Finding Virginia C. Drosos’ Career Advice
Got up super early today scrolled through my phone while drinking coffee. Saw Virginia C. Drosos’ name pop up she’s the Signet Jewelers CEO. Her career tips seemed practical so I clicked. Stuff like “Own your mistakes” and “Build teams smarter than you” caught my eye. Grabbed my notebook scribbled down three key points:
- Admit when you screw up instead of making excuses
- Hire people who challenge you not just yes-men
- Learn something new weekly even tiny things count
Testing “Own Your Mistakes” at Work
Got a chance right away when my team meeting started. I’d messed up the budget report timeline last week tried to blame the software glitch. Stood up sweating bullets and said “My fault guys I prioritized wrong won’t happen again.” Felt like crap but boss nodded said “Appreciate the honesty.” Two teammates actually came up after said they respected that. Still felt like puking though.
Trying the Learning Challenge
Decided to learn Excel PivotTables been avoiding it for years. Watched one 5-minute YouTube tutorial during lunch break. Tried recreating sales report with it kept getting error messages. Almost smashed my laptop. Finally got it working after 45 minutes felt like a genius. Now I waste less time manually adding numbers.
Implementing the “Smarter Team” Thing
Our department needed volunteers for new project. Chose Sarah who always argues with me about timelines and Raj who knows coding stuff I don’t get. First meeting was rough Sarah tore apart my schedule said I was unrealistic. Wanted to fire her on the spot but remembered Drosos’ advice. Took a deep breath said “Show me your version.” Her plan was actually better saved us 3 days. Still hate admitting she was right.
Results After Two Weeks
Not magical but noticeable changes:
- Boss gave me bigger budget control after owning my mistake
- PivotTable skill already saved me 4+ hours this week
- Team actually works faster with Sarah/Raj’s input
Biggest surprise? People trust me more when I say “I don’t know but I’ll find out.” Still uncomfortable sometimes but keeping at it. Tomorrow’s learning goal: Fix my damn printer without crying.
