At the age of 53, I now have the privilege of being able to say exactly what’s on my mind because I’ve paid my dues in my career. And that’s when I think we get really genuine contributions from leaders, when they’re no longer trying to reach a certain career level. Because for women and people of color, sometimes we’re still afraid of where the hatchet’s going to fall, said Grace Moreno, Executive, Entrepreneur and Social Justice Advocate.
When you’re in the middle of trying to grow, change or enhance your career, the climb can be so exhausting, it’s difficult to see beauty in what you’ve built. But every experience, success, and mishap, becomes part of your rich professional legacy and compass to what’s next.
Embrace Your Unique Leadership Path
Grace’s career, and ascent to senior leadership, has been far from linear. She planned to become a doctor when she emigrated to the US from Mexico. But, after a year in medical school, decided that making life or death decisions, was not for her. She then spent a decade in corporate settings and realized, that although she didn’t want to be a clinician, she was still drawn to mission driven work.
She went back to school and earned a PhD in Philosophy before moving into healthcare and nonprofits. “I had gained all of this interesting knowledge in the corporate and higher education sectors, working in organizational development and finance. And realized, wow this is a unique set of skills!” Then she turned her superpowers into her leadership path.
Structure Pilots to Explore New Concepts or Ideas
It’s not only the big milestones that matter. Our careers are filled with micro-decisions about where to spend time. So, even if you don’t know exactly where you want to go professionally, think about what you’d like to learn. And criteria that allows you to choose what to work on.
Grace said, “If somebody else is already doing it, and they’re doing it well, I won’t do it. But if it’s a good idea, that no one else is doing and I can see its potential, we beta test it. I’ll spend 20 to 30% of my time cooking it and then after a year, decide if it has legs or not.”
Make Growth Your Long Game
Although most of us want to receive a financial return on our time, there’s more to professional “success” than the money. Grace explained, “If the only reason you’re going to work is to get a paycheck, you are doing yourself a disservice.”
Everything you experience helps to inform your future decisions. She added, “You’re picking up knowledge, connections, and networking tips. Work builds your acumen and teaches you stamina. The paycheck is secondary because, your number one commodity is the stuff they can’t take away from you once you leave.” Amen!
And Learn When to Move On
We’re encouraged to acquire new skills early in our careers, but it’s critical at every stage. Moms are still less likely to be represented in leadership, despite our ambition and education. Grace said, “It has to be a focus, especially for women, people of color and LGBTQ people. Because if you’re from an under-acknowledged section of society, you have to as they say, ‘suck the life’ from every job that you have.”
Your current experiences will also lead to referrals for future opportunities. So, like tending a garden, it’s important to notice what’s growing or withering. She added, “Usually that’s when you’re making more money. They’ll beg you to stay because you’re performing. But if you’ve learned everything, then it’s probably time to go.”
Conserve Your Energy
After years of pandemic-driven-Zooms, live events and conferences are back in force. And meeting people in person, especially at industry events, can accelerate building your network and personal brand. But time for professional development often comes at the expense of space to decompress. Grace said, “I have a good time meeting people and it’s fine. But I’m at that place in my life where I want to be home with my kids and my wife.”
And Stay Attentive to Self-Care
In part one from our interview, we discussed how Grace is reembracing self-care. Including movement and emotional health after decades of working at an intense pace. She said, “If your business was to deliver packages, and you never took your car in for an oil change or let it warm up, you wouldn’t expect it to help you continue. It won’t, it’ll break down. And if there’s one small regret I have, is that I haven’t paid attention to that reality for the past 30 years.”
Time to recover is critical, not only for elite athletes but all workers. And even more so when you lead others. You can build extraordinary things at any stage of your career or life. So, be strategic about your professional growth, while managing your personal energy and health.
Many thanks to the talented Grace Moreno!
Learn more about her amazing work at the Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce. And follow Grace’s great adventure on LinkedIn.
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About Grace:
Grace Moreno is an experienced senior executive, startup nurturer, and mission-driven entrepreneur, Grace Moreno has over 20 years of experience leading state and national not-for-profit organizations.
At the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA) she served as the National Director of Operations where she led a 26 office national team to fight predatory lending. After NACA she was the Deputy Director at Oiste! The Massachusetts Latino Organization where she ran the company’s operations and built the infrastructure to promote Latino civic engagement in Massachusetts. She went on to serve as Deputy Director of Health Care for All during the period of Massachusetts health reform, working along side other advocacy organizations to properly represent the interest of Massachusetts health care consumers.
Grace was also the Vice President of Community Programs at The Community Builders, Inc. a national not-for-profit mixed income housing developer serving over 10,000 residents in 17 states. Most recently, Grace served as Vice President for Operations and Finance at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the US Senate, where she managed an annual operating budget of $13 million, and led the operational and financial components necessary to build the institute, develop the exhibit, and open it to the public.
