Beatriz Fontanella

I attribute my success to being goal-oriented and having a plan in mind for what I want to achieve, then breaking that down into the experiences I need, things I need to do on the job, and exposure I need to gain. I've framed my career development through the 3E model: education, exposure, and experience, with the majority of development happening on the job. I don't consider myself an intelligent person, but rather savvy and smart at being a better dot connector. I've kept finding mentors, people I should learn from, and experiences that build my tool belt so I can continue to evolve. I try to learn from every failure and hear every perspective, not as a definitive statement of who I am, but as a way to improve and get better. Having a plan is important, but following through with action is critical because a plan or idea with no action means nothing. I believe everything is truly possible and anyone can achieve things as long as you plan and you act. I also embrace a solution-oriented mentality, seeking to understand, looking at how to make things better, transform, iterate, or solve problems. I find ways to say yes, though that doesn't mean giving people exactly what they want, but rather what they need. I embrace change, maintain a growth mindset, keep learning because the world keeps changing, and try to see everything as a gift, even when it's difficult.

One of the things that I really think has superpower, but sometimes we take it for granted, is awareness. Becoming self-aware and really understanding more about who you are is critical, whether that's through a self-discovery journey, journalism, workshops, leadership development, taking a sabbatical, therapy, or maybe all of those rolled into one at different parts of your life. This helps you take in every feedback you get as a perspective, not as a definition of who you are, because those perspectives help you frame a better understanding of who you are to move forward in the world with your own expectations. You need to take into consideration what others expect from you, but also not have to live by their expectations, because down the road you can wake up and see you're living someone else's life versus the life you wanted for yourself. When we meet passion and capability, that's where fulfillment happens, and awareness brings you that. I don't think we value the power of one enough, being aware, understanding who we are and what we want, so we can make better choices for ourselves and understand what others expect from us and what we can truly deliver versus not.