Expr3ss! Makes News: Female executives interviewed

Posted by Carolyne Burns | June - 3 - 2016 | 0 Comment

female executivesAre you one of the nearly two million individuals that turn to the Business Insider for news across a wide range of industry verticals, including media, tech, and financial? If not, we urge you to visit Business Insider Australia, which covers news, trends, and insights here at home.

Expr3ss! is a huge fan of Business Insider Australia and the service they provide. That’s why we were delighted when they reached out to Carolyne Burns, our Co-founder and Managing Director, for her participation in a feature piece related to International Women’s Day 2016. Carolyne and 23 other women, dubbed by Business Insider “some of Australia’s most inspiring executives” were asked:

“What are the business lessons you would share with your younger self when you were first starting out?”

Here’s a quick look at how Carolyne and her colleagues responded

Success Key: Worry Productively

“As a hockey centre forward who represented South Australia in her youth, Carolyne Burns became an accomplished playmaker, navigating her way to the goal or creating opportunities for others to score” writes Fulworks Australia. On the way to her own success, she learned that she couldn’t escape worry, but that she could worry productively.

What is productive worry? It’s a process:

  • Imagine all the things that might go wrong
  • Decide how you will deal with each of them if they do
  • Set them aside

It’s the third step of the process that is crucial. “Chances are the worst case scenarios won’t happen,” says Carolyne. “But it’s good to have the peace of mind that you have a plan in place.”

Less Worry, More Sleep & A Healthy Dose of Self-Forgiveness.

Another piece of advice that Carolyne would give her younger self is to sleep more. Lack of sleep has been proven to have a negative effect on our cognitive processes. “A sleep-deprived brain is truly running on four rather than eight cylinders,” says Carolyne. “It also affects us physically and puts us at risk for illness.”

Carolyne admits that even if her younger self had been given this good advice, she might not have followed it…and that’s okay. “When you’re starting out, you’re consumed by your business. It’s everything to you, and you want to throw yourself into the process 100%.”

2 Common Themes Emerge in Business Advice

Female executives interviewed for the article held diverse positions at a wide range of corporations. In addition to Carolyne’s, the Business Insider article quoted Australian superstar executives including Janine Allis, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Retail Zoo; Karen Stocks, Managing Director, Twitter Australia; and Rachel Stocks, Managing Director, American Express, Australia and New Zealand.

Interestingly and despite the differences among the backgrounds of the female participants, two major themes emerged

  • Don’t be afraid of failure
  • Ask the big questions

Do you need guidance? Do you like the idea of working with someone who has been there and done that? If so, we invite you to contact us to get on the Expr3ss! track to success.