Lisa Yanez

I would say my work ethic is the foundation of my success, but a huge part of it comes from being a former athlete. When you've been through the trials of loss but have to keep going, have to play the next day, and understand that your season's not over and you have to keep trying to win and come back, you learn lessons that translate directly into your life and work. You can relay those experiences into sales and into coaching a team. Being an athlete has made me who I am, and my parents helped instill a lot of that work ethic in me. When my team sees me work hard, they work hard too. It's that winning attitude combined with perseverance that I learned on the court that drives everything I do, whether it's in my everyday life, my weeks, or how I lead my team.

The best career advice I've received came from my mentor, who is my direct leader right now. He's amazing, and he always says to manage with your heart. Understand the people, and you will go far. I love that advice because it means don't put aside your feelings when you're managing. Think of how it feels and what you're doing, think how you would like to be treated, and do the same thing. Don't ever put aside your feelings, in other words. I'm a very passionate manager, and I believe in a warm culture and family-felt culture. That advice has helped me build that kind of team, where people feel valued and understood.

I would tell them to be secure in their voice and understand that they can run a room and manage a room, as long as they understand that they can be just as powerful in their industry as anyone else. But also come in with grace and understanding that we are different, and that's okay. You're supposed to be. That's why there's male and female, right? Business may be run differently by a woman than it is by a man, and that's okay. It doesn't mean it's any worse or any better. Hold your ground, be strong, and know that you have a strong voice within your peers.

One of the biggest challenges I faced, especially early in my career, was being a woman among men. Back in 2010, it was one of me and 50 men in a room, especially in medical sales. It wasn't easy. It took energy to constantly maintain positivity and know that I had to work through it. There were a lot of different things thrown at you when you're the only female amongst men, whether it was awkward situations you had to figure out, or how to sell to a surgeon who had only worked with men, or how to position yourself properly and ensure you don't cross any lines. It was hard to make sure my name stayed pure and professional. Not many women came through at the other end back then. Now, with DEI initiatives from a couple years ago, it's evened out and we have a lot of women now, which is great. As for opportunities, I've been very blessed to have great mentors who saw talents in me that I didn't even know I had and pushed me toward where I am today. Within my company, Edwards Life Sciences, they truly believe in internal advancement, which is great. The next step would be area vice president, and while I'm not sure if I want it, it's always an option to aspire to.

Loyalty is a big one for me. I think it says a lot about someone, and having loyalty and believing in it myself is huge. Trust is equally important. If you don't have trust with yourself, with people, or even with your family, how do you move forward and build relationships, build culture, or build a team? Those are my two biggest values that impact our team, my life, and my family. Even with my kids, I've always told them I need to trust you, never lie to me. Trust is foundational to everything I do.