. For me, success is the ability to leave behind a stronger community – not necessarily defined by the moment you leave, but by the moment five years after you left.

When I say “community,” that can mean a business, co-workers, neighbors, or even the overall health of a province or country. I draw meaning from my work by linking it to something bigger, which amplifies the importance of success.

Managing failure is a key component of success. If you are stretching and challenging yourself, there will inevitably be failures. It’s important to manage through the hard times with resilience and a positive focus on the things within our control. I believe we’re all more resilient than we think.

A: I always loved numbers and figuring out equations. I thought I’d go the investment banking route but realized quickly that I didn’t love that world at all. Shell gave me a chance to understand the numbers and work with the business. That’s invaluable.

A: I’ve always received great opportunities and have worked in heavy oil, upstream, downstream, tax, projects, and more. While I have worked mainly in a finance manager role, it feels like I’ve had a new job with each transition.

Shell’s size and global reach gives you so many growth opportunities, and I’m always learning something different. Most important, I’ve had the tremendous opportunity to work with numerous good-hearted and smart people, and that has made a huge difference.

A: Very few companies have enough women at senior levels of the organization. I have a 1-year-old son, and I plan to tell him that he needs to support everyone around him in achieving success and understanding the differences between men and women. Men and women think and act differently – we all need to appreciate that and reward both.

I envision a world where diversity and inclusion is a given and not an objective. Diversity is all about capitalizing on people’s differences.

A: It’s one of the few roles where you can partner very closely with leaders to set the long-term strategy for an organization – while still working at all levels right down to the front line to make an impact on a daily basis.

A: Diversity and inclusion is a celebration of both our differences and similarities. A lot of organizations get super focused on the numbers – numbers are important, but they’re not everything.

When organizations focus too much on the numbers they drive bad behavior and poor decisions. We should have an idea for the numbers, but we must put people in roles where they can thrive and empower others to do the same.

A: I have a lot of energy, but what really drives me is feeling like I have an opportunity to contribute to the business, impact the lives of those around me through the exchange of ideas, and inspire my team to aim higher and deliver increased value on a consistent basis.