Yamila H. Libutti

I attribute my success to starting work at a very young age and taking on a lot of responsibility early on. I was 14 going on 40, taking care of my family, my sister, and helping my mom when my dad was out of the picture. While I've always loved to learn and was an avid reader, the traditional university path took a bit of a backseat because family took priority. But that didn't stop me from learning in other ways. I've always been pretty tenacious and have always asked a lot of questions. I learned on the job, completing multiple certifications throughout my career. I was fortunate to have people along the way that gave me the bandwidth to challenge norms and to innovate. I was also fortunate to be a pioneer in technology at a time when everything was new and cutting edge - working on early electronic medical records and web-based managed healthcare software when coding, software, and the internet were fairly new. I had to be the Jill of all trades, which was incredibly helpful throughout the rest of my career because I was ready and prepared to roll up my sleeves, get into things, figure things out, and use that same sense of curiosity and tenacity to break through barriers. I think adaptability, and the ability to reinvent and recalibrate - without sacrificing values or integrity - are probably the most important skills nowadays. Going back for my executive MBA in my early 40s was something I did for myself, not because I needed it to be successful, but because I wanted to constantly push myself and put myself in environments where it forced me to see new perspectives and continue to learn. It's that same growth mindset that took me to the ballroom, but more about that in my next book - wink, wink.

The best career advice I’ve ever received is that relationships matter. Social capital matters. Think about it: at the center of everything we build - services, products, relationships - are people. So you can be the smartest person in the world, but if you can't build and maintain relationships, you're only going to get so far. Even as a technology executive, I understand that the human-factor is core. It should never be technology for the sake of technology or process for the sake of process.

I would tell them that excellence isn't inherited. It's architected. Roll up your sleeves, work hard and work smart. Establish frameworks now that will position you for longterm success, and most importantly, never lose sight of your values or integrity.

As someone of Hispanic descent whose parents came from Cuba, I understand the value of hard work, perseverance, and determination. No matter your background though, you will face obstacles. The key is to view every obstacle through the lens of opportunity. When someone tells you something is impossible - and sometimes that someone may be you yourself - reframe that as an invitation to rethink, recalibrate, reinvent, and break barriers.

I hope my journey inspires other women to pursue their goals fearlessly.

Time. As a Co-Founder, I’m constantly focused on building and expanding the impact we have, while also balancing time and energy for family (my #1 priority), writing, speaking and mentoring.

As a leadership consultant, I'd say one of the biggest challenges is making sure that frameworks grounded in leadership character development and critical thinking exist for the next generation of leaders. In an age of technology, we want leaders not to lose sight of the human factor, but by the same token, we want to make sure they are well positioned to think strategically, make hard decisions, challenge norms (and AI outputs), and to understand team dynamics more deeply. Just to be clear though, when I say leadership, I'm not limiting that to having a leadership title. Every one of us is a leader in our own right - whether that be civically, personally, or professionally.

Faith. Family. Integrity. Truth over comfort, Discipline over inspiration. Grounded optimism, continuous growth, and absolute accountability.

As I mentioned before, I believe strongly that our ability to reinvent and recalibrate ourselves are some of the most important skills both professionally and personally. I think that we can all agree that change is a constant in life. To that end, how we adapt and respond in the face of change is paramount. I think it's naive to think that how we grow and evolve in one arena of our life will not have a bearing on the other aspects of our life. No matter how hard we try, and how good we might be at compartmentalizing, at some point our professional and personal paths will inevitably intersect. Believe me, I know this first hand. My father's death. My divorce. Life kept going, but their impact bled into all aspects of my life. The ballroom. Finding new love. They breathed new life into both my personal and professional outlook.