The Six Pivot Points To Career Confidence

The 5 C’s and a ‘K’

Have you ever been told you couldn't be or couldn’t do something? I have. It took a change in my worldview to realize this advice was wrong, and I can achieve anything I set my mind to. This new attitude helped me rekindle my passion for science and make a global impact in health care during Covid-19. You can adopt this mindset, too.

 

Here are my six pivot points – 5C’s and a K - to consider as you pursue success:
 

Growing up, I wanted to be a doctor. As I started high school, my guidance counselor told me that wasn’t an option because I was a girl. She did not say that it was hard, she said that it was impossible. I grew up in a low-income neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, where only half of my friends graduated high school. Becoming a doctor was tough for a boy in this neighborhood, but for a girl — it was perceived as inconceivable.  
 
So – what did I do? Dropped all of my sciences classes. I had no motivation to pursue a path that I was told (and I believed at the time) was not within reach for me. But the world has a funny way of bringing your passions back to you if you step into the driver’s seat and take control. My career in business moved into biotech and diagnostics. Although I did not find a way to go to med school – but I did influence medical practice. The choice not to pursue medicine was made for me, and I let it, initially, shape my world. Don’t let someone else shape yours.

After business school, I volunteered at the American Cancer Society and rose through the ranks to chairwoman. Medical / clinical / science knowledge was necessary, and I did not have it. So, I had to go back to school, now on-line, to learn the fundamentals of science, I had to go back to school, now on-line, to learn the fundamentals of science, so I could properly understand the grant requests, ask the right questions and make an impact in my position.   
 
Many people say it’s never too late, and I can tell you it’s true. There is no “sell-by” date in education and personal growth. Could I have achieved what I have with a deeper science and medical background? Maybe. But I was learning to help others in more impactful ways, because I took my career into my own hands.
 
My passion for impact eventually led me to co-found the biomedical diagnostics program at Arizona State University. A science-based education, a STEM based education is the most important foundational learning that anyone can attain. Even if someone does not work directly in a STEM field, it teaches you to process information logically and think critically.

In June of 2020, I made a big impact co-leading the creation of an interactive Covid-19 diagnostics hub, ASU Covid Commons, with support from The Rockefeller Foundation. Our site has become one of the most recognized and trusted sites globally for Covid diagnostic information. Something to celebrate.
 
Celebrating your efforts is important in your personal life as well as your professional life, and you should find others who will honor them with you. But most accomplishments, are not one person’s but a team of people.  So, as a boss, colleague or friend, celebrate your team and their work. Everyone needs to feel valued and appreciated.

That guidance counselor years ago, in many ways, fueled my drive to succeed. My professional career became a way to prove that girls could be anything that they wanted to be – that I could be anything that I wanted to be – and make an even bigger impact in healthcare. What changed for me is that I found a Community of people who challenged me to work hard but never questioned my right to be there. When you have a Community of support who champion your potential, you're empowered to achieve more.
 
Fields like STEM can often feel like a clique where is it difficult for new people to join especially for women and people of color. Everyone deserves to be in an environment where they are respected and valued for their work. I see two options. First option - be patient and earn your way into the established organizations. Second option is you don’t have the time or patience to do that or if there are no organizations in your region or your specialty – find a colleague and start one. With social media today, finding like-minded people today is easier than ever.  

As an individual, the question is how do you want to make your impact? Is it one-to-one, or one-to-many?  Do you want to create or analyze? Do you want a large stable company or an entrepreneurial higher risk smaller firm? There are no right answers and your answers likely will change over time. Maybe you want to go back to school, change fields or change functions. Change happens, so embrace it and be prepared for it.
 
How do you prepare?  As soon as it is possible, build cash in your bank account. Why? As soon as you know you need to make a change, you want to have the financial flexibility to do it.  It is no doubt hard, especially early in your career – but necessary. In Business School, my professor called it “Drop Dead Cash”. The negative connotation is that you can say Drop Dead to anyone when you need to leave a job. The positive interpretation is that you make your own decisions on what is best for you and your career. If you’re not learning, growing or being challenged in the ways you need, or maybe need to remove yourself from a bad environment, having the funds to make a change is vital.  

In Star Trek, this translates to “when you’re faced with a problem you can’t solve, change the problem”. Sometimes, you can redefine success for yourself, a company or a project.  

For example, at the beginning of the pandemic, the focus was on finding a cure. By reframing the problem from "how can we cure Covid-19?" to "how can we better diagnose to reduce infections?" we were able to create resources, share knowledge and come up with actionable solutions.
 
Ultimately, you need to have Confidence in yourself, make a Commitment to your own Choices, create a supportive Community around you and take Control of your path. What you decide to do now doesn’t have to be forever. It usually isn’t. The key is to make the most of every opportunity and stay true to what you want out of your career, be it STEM or anything you’re passionate about.