Monica Acosta

I attribute my success to grit and results. I just think we're all gonna have our own challenges and trials, and scientifically speaking, there's been studies that have tracked some of the successful businessmen and entrepreneurs, and consistently, the one factor that they could attribute of these executives that they looked at to was grit. It wasn't necessarily about coming from the most prestigious family or having gone to this school and received this education, but it was rather this idea of grit and relentless pursuit, resilience and overcoming challenges, and persevering. I think that's a pretty consistent message I've personally heard, and when things get tough, you just gotta get tougher.

The best career advice I ever received was from Judy Miller, the Chief of Staff for Jamie Dimon. She said to be someone that people want to work with. I think there's tons of career advice that we've all heard over the course of our careers, but something that just really resonated with me was this very simple concept that's all-encompassing. It doesn't mean anything specific either. It doesn't mean you have to be this way or that way - just see compassion where you can, hold people accountable where you can, hold yourself accountable where you can, take ownership, work hard, be a pleasant person. I thought that was just a really piece of advice that really resonated with me, and I think it sort of transcends every level, whether you're dealing with executives, peer-to-peers, being a mentor, any level that makes sense.

I think in the corporate world in general, you gotta have a thick skin, and mean no offense, take no offense. I have twin daughters that I hope would always be treated with the utmost respect and quite frankly, manners - I have that high level of expectation - but I also think that there is a lot of sensitivity in the world, and to some extent, I absolutely agree with it, like you just can't say certain things, it's not okay. But on the other side of it, it's like, keep your eye on the ball. You gotta have a little bit of a thicker skin. One thing I would say specifically to women - I don't think it necessarily has to be a gender thing - is that leaders sometimes need to be led. So what I would say is if you are an executive assistant who is just starting off with a company, but you see something that an executive or EVP is doing that is causing harm to the company, by all means, you have an opportunity to lead that person. I think at every level of the company, people can be led, and I would say you look for those opportunities.

I think there are some cultural challenges. I think, inherently, it being a male-dominated industry, and being so forward-thinking with the invention of AI and data centers and kind of this new sort of tech jump, you're seeing a little bit of clash of cultures, which I don't necessarily think is a good or bad thing, I just think it's on how you look at it. So definitely a challenge that could be an opportunity. I think some other challenges are market timing. I think everybody is well aware that there's a moment to seize, and sometimes with that speed to execution or accomplishment, sometimes that can really put the pressure on in companies. It can impact culture, and so being able to run hard and fast at the goals while also maintaining that and maintaining relationships, the things that really matter, that integrity, that character - I think that is a challenge, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's a bad thing. I always think challenge creates a little bit of resistance, and not to be too cliche, but relating back to my fitness expertise, we don't get stronger without increasing that tension. So I think, in all, it can be a good thing. It's just how we handle it. Recognizing it, being aware of it, putting the right tools and resources and people in place - but awareness, I would think, is probably a big thing, because things are moving so quickly, you need that.

Character, having good character and integrity - I would say those are critical pieces that translate in my professional career, as well as my personal home life. Those are things I teach my children. But I also think being a person who is solution-oriented is important. We often don't realize that we can solve our own problems. This is actually something I tell my children - even if things happen to us, we still can be the ones to solve our own problems. In order to get there, we have to take responsibility, be honest, and be empowered. I think it kind of encompasses a lot in a very brief sentence, but I do often say that to my children. I love to say one of two things: I love that you get to solve this problem, or solve your own problems - like, you're not going outside until your room is clean. Hey, guess what? Great problem for you to solve. Don't be mad at me. I'm just the one holding you accountable to it. I just think in work sometimes, it's very easy to focus on the problems, and that causes us to waste a lot of time, a lot of energy, a lot of frustration. And all the while, if we would have started focusing on the solution much earlier on, we would have already been done and passed it.