What Advice Would 6 Women in the C-Suite Give to Their Younger Selves?

French icon Edith Piaf once said, "When you reach the top, you should remember to send the elevator back down for the others." So we wanted to know, how are the women on Vena's Executive Leadership Team sending the elevator back down?

Barriers for women in the workplace can come in multiple forms. From lack of access to opportunities to unconscious bias at work, these barriers prevent women from progressing forward in their careers. It's crucial that women have a network and community to help foster their development. Our women executives had mentors and champions along the way and now, they show up for women on the rise.

As we celebrate Women's History Month in March and beyond, we asked Vena's women members of our executive leadership team—Tina Goulbourne, Melissa Howatson, Ilene Landon, Tracey Mikita, Allison Munro and Le Truong—the age-old question: What advice would you give your younger self? 

Read on to discover what they learned from their career journeys, and how it can help other women on their path to success.

Women make up 60% of Vena's ELT, in comparison to an industry average of 24% representation of women in tech C-suites. 

What Career Advice Would You Give Your Younger Self?

Tina Goulbourne

Chief Operating Officer at Vena

Don't let fear of failure be the reason you don't even try.

1. Know what you care about and what energizes you. Trying to be exceptional at everything will only make you feel like you're failing everywhere. Spend your time and energy on the things you most care about.
   
   
2. Surround yourself with people who genuinely care about you and bring out your best. This greatly impacts your success in life and in work as a result. Be strong enough to walk away from toxic relationships—whether it's a friend, a partner, a family member or a job. Don't let anyone undermine your self-worth.
   
   
3. Don't let fear of failure be the reason you don't even try. If you're achieving all your goals, you're not setting your sights high enough. Celebrate the knowledge you gain from the experience and that you had the courage to try. 
   
   
4. Stay humble. Period.
   
   
5. Remember that your best IS enough. Whatever you are doing, do your best. When you can honestly say that you've done your best, you can hold your head high, no matter the outcome. You will always learn something about yourself by doing this.

Melissa Howatson

Chief Financial Officer at Vena

Ask for feedback. Sometimes it's uncomfortable to do so, but it's so valuable to receive.

1. Soak it all up: When I was at KPMG, I wish I'd paid more attention to the operations of the various companies I was auditing rather than just focusing purely on the audit. It was such a great opportunity to learn how things are done at different companies, departments, etc.
   
   
2. Find mentors: Ask them for advice and bounce ideas off them to learn.
   
   
3. Ask for feedback: Sometimes it's uncomfortable to do so, but it's so valuable to receive.
   

Ilene Landon

Senior Vice President, Professional Services

You will learn the most from your failures ... Sharing stories of failure can empower others to take risks that can catapult their career and confidence.

You will learn the most from your failures. We often feel like impostors who have "tricked" others into believing our abilities despite our doubts. Know that everyone feels these doubts, and lean into the discomfort. This "impostor" feeling is actually a sign of a high performer!

Once you believe you belong where you are, you can start taking risks and trusting your instincts. You will always regret not trying, as it is a missed opportunity to learn and grow. Sometimes, this means that you might make a mistake. But this is how we learn the most. A majority of the successes I've experienced in my career were the result of learning the hard way from a prior failure. Without this scar tissue, I would not have been able to move forward in my career. I wrote about learning leadership through scar tissue in this article.

As an added benefit, sharing stories of failure can empower others to take risks that can catapult their career and confidence.

Tracey Mikita

Chief People Officer at Vena

Don't worry so much about the end goal. Your end goal is going to be an evolving target.

Focus on and really enjoy the journey. Don't worry so much about the end goal. Your end goal is going to be an evolving target, and the experiences you have along the way are going to be really impactful to who you become. To be honest, the "end goal" for me just keeps pushing out!

As I look back on my journey so far, the best experiences for me, the things that really pushed me to grow personally and professionally, were the times I took risks. When I went back to school full time in my late 20s. When I made a number of industry changes (from manufacturing to financial services to retail to tech). When I took roles in a different function. When I pushed myself to take on projects that have been outside of my comfort zone.

Allison Munro

Chief Marketing and Ecosystem Officer at Vena 

The important thing to remember is to focus on "the thing"—the task, the project, the conversation ahead; not your fear of it.


Keep doing the uncomfortable things in your day-to-day. The important thing to remember is to focus on "the thing"—the task, the project, the conversation ahead; not your fear of it. When you use discomfort as your beacon forward, it will truly become your navigator for growth. 

Le Truong

Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary at Vena 

Be less worried about not getting everything right all the time. Everyone is in the same boat.


Be confident. Not just in what you know and bring to the table, but in your ability to learn what you don't. Be less worried about not getting everything right all the time. Or what it might look like to others when you don't get it right.

As you get further along in your career and life in general, you'll start to realize that everyone is in the same boat. The problem set may change or look different in some scenarios, but the feeling of not having all the answers never goes away—especially if you are intentionally putting yourself on a path of consistently challenging yourself to learn and grow. 

Come grow with us! Vena is hiring. We have offices in Toronto, Canada and in London, England. Visit our Careers page for current job openings or follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter or Facebook to learn more about life at Vena.

This is an updated version of this article. It was previously published on March 21, 2023.