Something in my gut told me that something was off. I knew I was talented and ready to move forward--something else had to be going on. I started observing and noticed how much office politics played a role in who got promoted and who didn’t. It was then that I figured out how to play the game. Over time, I developed my signature system and started getting promoted. I started moving up the corporate ladder and tripled my salary.

Early on, I thought that if I just worked hard and kept my head down that I would be rewarded for my efforts and promoted. That didn’t happen. I was passed over more times than I can count and couldn’t understand why. I knew I was ready for more, but no one else could see it. I started wondering what was wrong with me. Was I missing something?

When I first started my career, I was 21, fresh out of college and managing men old enough to be my father or grandfather. I was surrounded by men--there were hardly any women at the time--and no one looked like me. I didn’t have any mentors or footsteps to follow. I had to carve out my own path.

My story