Liza Alexander

One of my professors told me that if he saw me working at Blockbuster after graduating college, that would be a waste of my money. At first, I thought he was right because I saw many of my colleagues go on to very successful careers. But over time, I've come to understand that while his point about not wasting your education was valid, success isn't only measured by money. If someone is happy being a salesperson at Blockbuster and feels like they are helping a lot of people, then in a way, that person is successful too. It depends on what's happening in your life and what you want to do in life. Some people have a doctor's degree and work for a non-profit where there's very little money, but it's because the heart is in it and it's helping people. So everything is not measured by just money.

I would say, be who you are and know what you want to do. Always listen to understand, not just listening to input what you want to say. Listen to understand, because once you understand, you will be able to communicate better, and you'll be able to understand yourself and the other person. Better things will come out of that. Understanding people, what they say, where they're coming from, is very important. By understanding people in front of you, you will be able to help them better.

There are a lot of challenges in the banking industry because everybody works with goals. Every person in any working industry has goals to complete each day, each week, each month, each quarter, and for the whole year. Everything is all about goals. I think as long as you keep yourself pacing to do well, you will be okay. As long as you are trying hard enough to achieve those goals, because you can't just say things will happen. Yes, things will happen, but you still have to try your hardest to achieve those goals.

Family is most important to me, along with helping people and embracing all the differences about people and about life. I believe in understanding that whoever comes in front of you, you should always try to understand their situation. Some people have a personality that they bring in front of you that is sometimes very hard or very negative, but I think about how this person must be having a very hard time, so the first thing is to understand the situation the person is in. Empathy is very important because everybody wants to be understood and wants to be heard. Understanding people, what they say, where they're coming from, is very important. By understanding people in front of you, you will be able to help them better. I also believe that no man is an island, and with help from each other, we all grow together. I take one day at a time, and as long as you are true about helping people, everything just falls together.