Ann Cripe

I attribute my success to really being very hardworking and conscientious of what I'm doing. Being accountable has been crucial throughout my career. I think empathy, particularly in how I support others and help them grow, has been instrumental. Perseverance is another key factor - just persevering through some challenging situations that I've encountered, and really just not allowing myself to be thrown off by those. Perseverance has gotten me to achieve things that have seemed very difficult. I also want to mention that my faith and spirituality have been a strong backbone guiding me along the way. I know it's not popular to talk about your faith in your career, but it has guided me a lot in my career and in my development. All of these core values have shaped the path that I've ended up taking and the way I navigate my career.

The best career advice I've received, and have given, because I do interview regularly for my company, is to find a good mentor. Find a mentor that you can trust to guide you along your career path, who will help you grow and challenge you along the way. This has been invaluable to me throughout my career, and it's something I consistently share with others as they navigate their own professional journeys.

I do think it's difficult still for women. It was difficult when I entered my career - back in the day, it was more male-dominated than it is now. The advice I would give a young woman is, first, to find a good mentor. And secondly, be aware of the times when your gut tells you something's off and you feel like you need to stand up for yourself - do that. Don't be afraid to voice what you know to be true. Don't be afraid to speak up and challenge others. Speak up, speak from a place of what you know is true, and stand up for yourself. Those would be the key pieces of advice I'd give.

One big opportunity right now is AI - my company is encouraging that everyone becomes well-trained and well-versed in it. Another opportunity is helping companies understand the data that they have at their fingertips, but they're not using well. There's a lot of dashboards, a lot of reports, a lot of data sitting in data warehouses, and there's a lot of information available to companies and clients, but they don't know how to use it fully or they're not utilizing it well. They can bring someone in or create their own reporting dashboards, but I just don't think they're utilizing that well. Between better utilizing the data that's available and helping companies leverage AI, those are major opportunities. Lastly, I think there's not enough strategic planning going on appropriately at some companies to really give themselves a better forecast of how they can better plan their resources and the timing of the introduction of new software, new systems, and new processes that would help them be successful. Strategic planning with a long-term look ahead is an opportunity for companies.

Integrity is probably number one for me. There have been times where, believe it or not, someone's asked me to do something that I knew wasn't right, and I just held onto my own integrity in those situations. I was asked to reflect something that wasn't true by quite a senior person, and I wouldn't do it. Honesty goes hand in hand with integrity - always be honest. Another core value is empathy and supporting others - it's not just about you, it's about the team. I value building into others and helping them grow. Accountability is crucial to me as well. Authenticity is important - be authentically yourself, be true to yourself, and don't go against your own values. And I have to mention that I have a strong faith and spiritual aspect to me. I know it's not popular to talk about your faith in your career, but it has guided me a lot in my career and in my development. My faith has been a strong backbone guiding me along the way. All of these core values shape the path that you end up taking and the way you navigate your career.