Debora Mendonça

When you come from nothing, you initially want the title, the money, the recognition, and all those things that seem so impossible to you. But once you get there, you see that there's really no meaning, at least for me. I've learned that my purpose is really to see the change in somebody's life. The power of influence that I have on all my employees, based on how I decide to change that path or address that situation, is really impactful. Those small decisions every day make up for a much better community and environment around you. My biggest motivation now is understanding the impact of my leadership on the life of others. I'm able to transform all the pain that I've been through, all the unfairness, all the negative situations, into positive outcomes for others around me. There's nothing better in leadership than knowing that you do this for the community broader than just yourself and your self-benefit.

First, understand what you want. Have a clear goal, because clear goals will help you go through hardships. Secondly, understand that there's not just one place in the world - you can get opportunities anywhere. Don't hurt your character and what you believe in, because some of those things can hurt you for a long time. You don't have to go through things you really feel are against your core and your beliefs. There are other opportunities, so get enough resume, work enough to be able to go and find a better opportunity somewhere else. We are deserving of everything on this earth as long as we continue to hold hands with ourselves and keep our self-love, looking for good opportunities, and also looking within yourself to acknowledge when you messed up and when you need to get better.

One of the most important things is the ability to look within. Finding time to pause and look within is huge for us to be able to see other people. If we cannot see ourselves, how are we going to be able to see others? You have to go through your monsters, go through your traumas. I'm a huge believer in the healing essence of living, and I still go through that journey a lot. Being able to look at yourself and see what happened to you, acknowledge things that have happened to you, be able to forgive and move on - that's huge, so you're going to be able to see other people that way as well. Empathy is what keeps people connected to you, and not just to their paycheck. My two main pillars of my leadership style are empathy and accountability, because empathy alone is too soft, and accountability alone is too harsh. When you combine those two, it's a great balance for keeping up the pace, the structure, and the culture.