Kristin Abdill, PMP

I attribute my success to the guidance of mentors, practical experience, and a continual commitment to both personal and professional growth. I have always focused on refining and strengthening my existing skills rather than simply accumulating new ones. I never view myself as having fully arrived; instead, I remain committed to continuous improvement and lifelong learning.

The best career advice I've received is to never stop growing. I don't think I could identify a specific individual who gave me that advice, but I've always been really big on personal growth. Whatever professional development or personal growth literature or opportunities are out there, I'm constantly trying to not necessarily add to my skills, but hone my skills. I'm certainly adding skills at the same time, but rather than just trying to tap out my resume with multiple skills, I'm really trying to continue to grow and hone the skills I have so that I can become an expert in certain areas. I never consider myself to be 'there' - like I've never made it. I continue to pursue that goal that really is not reachable, but just keep working towards it.

I would tell women entering my industry that it is getting better, but women are still not sitting in an equitable place. Unfortunately, we still have to find the balance between being aggressive and being submissive. If you approach a situation in too aggressive of a manner, you will automatically be considered brash, whereas a man is able to approach a situation aggressively and be seen as a respected dominant. That puts a woman in a position of being too brassy or abrasive. The best one line to support that advice is just to be confident in a womanly manner. Continue to use your womanly graces to be the beautiful person that you can be, while being a self-advocate for yourself and confident in what you're doing. Don't try to take on the characteristics of the dominant male who seems to be the successful man, because that's just not who we are. Be a successful woman, and be who you are to become that person.

Artificial intelligence represents both the greatest opportunity and one of the greatest challenges facing our profession. I believe AI should be viewed as a tool and a partner rather than a threat. Those who embrace modernization and invest in learning how to work effectively with AI will be positioned for long-term success. Conversely, resistance to change may create obstacles to future career growth

The values most important to me are integrity, determination, humility, and respect. Really important is never forgetting where I came from. I started at the front desk of a hotel, and the amount of learning that I still use on a daily basis, just from dealing with everyday people - from when someone pulls up a debit card and it declines, all the way up to they set their hotel room on fire - all of these little things have played a huge role in the interpersonal relationships that are necessary to be a successful project manager. Always remembering where you came from, never becoming too big for your own britches, and never putting yourself on a pedestal - that humility is huge. Being able to relate to people who are substantially below you, as well as those who are substantially above you when it comes to the hierarchy of things is critical. I think personal relationships are probably the biggest value - just the importance of those personal relationships.