Alma Vivero

I have a really good support system that has been essential to my success. My husband is my biggest cheerleader. He's always pushing me to get out of my comfort zone and challenging me to grow. My kids are my motivation, driving me forward every day. Without this support system, I wouldn't be able to do what I do, because it's hard to be a working mom. You need to figure out systems and find balance between your career and family responsibilities. Having people who believe in you and support your goals makes all the difference in being able to pursue leadership positions and continue growing professionally while managing the demands of family life.

The best career advice I've received is about networking. I learned that your work is a currency to pursue your goals and get yourself noticed, but you need to network. Nobody is going to come to your desk and tell you they have a position for you or that they think you're good at something. If you don't talk to people, to the leaders, and tell them what you're doing, what you've implemented, and what you can contribute, nobody is going to find out. You have to market yourself, network, and talk to people. That's huge. I wish I knew that way back because it would have saved me a lot of time. Sometimes you're going to find people who don't want to network, and that's fine. Move on to the next one. Don't get discouraged, because at the end of the day, you need to present yourself to somebody, because that somebody might talk or say something about you in the rooms that you are not in, just by saying your name.

I would say, speak up. Don't be afraid of sharing your ideas and your thoughts, because you have a lot of value to bring. Forget about this term, imposter syndrome. If you are in a room where you feel that you don't belong, that's not true. You are in that room because you belong, and you have a lot to contribute. You're learning, so it's a learning experience at the end of the day. Don't be afraid of people judging you or all the things that go through our mind that are not even real. You have value, and it's important to remember that and speak up with confidence.

One of the biggest opportunities I see in my field is educating more of the other areas that don't have a finance background. Everybody has an input in the financials, but some of them don't even know what their input is into the financials, so it's hard for them to control their spending or understand their impact. For example, an engineer maybe doesn't know that it's important to keep track of the hours he works on a project, because that's how we're going to see how much money we're making on these projects, whether it's too expensive, or if we need to adjust something. Financial education within an organization is huge and could make a significant difference in how effectively we manage resources and drive results.

Discipline, transparency, and consistency are the values that are most important to me in both my work and personal life. You need to stick to something and can't just give up right away. You need to have the discipline to pursue your goals, and you're going to have setbacks for sure, but those are just learning experiences. You have to move on and find a different way if you're really committed to your goals. Once I have a clear picture of where I want to go and I'm committed to that goal, I find a way. Always. I find a way to achieve it. That's why I think I'm in this position, because three years ago, I committed myself to become a leader, and I decided that I was going to find a way. I needed to figure out what management is about and how to lead.