[Watch] Nuggets of wisdom: 10 women leaders share career advice to their younger selves

Collect a group of people who believe in you and want to see you succeed – colleagues, managers, professors, friends and loved ones. It is these relationships (as well as hard work and an openness to try new things), that will help you have the career that you want.

There will be circumstances where decisions that bring about radical change need to be made. If they come along as opportunities that add to your life experience, move. Don’t be apologetic. Take the risk. Embrace and leverage change with confidence.

I would have told my younger self to understand the qualities I have and use them to my advantage. Being collaborative, tenacious and reliable are not necessarily the ‘buzz words’ associated with a successful banker. But they make a recipe for success.

Tackle every challenge with passion and determination. If you fail at a task today, learn from your mistakes and try again tomorrow. Don’t be afraid - be courageous - because that is how you’ll grow and succeed.

Always send thank you notes (now evolved to email). Stay connected with friends and acquaintances—the world’s small; who you know and what they think about your work matters. Remember, your career is a marathon not a sprint; it calls for comfortable running shoes along with those crazy four-inch heels.

Trust yourself – your ideas, talent, and intuition – and focus on what success means to you instead of trying to follow someone else’s path. Also, consistently make decisions that are aligned with your values, be willing to work harder than the people around you 95% of the time, and laugh more!

“If in doubt, ask for advice.” So many times, I have tried to go at it alone, thinking, I should know this! Ask for advice, brainstorm with others and talk to people both in your field and outside of it. It’s amazing what you can learn from a different perspective and gain from diversity of thought.

As the saying goes, “change is the only constant”.

Throughout my career, it is through constant adaptation and evolution that enabled me to reach where I am today. Do not be afraid of change. Learn to embrace, celebrate and influence it. You will be better for it.

As women, we often surround ourselves with question marks on our own capabilities, shying away from bigger roles at work. A small change in perspective from ‘CAN I do it?’ to ‘I CAN do it.’ has immensely helped me in putting my best foot forward and accepting new challenges.

I would ask my younger self to believe in herself. Go ahead and take that plunge! Seek out opportunities for yourself and boldly step up for the ones that come your way. We are a lot more critical of our capabilities than others. Do not doubt your potential or find reasons for holding yourself back. It all works out in the end – we either prove ourselves or learn something new.