Ashley Williams

I think it's motivation and perseverance, but also the people who have mentored me. My dad was always very inspirational, but I think it's also the leaders that you work for, and that goes hand-in-hand with connecting with the leaders that you have. Good leaders build good teams and they're building their successors. So I think having good leaders has been crucial. My boss now, Marianne, she's badass and amazing. And then my previous boss, he was pretty awesome, and actually he retired and then came back to work for me, so that was a nice flip. I also think it's important that my kids have seen me push myself so much, because it allows them to see that they're completely capable of doing more than they give themselves credit for. It may be hard, but that doesn't mean that it's not worth it.

Always research. Never stop learning. Never be comfortable in the position that you're in. If you're comfortable, then it's time to move on. Being comfortable is not a bad thing, but you need to keep growing. Never be afraid to be the voice in the room, but know when it is important to speak up. You have to be able to read the room. Know that you are a woman, and sometimes people discredit your knowledge, so make sure that you're confident in that. It doesn't matter who's in the room. Make sure that you're taking time to focus on yourself, too. It can be done, but there has to be a healthy work-life balance. Just because somebody else is living to work or working to live, you need to be able to prioritize your family and yourself. Not everybody's priorities are the same. Also, when you're going to look for a job, make sure you align with a leader who has that same priority. It's hard for a leader who doesn't have a family life outside of work to relate to someone who does.

You have to be able to learn how to disconnect and realize a lot of the decisions and the things going on are not personal. You have to be able to separate and not make all of your decisions emotional decisions. A lot of that comes from making sure that you are researching the answers that you are presenting to others or communicating. Prepare before you speak. You should be reviewing with yourself. But then also, there's a lot of learning and books and things that you can do. You should always want to better yourself through doing podcasts, even if it's a 15-minute commute to work. I believe in having a healthy work-life balance. Just because somebody else is living to work or working to live, you need to be able to prioritize your family and yourself. Not everybody's priorities are the same. The customer should be at the center, always.