Shelly Tomlin

I would say probably really great leaders. I've had just really fabulous leaders that have believed in me and given me support. I really do think great, great leaders are very rare to come by, but when they are in your life, soak it up and take every single minute of that fabulous leadership. The good leaders don't last, right? They move on to bigger and better things, and when you have a really great leader, you know, really take advantage of all they have to give you, because great leaders have given me my most growth in my career to date.

Right after I graduated from college, I was very, very broke, paying off my student loans and working two jobs. I was at a crossroads about whether I really wanted to teach, because I loved teaching but there was just something missing. I was going to go for a sales job, but I was really quite scared. I knew it was the right decision, but I kept going backwards. A co-worker named Wendy said to me, 'Once you make a decision, just move forward and just look out of the windshield, instead of the rearview mirror.' This was maybe 30 years ago or something, but I always remember this woman, Wendy, telling me that advice.

Keep working. Things can get really tough. Throughout my career as a woman working in a predominantly male ed tech world and sales world, things can get really tough, but put your head down, get to work, and try to put your earmuffs on - block out all the noise. I would give anybody advice to just do you, right? Put your head down, and good things will happen. When you put in the work and when you put in 100% effort, good things will happen. It may not be the end result that you were thinking, but everything is going to work out at the end, as long as you put your 100% effort in and you believe in what you're doing.

I think the opportunities - there's always opportunities in ed tech. Education is a constantly changing and evolving industry, and there have been so many challenges. To be a part of fixing those challenges for higher education schools is a really, really proud moment for me. There are always opportunities because change is the one constant in our industry. I think the challenges is probably the same thing - the one constant is change. There was a time where every single year, there was a reorganization of the company, and so there was a risk of job loss and some anxiety that everything that was going so well was going to all of a sudden change, and you kind of had to start over. Through the years, you get used to that change, and I think change is actually good. When things are going good, you're not forced to change anything, but when things aren't going good, that's really kind of when you work to make changes to get on the right track. There are times when change is good, because everybody can strive to get better. Nobody, nothing or nobody is perfect. Making those changes and being adaptable to change - it's an opportunity as well as a challenge, but I think they're actually good at the end of the day.

I would say trust, collaboration, teamwork, achievement, and a strong work ethic. Basically giving it your all.