Astrid Strange

I attribute my success to trial and error, getting the benefit of both very good leadership and some very bad leadership. I've probably learned more from bad leaders than I have from good. It's about being open and receptive to feedback and trying to stay ahead of what's new and exciting in being innovative. It's just really kind of keeping your finger on the pulse of things that are going on, trying to make sure that you become as much a subject matter expert as you can in your field, understanding the uniqueness of the different pieces of what we do. I like to pride myself in saying that the methodologies that I use in a business and to be successful, they transcend the industry - it really doesn't matter what industry. It's just a matter of understanding their culture and what their needs are, what their goals are, and how those methods be applicable in that environment, and how do we get the best out of the process of the operation, and the people.

Personally, I would say don't neglect to build family and personal relationships with friends and family. No matter how busy your career gets, don't neglect that, because it will still be important to you later in life. Professionally, I would say no matter how sophisticated technology may be, always remember that people are important. All the treatment of people, working with people, relationships with people, will always be the thing that really makes the difference. You just need to find your passion, really. There's so much out there that you can do - you remove so many excuses if people really want to do something.