The Career Mistakes and Advice You Need to Hear
Cari G.
Regional Operations Director
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Phoenix, AZ
Plan ahead
Having an amazing husband, two incredible teenagers, and two dogs who don’t seem to leave my side these days, means there’s never a dull moment. Every night, I look ahead at what’s to come the next day. Work life balance is important to me, and to feel successful in both these areas, I must plan ahead.
Build a community
I get to work alongside the most inspiring and motivating people. I’ve been so fortunate to have built a community of friends and a solid support system over the years at Discover. Prior to the pandemic, working onsite was second nature to me. I passed co-workers in the hall, gave high fives, smiled and engaged with everyone. An in-person work environment was the only way of working that I knew.
Turn off the day
Transitioning to working from home, helping my two high school students acclimate to online learning, and adjusting to this new way of living was quite overwhelming. I didn’t know how to disconnect from work. I lost my drive home, which I normally used to help turn off the day.
Go back to what works
I wore myself out very quickly and knew I had to make some changes. I built small breaks into my schedule and ended the day with a scheduled “focus time” to allow me to wrap things up and finish out the day strong. While these small changes helped tremendously, I’ll admit, I still have work to do.
Insert yourself
Early on in my career, I felt like my work spoke for itself. I thought I didn’t need to advocate for myself or insert myself where I wasn’t invited. One of my mentors reminded me that I won’t always be invited to the table. She told me that there are times when I’d need to find my way in, grab a chair and pull it up to the table myself. And when I do, I better have something to say so that I get an invite back next time. Her advice still resonates with me. To this day, when approaching a new initiative or big decision that I can add value on, I make the bold move of inserting myself.
A hard truth
A hard truth I’ve learned over the course of my career is that life isn’t always fair. Being with Discover for as long as I have, I’ve had several ups and downs. Whether an idea gets shut down, a promotion goes to someone else, or a high profile project passes me, things don’t always feel fair. What I’ve learned is that when one door closes, another one opens.
Better is coming
I remember being declined from a promotion for a role that I was already actively involved in. While it was discouraging at the time, what I didn’t know is that a different promotion, one that was even more exciting, was just around the corner. I learned to accept disappointment, keep my head up, continue to work hard, and trust that something bigger and better was coming.
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