Each year, beginning on March 1 and ending on March 31, Women’s History Month is celebrated in the United States. What began in 1978 as a local acknowledgement in Santa Rosa, California launched by the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women quickly gained the stature of national recognition when President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8th 1980 as “National Women’s History Week.” Seven years later, Congress passed Public Law 100-9, designating March as “Women’s History Month.”
Every year The National Women’s History Alliance chooses a theme. The 2022 Women’s History theme, “Providing Healing, Promoting Hope,” is both a tribute to the ceaseless work of caregivers and frontline workers during the COVID pandemic and also a tribute to the thousands of ways that women of all cultures have provided both healing and hope throughout history.
Likewise, at SobelCo, we ENCOURAGE everyone to acknowledge the valuable role played by women in our firm, in our profession, and in our community. Holding to our core values by reaching for responsibility, understanding diversity, providing outstanding client service and caring about each other, we all celebrate the personal and professional contributions of women who have led and inspired us, “promoting hope” throughout the decades.
Keeping with a firmwide tradition we have fostered over the years, we would like to take this opportunity to share the insights and ideas offered by women across the firm representing different generations, roles, titles, disciplines, and a wide range of areas of expertise when they were asked, “What is the best advice you would give to a woman that would be essential to her success?”
Here is what our SobelCo women replied:
Aurora Rosado Lazzaro
Member of the Firm
“If I had the opportunity to give one piece of significant advice to a woman to help her be more successful personally and professionally, I would say that having a realistic viewpoint on managing the balance between the time spent on work related responsibilities and personal responsibilities is essential. Work/life balance does NOT mean that an equal amount of time is invested in both at all times, but rather that you are able to understand the natural ebbs and flows on the demands of your time and you’re able to pivot when needed to find a balance that satisfies your soul.”
Molly Lockwood
Human Resource Director
“The most important piece of advice that I would offer is to always be yourself and trust your own abilities and instincts. Don’t try to be anyone other than who you are. Celebrate your best traits and the successes you enjoy. At the same time, recognize your faults and improve on your shortcomings. Make every opportunity count as you learn from your mistakes.”
Kathryn Music
Junior Research Analyst
Sobel Tinari Economics Group
“My piece of essential advice for women to help her be her most successful self would be to always remain confident, independent, strong, and true in her choices and views throughout her lifetime. She should never doubt her abilities or lose who she is.”
Rachael Langlais
Administrative Assistant
“The advice I would offer is to work at building trust and earning the respect of colleagues and fellow employees instead of worrying about whether or not they are more successful than you. When you nurture a competitive atmosphere, it negatively impacts your ability to engage in open and honest conversations – and makes it harder to collaborate effectively. Don’t waste your energy stressing over the progress of others but instead focus on combining your individual strengths to achieve a higher and better solution together, founded on trust and respect.”
Deborah Aberts
Production Manager
Forensic & Valuation Services Group
“My advice or golden nugget I would share is “don’t be timid.” Go and do and think outside your comfort zone. The older I get, the more I realize I wish I had not been so shy or timid in my younger years. Take advantage of the opportunities that come your way!”
Mariana Moghadam
Member of the Firm
“My advice to women is this: It is a fact that we spend more hours in the workplace than anywhere else. As a result, we interact with colleagues and business cohorts even more than with our own families! That is why it is important to ensure that what we do with those precious hours creates a meaningful experience for us. Life can be challenging and stressful. So, I suggest you find a dream job and do everything you can to ensure that your time at work is as pleasant and enjoyable as possible.”
We hope you enjoyed reading the responses to this important question. So what would you say is the one golden nugget that you believe would make the most significant impact toward helping a woman achieve her goals? We’d love to hear your thoughts as well!
