Persevere, never give up!
Carmen Ene joined 3stepIT to help businesses embrace sustainable technology consumption and transition to a Circular Economy model. This spring marks her 5th anniversary as our CEO and to celebrate her achievements and International Women’s Day 2020, it’s fitting to let her share some advice and wisdom.
What was the most valuable piece of career advice that you received?
“One kick in your back, two steps forward.” This was what my father used to say to me with a smile when I’d return home from school feeling downbeat after a failure. In time, these words became a powerful source of inspiration and motivation, and helped me immensely through my personal and professional life. These words taught me to bring myself together quickly after a fall, stand up, learn from the experience, try again and move on. “Persevere, never give up,” he would say, “and you will become so good that they can't ignore you.”
Goal for future?
My ambition has always been to lead successful teams that want to make a difference. That is an ambition that stays with me, regardless of time and role.
Most valuable lessons learned?
I learned that to be successful I need to surround myself with people with a growth mindset. There is a saying which I believe in firmly:
"It is not your aptitude but your attitude that determines your altitude."
I prefer to form teams based on both aptitude and attitude, but if I have to choose, I always choose the person with the right attitude.
Role models or inspiration?
In my career I have been blessed to meet a lot of exceptionally talented people that have been a source of admiration and from whom I learned a lot. But when it comes to role models, I prefer to always try and be the best of myself.
How shall we be celebrating International Women’s Day at 3stepIT?
I believe we should spend the day celebrating the many contributions women bring to our society, businesses and families. At the same time, we should continue to reflect, debate and plan on what we can do about the gender gap that unfortunately still manifests itself in so many different ways and places.
