For the final episode of Mojo Mondays Bootcamp Season Four, I am thrilled to welcome Rashida Hodge. Rashida is the Vice President of Worldwide Data and Al Customer Success at Microsoft, and she has an incredible story to tell. From growing up in the West Virgin Islands to earning a spot on Fortune’s coveted 40 under 40 list, Rashida is a master of career management and owning your story.
In this episode, we talk about when to listen to your mentors (or when not to), how to distinguish between incremental and exponential career choices, how to respond when others underestimate you, and the importance of building from your circumstances.
Here are my top three takeaways from my conversation with Rashida:
- Mentors don’t always know best. Rashida did not follow her mentors’ advice when making a significant career decision. While they had good intentions, they did not understand what success looked like for her. Rashida had a clear vision of what she wanted and had the conviction to pursue it despite pressure from her sponsors. What does success look like for you?
- Build from your circumstances. Today Rashida’s vibe is her differentiator, but her background wasn’t always what she led with. Following the sage advice of her mother, she learned to take the resources and unique experience she had, and finesse them into greatness.
- You are the product of your imagination. Rashida is proud of her perfect trifecta: being young, black, and a woman in the tech space. It’s her magic, and it’s also the reason she is often underestimated. Once she stopped focusing on fitting in, and decided to stand out, she truly stepped into her power.
I hope this season of Mojo Mondays Bootcamp has inspired you to step powerfully into 2022, and that the incredible stories brought to the show by this season’s guests have provided the inspiration you need to create and own your story.
For the final exercise in the Create Your 2022 Story Journal, please give Rashida’s episode a listen – I promise it will inspire you to take bold action this year.
Thank you for joining me for another incredible season of Mojo Mondays Bootcamp.
Stay tuned for Season 5 and in the meantime, sign up for my weekly Mojo Boost Newsletter at i2Leadership.com/subscribe for a weekly dose of inspiration in between seasons.
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