My siblings and I joke that our family slogan should be “doing it the hard way.” We have all experienced academic and professional success, but not one of us would ever say it was easy. We are academically inclined, intellectually curious, and thorough—almost to a fault. The path to success was paved with a lot of hard work, and we approached any accomplishment worth aiming for, like an advanced degree or difficult curriculum of study, methodically and with purpose.
This work ethic comes into play when I am given a new role or encounter a new outcome that I need to deliver. I roll up my sleeves, research the subject, and write PowerPoint decks. All the things I did to fully understand and complete an assignment as a student and as a consultant, I still do today. And I’m better for it.
