Happy International Women’s Day! In celebration, BOCA wanted to share some success secrets we learned when we attended 2X San Francisco, an event The Hustle curated featuring eight women it considers to be “bad@ss.” Using a TED-style format, each speaker had 10 minutes to share their stories about pivotal moments in their journeys to success. Here are our top takeaways:
- As you rise, reach back. Someone is watching you. Lift another sister up!
As you rise, reach out. Touch your peers in your industry and beyond.
As you rise, reach up. Find someone who inspires you and embrace the learning opportunity.
— Joy Peña, Global Diversity Lead at Electronic Arts - Take the more challenging path; the rewards can be greater, and you can always go back if your venture doesn’t work out.
— Jess Lee, Partner at Sequoia Capital - Do you see a problem, whether it’s for your customers, for you as a consumer or for your community or world? Don’t count on someone else to fix it. You can turn an idea into reality!
— Valerie McGinty, Attorney and Founder and President of Fund Her - Jump into the things you love.
Take a risk with a game plan in mind.
Don’t wait until “eventually” — do it little by little.
— Anjelika Temple, Chief Creative Officer and Founding Partner of Brit + Co - Embrace your personality and choose a career that matches well.
Embrace happiness; find small moments in every day.
Embrace failure; you can’t always win, and you will learn a lot from trying.
Embrace self-discovery; try a new hobby or practice.
— Lee Anne Grant, Business Development and Partnerships at Brandless - Dance! Use it in your everyday activities. It teaches you how to pivot, to pause, to mark your next move. It teaches balance and will help you adapt. It requires you to be present and comfortable in your own skin.
—Tanya Holland, Author and Executive Chef and Founder of Brown Sugar Kitchen - Step into leadership roles you might not feel ready for. Elevate above the fear and self-doubt.
Ruthlessly prioritize your time.
Ask for help and don’t be afraid to show some vulnerability.
— Anneka Gupta, Co-CEO at LiveRamp - Life is a labyrinth; progress is not linear.
Patriarchy and racism are inescapable. Don’t let small-minded people steal your power.
Find your “tribe” — people with the same purpose and the same goals.
— Ami Mehta, Director of Product Design at Evernote
Clearly, there’s no single path to achieve success, but these tips offer a lot of different options to try. To recognize International Women’s Day today, we’ll be using Joy Peña’s advice and reaching back/out/up to share these tips with all the great ladies in our lives.