What advice would you take from your 22-year-old self?

In the build up to this International Women’s Day I have been reflecting on my leadership journey to date, how I can help the next generation of female leaders and what we can learn from them.

There’s a saying that hindsight is twenty-twenty, yet as a consequence in our fast paced world, we very rarely stop to consider what wisdom our younger selves might have been able to share with us if they were here to gently tap us on the shoulder today.

After being inspired by an article in The Suite Collective on “What I Wish I’d Known at 22’ where the inspiring Aminata Conteh-Biger was featured, I started wondering what the inverse approach would look like. What could I learn from my 22-year-old self now? A few reflections below:

Don’t be afraid to take risks

Author Neale Donald Walsch once said “life begins at the end of your comfort zone”, and I couldn’t agree more. When I was 22, (13 years ago) I came to Australia in the UK summer and just knew it was the place I was meant to be. A plan to make this happen started forming with my partner Owain (now husband) and almost 11 years ago, we took the big leap of faith and left our home and my career in London, making the bold choice to start a life in Australia. I knew it was completely impossible to forecast what shape our lives would take once we jumped off the plane - but I knew it would be worth making the short-term bet.

I have the great privilege to partner with both male and females?in prominent leadership positions every day. A consistent theme I have noticed in the Tenfold community is C Suite leaders having made bold personal and professional decisions in their careers. As we have recently entered the Lunar Year of the Tiger I think it is a great reminder to be brave and lead with courage.

Indulge yourself in enjoying the process

Whilst we all know that with age comes wisdom, I think we can often learn from younger leaders on not taking life too seriously and enjoying the moment. When I reflect on my younger 22 year old self working in Sports Marketing in London I remember taking time to enjoy the journey including morning runs along the River Thames, fun times socialising and taking adventures. As I’ve gotten older and taken on more responsibilities including starting a family I have to remind myself to not take things too seriously which my colleague Tricky definitely helps with making work fun!

Make building relationships a priority

A core theme of my career has been investing in meaningful network connections which is heart of our DNA at Tenfold. Reflecting back, I had been inspired by my Aunty Julie after having an amazing work experience with her in Hong Kong and seeing the depth and breadth of her connections. As a young 22 business professional in my very first sports marketing role, I was passionate about connecting with cross industry professionals. This carried through when we emigrated to Australia where I joined several networking groups.

This is something I saw tremendous professional and personal value in and continue to today being parts of groups including the International Cycling Executives and more recently Abundance 360. As a female leader, I think having both female and male role models you admire is really important.

Indra Nooyi, describes the importance of forming a “SisterHood” which we are grateful to have as part of the Tenfold community, an amazing group of female CEOs. We are proud that 35% of the CEO positions held by Tenfold multinational members organisations are held by women - an incredible feat that the younger version of myself would be proud of yet challenge me that there is still more of a way to go!

As a final reflection as a 22 year old aspiring leader, I recognised the very real merits of keeping up the ‘hustle’’, but by the same token, understood the importance of being able to look at yourself in the mirror and like who you saw. I remember my sister and I committing to in essence, hustling hard but trying always to be a nice and kind human along the journey which I think is always important to remember.

This International Women’s Day, I encourage you to consult your inner child (or inner young woman) - She’s got you this far, and she knows much more than you think. I’d love to hear any of your reflections on what either your 22 year old self could teach you or you could teach your 22 year old self.