Humans of Marketing

Sharing this video clip feels embarrassing, but I’m going to do it anyway.

A few years ago, I stood in front of the entire Google global marketing org as part of our ‘Humans of Marketing’ series. Few of us had the opportunity to speak about life-defining moments that shaped who we are and how we show up at work.

💡As a leader, this series served as a reminder that I am working with amazing and whole individuals. ​​When optimizing teams and discussing career growths, I made a point to understand each person’s unique story, experiences, baggage, and super powers.

Equally important, as I reflected on the clip, I learned a few things about myself:

💡Moments like my move from China to the US had a deeper impact than I realized:

❤️Survival skills I gained - assimilate and avoid standing out as a ‘minority’, turned out to inadvertently hinder my career advancement later as I often hesitated to stand out and take up more space.

​​💡I am proud of my accomplishments, but also realized sometimes my motivation was misguided:

❤️Wanting to prove others wrong, I ended up pursuing a path I didn’t feel passionate about, and required extra steps to pivot away later on.

​​💡Dealing with a rare form of lymphoma was a pretty loud wake up call:

❤️For the first time ever, I started asking myself what I wanted in life, and if what I was gaining from all that stress was worth it.

​​💡I am still grateful for my supportive husband whose partnership makes my career and other life decisions possible. And I am still thankful that my two daughters bring me so much love and joy every day. ❤️

Understanding the ‘why’ behind our actions and motivations makes us more centered and resilient. I am always going to be a Work In Progress, learning from my experiences and tweaking my path forward. And I am good with that.

Sharing this clip is embarrassing. But if this reminds even one person that we are dealing with whole human beings at work, AND that we can be more compassionate towards ourselves, then it’s worth it.

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