Have you ever wondered why having the best answer to a business problem sometimes makes no impact at all? In school, we were always incentivized to give the best answer – the best answer leads to good grades, which lead to job offers. So, naturally I brought that mentality to work. I would work tirelessly to get the perfect, best answer, but was often disappointed when nobody seemed to interested in hearing it. ...
Real stories
Forgive and Forget – Key to Career Success
I had a real scare yesterday. My 3 year old daughter, Isabel, lost her balance and fell from an 8-feet-high rope ladder, head first. I screamed, and although I was a few steps away, I couldn’t reach her in time. She hit the dirt on the side of her head and right cheek. Luckily, her head does not seem to be injured. Besides a shiner on her cheek, she was just super scared. ...
Believe in Yourself – You are “Beautiful”
This post is not about external appearances. This post is inspired by a recent show I saw onVH1 called Storytellers: Christina Aguilera. It’s in a format where a music artist sings to a small group, and talks to the group about herself, her music, and her inspirations. Christina’s story about her song “Beautiful” really caught my attention. ...
Success is about Working Smarter Not Harder
Growing up Asian, we are told that hard work is always what is needed to achieve success.Like a good Chinese girl, I followed that advice and worked my butt off at McKinsey, my first job.Fortunately or unfortunately, I learned quickly that hard work is not enough, and sometimes does not even help. ...
Resilience – Fall Seven Times, Stand up Eight
A good friend of mine (thanks Jamie) forwarded this video to me, and I thought it would be fitting to share it here. More than half of the battle in a job search is actually the emotional aspect — thinking positive, staying in action, and “standing up” when you feel “knocked down” by the lack of results. This type of resilience is what will separate those who give up from those who persevere. ...