Jaelle knew since she was 12 years old that she wanted to be known as someone who was never on the sideline.  The conversation referenced a quote by Theodore Roosevelt, who served as the 26th president of the United States from 1901 to 1909.

“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Jaelle spoke about the self-doubts she faced as she progressed in her career.  As the stakes grew higher and the responsibilities grew heavier, she felt a great deal of discomfort and questioned her capabilities.  It took her some time to feel comfortable in owning her leadership position, stemming from both self-doubt and the bias she frequently encountered.  She had to consciously acknowledge that it was because she was capable that people were trusting her with more responsibility.

Jihong shared with a chuckle that she has spent many years being a minority, as an Asian student in the West, as an Asian woman in a Fortune 500 company.  She was constantly having to prove herself to people.  “People see you more as a tea lady than an MBA graduate.”

One of the audience asked these established business leaders if it ever stopped being nerve wrecking being in unfamiliar territory.

Jihong has a different set of care responsibilities with her partner, elderly parents in China and family all over the world.  She admitted it was tough to keep in touch with family and friends, and that she had to be mindful to carve out time for them, and for herself too.  She spoke about how she traversed continents every few weeks to connect and spend time with her loved ones.  “You have to set your priorities.”

One of the men in the audience asked them what the most useful help was in their career journey, and what were well-meaning but not that helpful.

Having constantly had to fight to prove her worth and push past bias as a minority, Jihong appreciated people who trusted her and supported her in expanding her horizon.  Jaelle similarly shared that she gravitated towards people who challenged her to clarify her thoughts by crafting the right guiding questions.  The quick advice in contrast was not as helpful, though well intended.

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