Lee Ann Schwope

I think that I am an interesting combination of my mom and dad. My mom is like the sweetest, most dedicated person in the world, and my dad was a mechanic, but he was super smart. He could have been an engineer had he had the opportunity to go to college. Growing up in a household with those two personalities, I was able to take both of them in. I got my mom's sweetness and dedication combined with my dad's hard work and smarts. That combination is what allows me to do what I do. Everyone can't make bows by day and do quantum physics by night, but I can because I was raised with both of those influences.

The best career advice I ever received came from my mentor, Eddie Boardwine. I still remember this day clear as anything. We were shutting down a venture capital firm we were running because the math just wasn't working, and we had to sell it out. Eddie and I worked through the numbers, and I said we just have to go and tell everyone. But he said no. He told me what we have to do is have a meeting and let them walk through the numbers with us, so that they come to the same conclusion. He taught me that even if you know the decision you're going towards, you have to allow people to have a say in the decision-making process if you want them to feel comfortable with where you're going. People get most upset when they just don't understand how you got there. So that's what we did. We had a meeting and brought everyone along for the ride. Was it fun? No, but was it the right thing to do? Absolutely. I try to do that over and over again. No matter what decision I've made going forward, I always try to take his idea and bring it into light.

If you're upset with someone, or if you get a nasty email, which sometimes happens in work and life, I always write my email and in my head I say 'Dear Mother Teresa,' because you would never be mean to Mother Teresa, right? You would always be super sweet to her, and it just kind of makes sure that you are acting in the character that you want to, versus maybe lashing out. Dear Mother Teresa is probably my second favorite piece of business advice, and I think it's important for anyone entering the industry to remember.

Authenticity and transparency are the most important characteristics to me, and I think those are the most important because if you don't have those, you can't do your job effectively. Most women show up, they do hard work, they do the things they're supposed to do. Things like being on time or being accountable, we don't need to list those because that's just what happens. That's the entrance fee. What's really important is being prepared. I think people should be allowed to show up as their true self and not have to hide behind anything that's challenging them. I want my team to always tell me what's going on in their life. It's about keeping an open door and letting people be authentic.