21 Women Leaders Reveal Their Secrets to Building an Impactful Career

Beyond leading the way in water, hygiene and energy technologies and services, Ecolab is raising the bar for what it means to be a supportive workplace. It’s no surprise that Ecolab has been ranked on several best companies lists, including Forbes’ Best Places for Women to Work and Best Employers for Diversity. The company offers employees paid parental leave, a flexible work environment and market-competitive compensation. And leaders at the company are committed to developing diverse and inclusive teams – a critical part of the company’s culture.

This commitment to diverse and inclusive teams is one reason Ecolab has hired a lot of women who are deeply committed to advocating for others – wherever they may be in their careers. Recently, Fairygodboss heard from 21 of those women. They shared their insights on how to make an impact at work while carving out a meaningful career path:

1. Lay out a clear vision of what you want your team to do and hold them accountable in a way that’s firm yet compassionate. - Gargi Biswas, Technical Group Lead

2. When you experience something unexpected, change your perspective from obstacle to opportunity. - Claudia Currarino, Vice President of Human Resources

3. Drive a desire in your team to continuously improve, both as an organization and at a personal level. - Susan Hart, Business Manager

4. Empower your team. Combine passion and leadership to achieve results. - Ann Gent, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Food & Beverage, North America

5. Always look at the big picture; understand the impact of your work on the work of others. - Kimberly Jackson, Principal Chemist

6. Listen to other women to learn the keys to their success for your own career journey. - Dynisha Klugh, Human Resources Director

7. Challenge the status quo; be a catalyst for change, growth and success. -Christine Kraft, Sr. Financial Analyst

8. Engage, inspire and work effectively with people who are different from you. - Jen Bradway, Vice President, Finance

9. Seek out diversity in mentors. We’ll achieve more by working together and learning from one another than either gender can achieve on its own. - Leah Larson, Vice President, Marketing

10. Positive energy and enthusiasm are excellent synergists for collaboration. - Karla Mack, Black Belt and Manager

11. Don’t wait for things to come to you. Go out and ask for what you want. - Nadia Mahamoud, Director of Regulatory Affairs

12. Capitalize on the talents of your entire team. - Laurie Marsh, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer 

13. Share your vision, creativity and expertise to increase team engagement and drive change. - Carolina Simonetti, Communications Manager

14. Be open minded to pursue opportunities that will advance your career. With confidence and your best work, you will make an impact. - Agnes Tang, Senior Marketing Manager

15. Lead by bringing the full force of your conviction and energy to your work each day. - Roz Tsai, Vice President, Human Resources

16. Push your team and yourself to think outside of the box to find creative solutions. - Barbara Tufano, Senior Marketing Manager

17. Nurture and mentor talented leaders, including your successors - without expecting anything in return. - Roula Eid, Assistant Vice President of Global Corporate Accounts

18. Grow your career by focusing less on a specific role and instead figure out what excites you — what you’re good at — and express those interests to others. - Sandra Garcia-Swofford, Vice President, Marketing

19. Actively seek to understand different perspectives – you’ll be amazed how many problems disappear. - Nikki Coulthard, Director of Regulatory Affairs

20. Help inspire women to take more risks and pursue opportunities outside their comfort zone. My motto is, “For others, with others.” - Yoko Machida, Enterprise Excellence Deployment Leader

21. Be vocal with leaders about your business impact, which roles you're interested in, and where you see your career going in the future. - Rosana Queiroz, Director of Regulatory Affairs

Find ways to build some or all of these 21 pieces of actionable advice into your career planning, and in the meantime, if you’re interested in learning more from these women, you’re in luck: Ecolab is hiring now!