Heroina Shabani

I attribute my success to change and being able to adapt to change. Coming to America as a refugee who survived genocide, knowing only the word 'hello' in English, I've had to constantly learn and adapt to the culture here and learn the language. Throughout my career, I've never limited myself to just a job description because that doesn't allow for growth or learning new things. I've taken to heart the advice that there's no job too big and no job too small, and that's how I've been able to obtain and gain knowledge in every position I've held. My ability to embrace change, continuously learn, and adapt has been the driving force behind everything I've achieved.

The best career advice I ever received was from my first manager in human resources, who was a senior vice president of HR at the company I was working at. He told me that if you really want to succeed and you want to learn, which will drive your success, there is no job too big and there's no job too small for whatever position you're in. I've taken that to heart, and that is how I've actually been able to obtain and gain knowledge in every position I've been in. I don't limit myself to just the job description, because that doesn't allow for growth, and it doesn't allow for me to learn new things and develop.

I would give the same advice I received: there's no job too big, there's no job too small. And I would like for them to always remember that skills can take you to the very top, but character is what keeps you there. So always have a good character, no matter what position you're in at a company. Always keep a good character. Don't limit yourself to just your job description, because that's how you grow and develop. Be willing to learn, embrace the mindset that you don't know something yet, and then go out there and try to learn it.

In my field, I think the current economic state is difficult. Business owners are trying to figure out how to best invest their budget, and I see that there's a lot of need out there. However, economically, I think it's very difficult to find the money or the investment to get a company to that next step because of the current economic status. There's tremendous need for leadership development and HR support, but the challenge is helping businesses justify the investment in this difficult economic climate.

I really value a good moral compass. That's really big for me in terms of the company I work with and the people I work with who have a really good moral compass. We don't have to agree on everything. I also value disagreements and different perspectives, because that's how you live and grow. I value growth a lot, and knowledge. I value people who don't know something but it doesn't diminish them. Instead, they say 'hey, I don't know this yet' and then they go out there and try to learn it. I value that a lot. I've always tried to be that in myself. And I value my family above all.