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Journey to Success
In four weeks, my daughter will go off to college.
As I think back on her childhood, I remember the
incredible joy I felt the day she came into my life.
I remember how painful it was to leave her at
preschool for the first time. I remember how much I
missed her when she went to music camp.
I also reflect on my own life. I started working at
SBC two years before I was married. I was promoted
for the first time when I was six months pregnant. I
worked long and hard to give my best at work and at
home. It’s hard to believe my daughter is now
college-bound, and I just celebrated my 20th year
with SBC. |
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Looking back at my career and my life journey, I
feel incredibly blessed. I owe so much to my own
parents. They led me to believe that I could
accomplish anything. My mom used to say, “The only
limits you will face in life will be those you
choose to place upon yourself.” I grew up believing
that I would control my own fate and, if I worked
hard and did my best, good things would happen.
The work ethic I was taught as a child continues to
this day. People ask me how I moved up the ranks
within my company. My answer is always the same: I
worked hard and always gave my very best.
Some people think that Hispanic women have inherent
disadvantages in rising up the corporate ladder. I
suppose I could have let my gender and my ethnicity
get in my way. There were times when I would walk
into a meeting and be the only minority or the only
woman in the room. I never let this be an issue. In
fact, it didn’t even occur to me that I was
different or that I wouldn’t fit in. As far as I’m
concerned, my results speak for themselves. And I’m
grateful to work for a company that values everyone
for his or her contribution.
In my 20 years at SBC, I never turned down an
opportunity to move to a new assignment. I’ve now
worked in marketing, human resources, IT, external
affairs, customer service, and sales. It wasn’t easy
transitioning from one position to another and
“starting over” each time. I always felt the need to
establish my credibility with my new team as quickly
as possible. But how could I be credible if I wasn’t
competent? So with each new assignment, I dug in and
learned all I could as quickly as possible. My goal
was always to do my job better than it had ever been
done before. I found inspiration in making my family
proud of me.
I also had to “unlearn” some things along the way.
As a small-business owner, my dad taught me about
running a business. One of the things he often said
was, “If you want something done right, you’ve got
to do it yourself.” This works fine when you run
your own business or your own projects, but as I
took on larger and larger teams, I knew I’d have to
learn how to delegate.
My dad also taught me about quality. His standards
were incredibly high. He showed me how, in the long
run, customer loyalty would lead to profitability.
But I struggled with the two lessons. How do you
delegate and still deliver quality?
What I’ve realized is that talented people with a
clear vision and a stimulating work environment will
deliver high quality. And I’m proud to say that I
lead a team that impresses me every day with its
hard work and dedication to customers.
Before my daughter moves away to college to start a
new, exciting chapter of her life, I plan to share
one of my favorite quotes with her by author Alex
Noble: “Success is not a place at which one arrives
but … the spirit with which one undertakes and
continues the journey.” As I continue on my own
journey, I wish my daughter great success.
Carmen Nava is president of the Consumer Markets
Group of SBC West. She also serves as a mentor and
advisor to HACEMOS, SBC’s Hispanic Employee
Association. SBC is one of 2005’s LATINA Style
50.
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