Jasmyne Christie

I've always been a person who has been curious - I'm always asking why before I ask how. I think that's really served me across every environment because you really have to understand what someone is coming to you for, what their needs are. You want to be able to fulfill a gap, whether that's something they're missing or something they need as an addition to what they're leading towards. So it's always about being curious and being a listener. I would also say another thing is trusting your judgment and instincts - there's actually an Amazon principle called Are Right A Lot that's about this. Do not underestimate your gut feeling. I think leadership relies heavily on that. It's not just a feeling or sensation, but it's going with that gut feeling which is really based upon your experience. Along with that feeling, you must do your due diligence and ensure that you have the backing for that.

The best advice that has really stuck with me is to stay curious. Things don't have to be what they used to be in terms of corporate America. We often think we have to stay in a particular role for 10 years, but growth and development is not linear. We'll be surprised at what it means to connect with people who may not always be within our work scope - they may not be our stakeholders. I highly advise networking, whether within your company or at a conference in a completely different field. At some point, we all intersect. Put yourself out there and stay curious, always stay in the know of learning new things, and stay ahead of the trends. Don't get married to a title or anything. Look at your skill set and how you can be valuable and an asset to different business sectors. Don't put yourself in a box.

Of course, AI. I think it's a challenge, but it's also an opportunity for growth. This is part of what I mentioned earlier about making sure you're on top of industry trends and where everything is going. It's an obstacle at this moment because right now a lot of companies are restructuring and they're still in that time of figuring things out. I highly suggest for anyone in the midst of these changes, especially in the technology field, to use this time to sharpen their skill sets and learn about AI and the AI tools that are used within their industry. Although it feels like a now problem, we need to realize that challenges will continue to come, the tech industry has always been about evolution and changes. Anyone within the tech industry has to be equipped and ready for changes at any time. But we always get signs and we know when they're coming, so that's the good part. Now is the time to sharpen and to learn how to work with AI and how it can actually help you within your workflow.

I would say integrity and genuine relationship building. Integrity means people should be able to trust you, they should be able to go by your word. When you say something, you deliver it with high quality - that's important in both personal life and career. When I say genuine relationship building, that's about listening. When you listen, you'll really get a chance to understand what brings someone joy, what lights them up. That's the key to building a relationship - finding out what really keeps the wheel spinning and being able to say to yourself, how can I be a part of that, or how can I loop them into something that sparks my interest that they can be a part of? It's really about being genuine and seeing where connections can eventually be built, because it's not always instant. Sometimes you'll meet someone and you'll end up doing business with them 10 years down the line. So it's continuing those relationships and keeping in mind that sometimes personal and business do overlap. It's okay to be open to that possibility, which is also a reason to always be polished and always make sure you're being authentic to yourself and representing yourself in a pleasant way.