Mary Torres

I attribute my success to genuinely liking people and wanting to help them reach the next levels in their lives. Growing up in the 1950s and 60s, things were always a struggle, and there was no one there to teach us or educate us about business and career advancement. Our parents didn't have that kind of education or experience in management-level positions either. Because I didn't have anyone there to guide me when I was growing up, I've made it my mission to give back to those who are in the same category I was in. I want to be successful at whatever I do, so I set attainable goals based on my experience, background, and education, keep my eye on that prize, and once I achieve it, I set myself another goal. I don't like failing, so I work step by step toward goals I know I can reach. My push comes from wanting to give back and help others in ways that no one was there to help me. It's more about giving back to those who know how hard it is, because I learned how to give to those who are where I was, but didn't have anybody there to do for them what I would like to do.

The best career advice I ever received was to follow my passion, because whatever you have a passion about should be your first stepping stone. That one passion can probably lead to something else. So whatever your passion is, no matter what it is, whether it's non-profit work or not so much about making money but about giving back, then do that. I think what people see in me is that I'm somebody that wants to help others. It's not so much about helping myself, but it's helping others to reach their goals or to find a career that they may be interested in. I've learned to look at the world and ask, what is it that we need, not what is it that we want, but what is it that we need. That's the best advice I've gotten through my career - not to look at what you want, but more so what you need.

I would tell young women entering this industry to take it step by step. What I've noticed in young people coming into the industry now is that they don't want to take all the first 10 steps - they want to jump to step 15 right away. But you don't have the background, you don't have the experience, and you don't know how to work with people that well yet. Learn what you can from those who are there with that experience and education, and let them be the lead while you do the following. When you do that, you'll be amazed at how much you will grow. Ask questions - don't just take things the way you see them, but always ask questions, and if A and B doesn't match up, then find out why. Grow instead of trying to fast-pace yourself, because when you're trying to fast-pace yourself, there is so much that you don't know and don't understand, and there's too much in between that you're going to miss. Take it all in, and don't try to get ahead when you're not ready to get ahead. I see that a lot in our young kids today - they come in on an entry level, but they want to have your position as vice president within six months. Stay grounded for a few years, because it didn't take someone 10, 15, 20 years to get to where they are for nothing. It's going to take you time too, and while God may bless you to get there faster, don't try to overstep where you are to get to somewhere that you're going to end up failing at.

One of the main challenges in my field is that you never know what's going to be a big day - some days things are overwhelming, and other days it's a smooth ride where everything is going your way. When it becomes overwhelming, like it was just two days ago when so many things were coming at me at one time, the key is to take a deep breath and step back. You have to let things fall into place, because we all want to complete everything that day, but that's impossible. There are going to be so many interruptions or things you can't foresee that are going to happen. When I'm at the place of being overwhelmed, I have to stop and regroup myself, take a deep breath, and go step by step. When you try to do it all at one time, chances are there's going to be a mistake, and I'm not the kind of person that likes to make mistakes because I don't like to clean up mess. It takes a lot longer, and instead of going five steps forward, now you're going five steps backwards and have to start all over again. But if you take your time, take a deep breath, regroup, and then get organized and structured in what you are doing, the outcome is going to be better in the end.

The values most important to me in my work are making sure that a team works together. I always tell people at my jobs that teamwork is dream work. When you've got everybody on the same page and we're all doing the same things, trying to stay above the petty level of attacking others for their worth because of jealousy, that's when you can get more done. I try to keep the whole body together and be a buffer when there's animosity or troublemakers, so that people who are uncomfortable have someone to turn to. People think I'm a counselor sometimes, and I usually tell them at work that I'm going to have to start charging them for my good advice. What I've learned is that you need to have people skills - learn how to treat people, how to talk to them, and be honest and upfront. If something is going to work, let them know how it will work for them, and if it's a bad idea, let them know that too. When you're upfront, honest, and truthful, people respect that a lot more rather than giving them the runaround. Having people skills built into me means I get respect, and I get the opportunity where people have trust in me and believe in what I'm going to tell them and what I say I'm going to do for them. One of the most important things I've learned is that sometimes when people come to you with problems, they don't want you to solve it - they just want you to listen to them. That's a hard task for me because I'm so into giving advice, but I've realized it can be a turn-off when people just want to talk and get it off their chest. My approach now is: if you want my advice, then ask me, but if you don't, I'm here to listen to you.