Nicole Norton

I would say there's ambition, but also resilience. You know, I've definitely strived for the impossible, and I'm not afraid of a challenge. So I would say the ambition, and then as for the resilience - although I'm not afraid of a challenge, at times the challenge is defeating, and I maybe don't win. But then, you get up, and you keep going.

I had a manager when I was doing the telethon tell me that I had a poker face, and that it could be a great value, meaning that if things are going crazy, I remain calm and I'm able to keep my composure and develop a plan to move forward. But then also, it could be my worst enemy due to the fact that maybe people might think that I don't think of it as having high urgency. You know, people might be concerned that I'm not freaking out. So, because of that, I've made sure to highlight the right emotion for the right time, or at least vocalize the importance behind situations.

I would say, create your own opportunities. You know, if things don't seem to be working out, you know, get creative and look to see what resources or what opportunities there are outside of what your original plan was. I'd also say, be flexible to a plan, because life can always happen. Maybe that's part of the bigger, better plan. The reason I say that is, you know, I originally was going to a school where I was paying like $20,000 a year in tuition. I was planning to stay there all the way, and then my then-boyfriend, now husband, he got diagnosed with cancer, and I decided to switch schools just to be home and help support him. And that was just one of the best decisions I ever made, not only financially, but I think professionally as well. And, you know, at the time, obviously, it was not my favorite thing, but my husband and I both reflect back on that experience and how things, at the end of the day, really worked out to our benefit.

I would say at Amazon, the biggest challenges are just the lack of growth opportunities. The greatest opportunity, I would say, is more focused around the tech startup I'm working on. You know, I'm working on creating a system to help people like me navigate chronic illnesses, and I'm utilizing AI heavily when it comes to that. I would say the opportunity of fully embracing technology - instead of being afraid of using AI, using it to where it can help people on a beneficial level.

I would say treating everyone as if they're humans. When everyone is working hard, and when dollars and cents are involved, people can get very robotic, almost. So, I would say that I keep a personal touch when I'm working with people, and I think that because of it, it's created stronger partnerships with people as well as it helps me build trust faster. Treating each other with respect is important. But also being able to live life outside of work. You know, work is very important, and some people, that is their life, and that's what brings them joy. But then, there's other people who have other things that bring them joy, and so just making sure that you make time for that, because tomorrow is never promised. You want to be sure that you're living your life to your full potential, and that includes professionally killing it, but also making sure that you're checking off those bucket list items and maybe bringing people along with you on the ride. There's a quote from Michelle Obama that I love, and it says that you should always have 3 friends in your life. One of them that's ahead of you that you can look up to. One of them that's alongside, that's going along the ride with you, and then someone that maybe is struggling and is maybe behind you that you're bringing along with you. And I think of that frequently, and I do think that is a valuable insight.