Suzette Rivera

I attribute my success to the mentors I had throughout my journey, even though they were tough on me at the time. Those strong, headstrong women who had worked together for decades were taskmasters and hard teachers, and when I was younger, I thought they were just being mean to me as the newcomer. But now, at this point in my life when I reflect back, it was all of those taskmasters and hard teachers that were creating the level of standard that I have today. I was able to become who I am because of them. I also learned to be resourceful and to be the squeaky wheel - I would stand at the doorway of someone I knew might have the answer I needed and ask questions. I never took anyone's time or investment in me for granted, so I made the best of every little nugget I got. Beyond the technical skills and being pushed to level up my standard of work, what I also learned was the delivery - the vessel in which you deliver things. That's really where I bring a difference from all the mentors I had. I bring everything I learned, but I bring it in a way where I'm encouraging, supportive, and deliver feedback in a way that increases people's desire to excel.

The best career advice I ever received came from a co-worker early in my career when I was working as a receptionist with no direction or goals. He told me, 'If you're gonna be a receptionist, I think you should be a receptionist at this new opportunity at an agency, because that could get your foot in the door, and you can grow from there.' Had he not said that to me, I wouldn't be where I am today. I wish I could find him - I just know his first name, I don't remember his last name - because of him is what got me where I'm at now. Another pivotal moment was when my husband encouraged me to put my hat in the ring for a management position. I had said, 'Oh, no, you know, if they thought that I was a good fit, they'll reach out.' And he said, 'No, they're not. You have to advocate for yourself.' I remember it was at lunchtime, and he made me promise that when I went back in, I would send an email to my boss saying that I was interested. I did, and it created an opportunity for me where my manager said, 'Oh, I didn't know that you were interested.' Nobody had that experience, and that led to me being with my current company for 8 years now.

What I would say to younger readers is, even if your path isn't as beautiful or as peaceful as one would wish, you can be that change after you've gone through that journey for others. You can create that path for those who come after you. That really is what got me into leadership the second time around - understanding what was missing in my journey, which was a cheerleader, a confidant, someone who's invested in your success more than they're invested in how they look. Even if your journey isn't as beautiful as one would want it, see that difference you can make the next time for the next person that comes behind you. Out of everything I learned - the skill set, the insight, being pushed to level up my standard of work - what I also learned was the delivery, the vessel in which you deliver things. That's really where I bring a difference from all the mentors I had. I bring everything I learned, but I bring it in a way where I'm encouraging, supportive, and deliver feedback in a way that increases people's desire to excel.

The values most important to me are transparency, integrity, doing the right thing when no one's looking even if it's the harder decision to make, and being authentic. I can't express how needed that is in the corporate world - being authentic and not being a player in the corporate game is refreshing for those that you're overseeing or working alongside of. These values have challenged me over the years, and sometimes people find that there's a quicker way if you play the corporate game to rise up, but you always want that when you're not in the room, your reputation and the way your name comes up is always in a good light. Even if you make it to the top, if you've left a path of hurt teammates or team members who felt that somehow you didn't show up for them in the right manner when they needed you the most, is it really successful? For some it might be, but for me, I feel like even if I don't make it all the way to the top, if the reward is that I've made a difference in others because of how I showed up for them and I may have been different than what they experienced, to me, that's the success I care about.