Charisse Pierce, PHR, SHRM-CP

I attribute my success to years of having to find things out the hard way and experiencing life without a clear roadmap. I started on an untraditional path very early on that put me on a different journey than many of my peers, which meant I had to figure things out along the way. What really drives me now is the desire to share the insights, lessons, and wisdom I've gained with others so they don't have to hit as many bumps in the road as I did. My goal is to be the mentor and guide - the person who shines a light - that I wish I had had along my own journey. I've also learned that being authentic is truly your superpower, and I believe sustainable success comes from aligning your actions with your values and developing clarity around both your purpose and your strengths.

The best career advice I've ever received is to work toward becoming more authentically myself and being comfortable with being authentically me. This advice has shaped how I approach my work and my life. I've learned that showing up as my full self in every room I enter is essential, and that staying in integrity requires that authenticity. I believe that being authentic really is your superpower, and when you're young, you might feel like being part of the herd and doing things the way you think they should be done carries more weight. But what I've discovered is that showing up authentically and understanding that this is how you set yourself apart is far more powerful and sustainable in the long run.

My advice to young women would be very much along the lines of clarity, balance, and alignment - the three-legged framework I've created for myself. I would encourage them to really take the time to excavate a little bit and get very clear on what is most important to them in their current season of life, putting aside any advice they've been given or expectations that may have been placed on them by family, friends, society, or anyone else. Just get really clear about what's truly important to them personally. Once they have that clarity, they can align their next steps and goals with what matters most to them, and then start moving toward those goals in a balanced and sustainable way. I also want young women to understand that they may be chasing a version of success that is not aligned to who they really are because they don't yet have that clarity - they don't know what they don't know. This impacts the goals they pursue and how they show up. I've learned that being authentic is your superpower, and I believe young women need to tap into who they are so they can show up authentically, because that's truly how you set yourself apart.

I think one of the biggest challenges, especially for young professionals, is that they don't have clarity yet - they don't know what they don't know. As a result, they may be chasing a version of success that is not truly aligned to who they are. This lack of clarity impacts both the goals they're moving toward and the way they show up in their work. They haven't necessarily tapped into who they are, so they don't know how to show up authentically. What I've learned is that being authentic really is your superpower, and when you're young, you might feel like being part of the herd and doing things the way you think they should be done carries more weight than showing up authentically. But understanding that authenticity is how you truly set yourself apart is critical. Additionally, as we increasingly move toward a more AI-focused workplace, I believe individuals are being challenged to demonstrate their strategic thinking more clearly. Often, it's not that the strategic thinking is missing - it's just that it's embedded in the execution and goes unrecognized. The opportunity lies in helping professionals recognize and articulate the uniquely human strategic capabilities that already exist in their work, so they can be properly valued in an AI-driven world.

At this point, I would definitely say authenticity and integrity are very high on my list of core values. I think it's important to show up in the rooms that I am able and have the opportunity to enter as my full self. I want to be completely authentic with who I am, and that way I can stay in integrity. Beyond those foundational values, I also run everything that I do through the lens of a framework that I have created, and that three-legged framework is clarity, balance, and alignment. I seek those principles in everything that I do, both professionally and personally. These values influence every aspect of my leadership and decision-making, and I believe sustainable success comes when individuals align their actions with their values and develop clarity around both their purpose and their strengths.