New season, new growth outside my comfort zone

Authored by: Serena Tejani, Executive Director, Consulting

As a woman in consulting, I’ve spent a good deal of time outside my own comfort zone and explored every facet of cybersecurity and digital identity in the past 25 years.

In brief

• I’ve spent the past 25 years honing the discipline of cybersecurity, many times outside my comfort zone while exploring every facet of the digital identity.
• To push beyond my boundaries, I’ve learned to the importance of taking and enabling risks, seeking and offering mentorship, and create new pathways.

Career stages are a lot like seasons. I’ve been thinking about that lately. New job. New season. New opportunity to reflect on where I’ve been, and where I’d like to go from here.

As a woman in consulting, I’ve spent a good deal of time outside my own comfort zone. Cybersecurity isn’t just something I’m passionate about. It’s a discipline I’ve been honing for 25 years. Always changing. Never static. Over the last three decades, I’ve explored every facet of digital identity and the lifecycle that goes with it. From the programs I’ve built to the strategies I’ve deployed: each engagement has felt like an opportunity to help businesses look at problems holistically, with humans at the centre. I am truly passionate about this space.

Getting here, though, has required me to get comfortable working in an environment that often feels unfamiliar. This has meant trying things I never thought I would try, just to see what I could learn over time. It has taken shape as I consider roles I never thought I’d consider, to explore what might be possible on the other side. And every time I stepped out of my comfort zone, I stepped forward in my career.

How?

• Take — and enable — risks. My latest move to EY Consulting was deliberate. I sat with as many stakeholders and interviewers as I could to really understand the firm’s culture, team and capabilities. I asked a thousand questions to get to the heart of how we would make customers successful together. I spoke to brilliant people and dug deep into the fabric of the organization. And then? I took the risk — and committed to helping other women consultants do the same. It’s up to us to empower one another.

• Seek — and offer — mentorship. I have always wanted to make a name for myself in cyber. I’m doing that one relationship, project and contribution at a time. Mentorship has been a major part of that process. I’m inspired by people all around me, and that continues now at EY. In turn, I’m always looking for ways to share my own learnings with others. Whether that’s a cousin seeking to break into the industry or a former colleague ready to take the next step: we must always make room and time to support the people around us. This helps us all make greater progress, sooner. Mentorship matters so much.

• Find — and create — pathways. As leaders, we have to look at everyone’s individual strengths. At EY, I am not a number. Nor am I on a templated career path. This is a place where my leaders are generous with their time, thoughts, ideas and support. Just weeks into my new role, exemplary EY leader @Yogan Appalraju reached out to me about an emerging cyber leaders initiative at Toronto Metropolitan University. He knows my goals, understands my ambitions and was quick to share this opportunity my way. This is invaluable. I’m all about dreaming big and planning well. That’s how I have found pathways to growth. Having a leader embrace my path and proactively help is incredibly motivating. That inspires me to help create similar experiences for others.

Careers are all about dreaming big and planning well. In the cybersecurity world, making progress has required me to invest in skills training, grow my network and persevere — always. I have balanced the significance of asking for help with the importance of knowing my worth. I refuse to stop learning. I commit to taking risks. And I make myself heard out here, beyond my comfort zone. I’m in a wonderful new season of my consulting career.

Above all? I hope that by sharing my journey, I can help someone else define and reach a similarly incredible season of their own. That’s what really counts.