Career Discovery Channel: Author & Leader, Selena Rezvani.
How do you want your name to appear?
Selena Rezvani, Co-President, Women’s Roadmap
Describe your first “real” job. What are you doing now?
My first real job was unfortunately a truly miserable experience (!), working at a boutique consulting firm that specialized in well…dysfunction. Luckily I moved on to other firms where I got great experience as a management consultant, focusing on the ‘people’ side of businesses. I worked with lots of interesting companies, advising them on how to engage their employees better, resulting in better innovation, retention & policies, and of course profitability. That led me to where I am today, co-running my own consultancy,Women’s Roadmap, where I work with companies to design gender-inclusive policies and assessments, so that they can better attract, retain, and promote talented women. I also write to columns, one for Forbes and one for The Washington Post.
What was the best piece of advice you’ve received?
“If you can’t, you must.” Meaning – if something scares you enough – it probably means you should go out and do it.
Brag. Tell us about something really great or that you’re proud of or excited about.
I’ve just finished editing my brand new book, due out this April – called PUSHBACK: How Smart Women Ask—and Stand Up—for What They Want(Jossey-Bass). I’m proud of the way the book came together, the message, and the kind of skills it encourages women to leverage. I argue that above all else, self-advocacy is critical to success. Yet women initiate negotiations four times less often than men, resulting in getting less of what they want—promotion opportunities, plum assignments, and higher pay. The goal of my bookis to shine a light on the how-to of holding your own and pushing back to get what is rightfully yours.
40 under 40. Ones to Watch. Most Powerful. So many lists out there….. who is on your list (and why)?
If you look at the so-called rising stars offered up today, the women look pretty identical to the “already made it” crowd. Fortune for example listed as risings stars Andrea Wong, president and CEO of Lifetime Networks and Mellody Hobson, who manages $3.6 billion in assets and who sits on the boards of DreamWorks, Estée Lauder and Starbucks! These women are no longer “on their way” - it sounds to me like they’ve already arrived. The everyday, ambitious working woman is even more interesting to me. Often, she is the one that’s doing the daily blocking and tackling of becoming a leader. I find her extraordinary.
What do you plan to accomplish by spring?
As an entrepreneur, it gets very tempting to try to handle all pieces of your business yourself. But any small business professional will tell you that success hinges largely on letting go of, delegating, or outsourcing what isn’t a mission-critical task. The longer I do this, the more I realize how important it is to redirect duties that aren’t business-generating. My goal is to have done that with one more function of my business by February!
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Kelly Hoey is a co-founder of Women Innovate Mobile.
