What Do You Wish For Your Child In The Workplace?

Confidence starts at the age of five. The messages that our children get from an early age are far from equal. Fairytales say the princess needs to be saved by the prince. It’s the same thing with education: Parents put aside more money for their sons’ education than for their daughters, according to the Wall Street Journal.  So how do we tell a new story, where the princess knows that she can be CEO of a Fortune 500 company?

My friend Dr. Mara Catherine Harvey wrote a children’s book, A Smart Way To Start, to try to flip the script. It’s a series of poems about financial confidence. “In Switzerland, one of the world’s most sophisticated financial markets, it’s been barely 30 years since married women are allowed to open bank accounts without their husband’s consent. Equality is still very young. And financial confidence, women’s access to capital, and women’s involvement in managing money are the last frontiers to economic gender equality,” says Harvey. “I would like my daughter to know equality is still young, and needs nurturing like a little tree that needs poles and ropes and care to grow tall and straight.”

The advice I give to my own daughter, and to any young person entering the workplace, is that your differences are your greatest strengths. Don’t try to fit in; transform. Zag when others zig. You first have to believe in yourself before others can believe in you. People, passion and purpose are some of the most important ingredients in business success today.  Don’t just sit at the table; make the table better.

I asked men and women from our community, “What would you want to tell your son, daughter, or a young person entering the workplace?” Here is what they had to say:

Confidence is beautiful

“Believe in yourself, despite what other people say to you, and despite whatever hurdles or obstacles come your way.”

~Tony Effik, SVP of client strategy at NBCUniversal Careers

Follow your heart

"Make sure that whatever path you take in the workforce, you do it with heart and hustle. It is critical that you spend time doing something that aligns with your heart with the precious time you have in the world...and when you combine heart with hard work—or, as I say coming from New York, ‘hustle’—you can truly achieve anything."

~Jeanette Calandra, managing partner at PwC Silicon Valley

Be fearless

“My advice for my own daughters, in the workplace and in every aspect of their lives, is to always remain fearless. Fearlessness doesn’t come from success; it comes from the twists and turns you encounter along your journey. No one’s life is a straight line. You will face setbacks, you will take sudden turns, but that is what builds your confidence. I saw one of my daughters get on stage not too long ago after a series of setbacks of her own, and absolutely blow the audience away. She was fearless, and I want her to never let that go.”

~Laura Molen, president of advertising sales and partnerships at NBCUniversal

We’re all in this together

“To expect and find women and men allies at work who believe and will fight for equality.”

~Gary Barker, president and CEO of Promundo

Take charge of you

“I want you to grow up and be fully independent so that you can live your life the way that you want to.”

~John Tubert, executive technology director at R/GA

Stay true to yourself

"When you’re in a great role and you’re working at a wonderful company, it’s easy to lose sight of what's important to you as you're trying to advance into leadership. Own your ambition while staying true to your unique personal values. Make sure to never compromise your integrity along the way."

~Elina Greenstein, VP of platform sales at GroundTruth

Embrace the possibilities

“My advice to my girls is the same for life and for the workplace: Be kind to others and be grateful for what you have. I want my daughters to be citizens of the world and to know that anything is possible. But most important, I want them to be healthy and happy.”

~Carolyn Everson, VP of global marketing solutions at Facebook

I look forward to a world where gender equality is no longer a conversation, but is our new reality. We’re all important. We’re all equal. We’re just different, and that’s what makes the world go around. As Dr. Seuss said, “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?”

This article was originally published on FORBES.