Dr. Lynda Bih

I attribute my success to determination. I cannot say really just hard work - it's more about being determined. Determination is the main thing for me: being determined to learn something new today, determined to embrace change, determined to succeed, determined to collaborate. As I mentioned, in my career I've gone through multiple changes, from traditional project management to agile, and now AI. Just being determined to learn new things, embrace new changes, and adapt has been the real thing that pushes and drives me.

The best career advice I've ever received is that you should never feel like you know everything, but you should always be willing to learn. Stay open to learn, because everybody has something unique about them. You'll be surprised at some things that you thought you knew that you did not. So don't be afraid to ask questions in case you don't know something, but also be open to learn something new from anybody. It's about maintaining that balance.

My advice is simple: you can do it too. You have what it takes to succeed, you have what it takes to make it. Just be willing to be open to learn, be teachable, open to learn, and you got this. As I said before, you don't need to have all the questions answered, but just be willing to learn something new every day, and you got it. It's very doable, because if I can do it, it means you can.

The biggest challenges in my field right now are the changes that come with it and the volatility of roles. When you manage projects or programs and they go live, you're done with it, and most of the times you need to shift environments. When you do a big bank release and you don't have a new project to work on, you have to look for a new role, so you might have to move from one company to another. You might not be in the same company for long - maybe 4, 5, 6 years - but the good thing is that there are always jobs available. You can always get another job somewhere else because the need for people managing projects and programs is always required. The second challenge is the changes in the nature of the job based on new changes of tools and frameworks. With AI coming on board, we need to change and adapt to it, so there's a constant change in the way of working.

Optimism and staying positive are the values most important to me. Being optimistic and staying positive has really been the cornerstone for both my professional and personal life.