Growth happens outside of your comfort zone, leaders from Rokt and The Iconic advised at the recent Forbes x Women Who Rokt lunch. Here’s why ‘just saying yes’ is a recipe for career success.
When Joanna Robinson, the Perth-born CMO of e-commerce fashion retailer The Iconic, is having moments of self-doubt, she channels the advice of the former Prime Minister of New Zealand.
“Jacinda Ardern says if she had stopped to think about whether or not she could do that job, she probably wouldn’t have taken it on,” Robinson tells the ‘Women Who Rokt’ audience at Bennelong restaurant overlooking Sydney Harbour.
“Her words really resonated with me. You don’t know what you’re capable of until you’re doing it.”
Robinson’s fellow panellist, Rokt’s Chief AI Officer Claire Southey, agrees.
“One thing I keep coming back to is that true growth and true development happens outside the comfort zone,” says Southey. “In the rear-view mirror, what felt like a big deal at the time wasn’t that much of a big deal at all. You don’t really progressively develop when you stay inside the comfort zone.”
Another tool Southey uses to make sense of the increasingly complicated world we live in, is to actively exercise emotional intelligence, or ‘EQ.’
Leading well means resisting reactionary responses
“One of the things I like to do is to label my feelings,” says Southey. “If I feel doubt or uncertainty or whatever the emotion is, I put a label on it so I can figure out what I’m feeling. Then I ask myself, from a rational – not an emotional – perspective, how should I feel about this? And how should I respond?”
Avoiding reactionary behaviour and practising positive self-talk are fundamental to progressing your career forward, says Robinson. She took on the CMO role at The Iconic before she had deep experience in e-commerce. But she believed she could do it and stretched into a role she did not have every qualification for.
“Women talk ourselves out of things. Men don’t seem to have the same problem. But I think with women, if we spend too long wondering, we find reasons that we won’t put our hand up for things,” says Robinson.
Like Ardern, Robinson didn’t have a lot of time to consider all of the reasons that she wouldn’t be successful in the role, and that worked in her favour.
“I had a week to consider it, and I just literally said yes,” says Robinson. “Now one of my biggest mantras is… just say yes. I could have found millions of reasons to say, I’m not capable of doing this, it’s too much of a stretch.”
The candid discussion was hosted by Forbes Australia Editor-in-Chief Sarah O’Carroll. The goal of the lunch was to foster connection and leadership among women executives.
O’Carroll asked Rokt’s Chief AI Officer for her advice on how to stay abreast of rapidly changing technology trends.
“I’ve always been a naturally curious person,” Southey replied. “When I’m reading research papers or looking at technology research coming out of various universities, I’m always thinking about how that might transform the human experience and make human life better.”
Understanding the human impact of the technology helps Rokt’s AI leader absorb and prepare for emerging technology trends. It is a fine line, she says, between looking ahead and staying grounded in what is happening day-to-day.
“I’m careful not to get stuck in a futurist mindset, constantly thinking about what will be rather than the here and now,” says Southey.
When Robinson looks forward into the AI future, she sees both opportunity and uncertainty.
The power of curiosity and intentionality
“The potential for the technology in the long term is tremendous,” Robinson told the audience. “I’ve had a lot of conversations with CEOs and boards over the last six weeks asking whether this is a bubble. And I think the answer depends on what timeframe you’re looking at.”
What is certain is that AI is transforming the way companies operate and how the C-suite leads the workforce.
“The good thing with AI is it’s a great level up,” says Robinson. “We are all wading into it, and we don’t have all of the answers. In the long run, I think it is human connection that people will be seeking.”
In times of change, it is normal to feel overwhelmed and to question where to start, the Iconic CMO says. Her answer is to find a balance between humans and machines. And to focus on the customer.
“Claire used the word curious, and I think it’s about being curious and intentional. Be very intentional about how AI can solve customer problems,” Robinson advises.
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