Melissa Romano Harris

I attribute my success to the values my grandfather instilled in me - he was my guiding light and the one who really shaped my foundation. He was born in Tecate, Mexico, came to America and joined the Army in World War II, serving in the Philippines, and was granted U.S. citizenship for his service. He never took that for granted and worked really hard in the wine industry, making an impact himself. From him I learned an old-school work ethic where you take pride in your work. I treat every job I've ever done, since my very first job working in a deli making sandwiches, as if it's my own company, and I give it the best that I can. When people can see the worth of your work, it provides you with more opportunities, and that's exactly what has happened in my career. I also credit finding work that I'm passionate about - when you love your job, you never work a day. I've never gone home feeling like I did work or woken up wanting to call in sick. I've been very fortunate to work for people who treat me as an equal and provide me the space where I can be myself, work autonomously, and be accountable for my own work. My current boss has a cornerstone value that everybody should be treated and given the same opportunities, from partners down to support staff and receptionists, with equal access to benefits, bonuses, and medical coverage. Giving employees the power to work autonomously and advocate when they need to really empowers us, and when you treat your employees with kindness and respect and appreciate their work for what it is without micromanaging how they do it, you get better results and better work from your team.

The best career advice really comes down to what they always say - if you love your job, you never work a day. I've been fortunate to have had amazing mentors throughout my career. My first boss, the owner of the court reporting firm, hired me because during the interview I was smiling, and every time she asked if I had done something or could do something, I completely just said yes, I'm willing to learn it, I will do it, no problem. She was always so great to me, giving me her inspiration and guidance. The advice was more personal and specific to me, but the core message was always about finding what you love and have passion for. When you find that passion, everything you do doesn't feel like work. I don't go home feeling like I did work or wake up the next morning wanting to call in sick. I've never had that feeling, even when I had a 45-minute commute. When you find a person to work for and work with who treats you as an equal and provides you the space where you can be yourself and work autonomously with accountability, and when you work as a team with accuracy, that's when you truly thrive.

I would love to influence a new generation into positions like I've been in. The first thing I'd say is to start wherever you can, whether it's as a receptionist or whatever, even if it's not in the legal field. If there's something that women want to do and are interested in but may have a little fear, the biggest thing is to not fear anything. The first thing people fear is rejection, a no. But if you really look at it, you're not in any other position than you were in the beginning - if you get a no, you're right at the same exact spot, so don't have that fear. Move forward and just try. Give it everything you have. It's kind of like your mom would say, you know, you can do anything you put your mind to, and that's really a testament to what we can do. Having no fear is the difference in confidence between men and women, and why there's that barrier - men don't have that fear, they have confidence, they just try, and if they fail, they don't care. Women are afraid of failing, but the thing is, if you fail, that gives you something to learn from, and that will launch you. Failure is the only way we can learn, so don't be afraid of that. Also, allow change to be a part of your life. Don't be afraid of technology or the fast, innovative things that are out there - just embrace it. Fear of change is something you need to break through, because those changes will launch you into new positions, better salaries, better connections. Change is inevitable, so just be comfortable with it. Keep learning every day and continuing to push yourself to learn and be the best you can. Even if you think you're the best, look for other ways to enhance and streamline and make yourself more efficient. Keep going, because there's no glass ceiling, really. There's no ceiling to anything you do - there's always something beyond, and you should always be reaching, even if you feel that you're at the top, because that's just gonna launch you into your greatest success.

In any field sometime the challenge is being afraid of rejections but know that rejection is just an opportunity to grow. From failure is the place of growth.

My values in both my professional and personal life are rooted in integrity, honesty, and accountability. I have an old-school work ethic where I take very high pride in my work. I treat every job as if it's my own company and give it the best that I can, because when people can see the worth of your work, it provides you with more opportunities. I embrace a customer-first mindset and prioritize building and nurturing strong, mutually respectful relationships. I believe in remaining grounded in authenticity in everything I do. One of the most important values I've adopted from my current boss is that everybody should be treated and given the same opportunities - from partners down to support staff and even receptionists, everyone should get the same access to benefits, bonuses, and medical coverage. Giving employees the power to work autonomously and advocate when they need to is empowering, and when you treat your employees with kindness and respect and appreciate their work for what it is without telling them how to do it, you get better results. In my personal life, family time is equally important to me. Spending time with my boys and husband, especially in nature, is dear to my heart because this is something my mother instilled in me at an early age. We like to be out in nature doing little day hikes, going to parks, lakes, fishing, doing things that are inexpensive so we can enjoy each other and not worry about all the frivolous things. It's not about making sure we have a cabana at the beach, it's about just going to the beach and enjoying the water and the solitude. Getting grounded and getting out in nature is so important because we keep a busy lifestyle, and I think that's the difference between Europeans who are the happier people on Earth - they get out in nature, they hike, they sit at the beach.