FEATURE
Above, Gabriella Giglio, EVP of Global HR at American Express, leads a workshop on talent management at the company’s Women’s Conference. Right, Giglio.
“ It’s important to know your priorities
and to let them guide your decisions, which takes courage. ” —Gaby Giglio their careers. We offer concrete learning paths and programs that help them develop the specific professional and business skills needed to lead others. Mid-level managers benefit from these experiences the most because their leadership style and openness to change has the potential to influence the next-generation workforce.
Campise: I think most people don’t really feel like they
know who they are or what they’re capable of early in their careers. Either they will embrace opportunities to grow and learn, which will help build self-awareness and confidence, or it will prove too difficult to have a winning attitude, creating more challenges and road blocks for one’s career path. You have to challenge yourself, pick yourself up, and move forward. Make sure you also celebrate your successes and find those ways to inspire yourself, so you are always driving towards something.
Giglio: At American Express, we talk a lot about the fact
that “growth mindset” is built on courage. You need to have the courage to be open to learn, to see the possibilities, and take risks, knowing that they might not always work out as planned. Anything else you’d like to add, Marissa?
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Campise: Most organizations don’t encourage risk-tak-
ing and instead punish failure. Innovation won’t emerge from organizations like this. In the startup world, we do everything we can to encourage risk-taking. Don’t be afraid to think differently. In history, some of the greatest entrepreneurs are the ones who took the greatest risks and dared to explore uncharted territory. At Venrock, we have found that many of our successful companies achieved greatness doing something different from their original idea. Navigating their way to success required bold thinking, risk-taking, and an openness to change. Those qualities have to be in their DNA. In the VC industry, you can’t find those types of entrepreneurs if you don’t embrace the way they see the world. We search for that force.
Giglio: Marissa and I both believe a growth mindset can
absolutely be developed, and it starts with the realization that every day is a learning opportunity. I’d encourage employees to seek new experiences, and learn from the challenges and failures that occur. If our employees are constantly changing and adapting, it’s not failure. It’s ensuring a winning strategy for them and the company. PDJ