In the spirit of Women’s History Month, this blog is part of a Women in Technology (WIT) series honoring women doing amazing work across technology roles and organizations.   As we move towards WIT’s May 11, 2017 Leadership Awards event, we are featuring real life stories and insights of women who are rising, leading, and paving the way.

Good advice is hard to find and not all advice is created equal.  Yet, at Women in Technology, we believe that it’s worth listing to the things that the women being honored as finalists in this year’s Leadership Awards celebration have to say….

Enjoy these snippets of advice, starting with ten of our diverse women leaders….

WHAT IS THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU EVER RECEIVED?

Danelle Barrett  U.S. Navy (Women in Defense category)
“Life is short, make sure you are enjoying what you do every day.”

Afua Bruce, Executive Director of the National Science and Technology Council in the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy  (Government category)
“A friend of a friend once told me, "Leaders embrace the mess." She was exactly right: leading people or projects isn't always easy, but people who are willing to get in the trenches and do the tough work succeed.”

Teresa Carroll-Childers, Director, CSC’s Global Infrastructure Services (Corporate Large Market Sector category)
“Don’t be afraid to admit you are wrong.”

Nicole Carry, Solutions Architect, Electronic Systems  (Technical Leadership category)
“If you don’t know your place, make one”

Lynne Chamberlain, Vice President of Business Development for Red Hat (Corporate Large Market Sector category)
“The best piece of advice I’ve ever received was from my mom, who told me, “Work hard, strive for success and you will never have to rely on a man.” I listened to her. And, because of that great advice I’ve never been dependent upon anyone and have experienced the freedom to do what makes me happy.”

Gabriella Ziccarelli, Intellectual Property Attorney at Blank Rome LLP (Rising Star category)
“Never compromise yourself for anyone or anything.  Honor your passions, desires, and talents and instead of compromise, strive to collaborate with others.”

Amy Wright, co-founder and CEO of Macro Solutions  (Small Business/Entrepreneur category)
“My first boss, and mentor, told me that business is tough and you need to develop a thick skin, and he was right.  He also told me to works smarter, not harder, which is advice that I employ every day at Macro Solutions.”

Lisa N. Wolford, Founder, Constellation West (Small Business/Entrepreneur category)
“Save your money, work hard and do the right thing even when no one is watching.”

Patricia Wolfhope, Program Manager, First Responders Group (FRG) in the Science and Technology Directorate, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). (Government category)
“I remember when I was in my junior year of college and wasn’t doing well in one of my hardest mandatory classes.  I wanted to drop it and my Mom and Dad said,” Keep trying and if you need to retake the class, just retake it”.  I passed this class but this advice taught me that if you do your very best, and believe in yourself, never give up - you will succeed.”

Tara Tritt, Developer Fannie Mae Associates Program (Rising Star category)
“Anything you learn is never a waste, even if it might not seem applicable, so treat every day as a learning opportunity. You may never know when those lessons will be valuable.”

More great advice coming in our next blog post….

#  #  #