Career Success Stories

I remember I was heading into a board meeting when our office janitor, Mr. Ellis, stopped me. He said, "Your name tag's upside down." My first instinct? → Brush it off. → Pretend I didn't need help. → Protect my pride. Instead, I paused and said, "Thanks for looking out for me." He smiled and replied, "Doesn't matter your title. You represent all of us when you walk into that room." That single moment with Mr. Ellis's big brown eyes shifted how I viewed leadership forever. Six months later, I stood in that same boardroom, presenting a critical strategy. Not because I knew everything. But because I walked in carrying the quiet confidence that comes from respecting everyone who makes our work possible, from the janitor to the CEO. And respect carries more weight than any title ever could, regardless of the room you're in. Here's what most professionals get wrong: They think career growth is about impressing those above them. They forget that everyone, from the janitor to the CEO, sees how you really show up. They underestimate the wisdom in people that society often overlooks. But the highest-impact leaders I've coached share one trait. They lead with respect. → They treat every person like they matter. → They know trust isn't reserved for titles. → They understand influence starts with how you make people feel. That's how careers grow, not just in skill but in humanity. The C.H.O.I.C.E.® Framework makes this real: Courage: Stand for dignity, even when no one's watching. Humility: Know you're not above anyone. Openness: Learn from every voice. Integration: Turn respect into everyday actions. Curiosity: Ask people about their stories. Empathy: See the person behind the role. Here's how to start leading with respect and grow your career: ✅ Start small. → Thank someone whose work often goes unseen. → Respect is built in micro-moments that matter. ✅ Listen deeply. → Instead of dismissing someone's input, ask: → "What do you see that I might be missing?" ✅ Model humanity. → Show others how to treat people well, no matter their title. → Respect shapes culture and careers. The more senior you become, the more your treatment of junior staff defines you. Your peers judge your character not by how you handle power but by how you treat those without it. 💭 Who's someone "behind the scenes" who taught you about leadership? ♻️ Tag someone who leads with humanity. ➕ Follow Loren Rosario - Maldonado, PCC, for career coaching that's human to the core.

𝐈 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐚 𝐁𝐢𝐠 4 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐲. No tech degree. No prior compliance experience. No contacts in the privacy industry. 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒙𝒂𝒄𝒕 6-𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒑 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒕 & 1 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒑 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒑. 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 1: 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 "𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲."  I kept telling myself I needed to understand more technology before I could work in data privacy. I was wrong. I started engaging with the GDPR framework as a legal instrument — reading it the way I would read any statute. The technical fluency came through the work, not before it. 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 2: 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬.  I sought out people who were actually doing the work — not just teaching it. Following practitioners on LinkedIn, reading their analysis of real cases, and asking questions in professional forums taught me more about how privacy work actually runs than any single certification. 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 3: 𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨.  I started writing privacy notices, DSAR response templates, and DPA clauses for hypothetical scenarios — without a client, without a job, without anyone grading me. When interviews came, I had actual work to show. Not a certificate. 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 4: 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞.  Privacy professionals who grow fastest are the ones who can communicate risk to non-lawyers. I spent time learning how to translate legal obligations into language that a CFO or CTO would act on. This skill got me in more rooms faster than any credential. 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 5: 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭.  Certification mattered — but not at the beginning. I pursued formal training after I had enough context to ask the right questions in the room. It deepened what I already knew, rather than trying to build knowledge from scratch. 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 6: 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜.  I started writing about what I was learning. Sharing analysis, asking questions, taking positions on regulatory developments. This created visibility that no application could have created. Opportunities came inbound before I was even actively looking. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒑 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒑: ❌ Watching instead of doing. ❌ Spending 6 months "preparing to prepare." ❌ Reading about privacy law instead of reading privacy law. The career is available to you right now — exactly as you are. The only entry requirement is the decision to start. Where are you in your transition journey? Tell me in the comments — I read every single one or DM me! _______________________________________ → World Cyber Security Forum (WCSF)® programmes offer internships with proper practical training — the bridges I had to find manually. Link in comments.

At 26, I thought I needed all the answers before starting. At 32, I realize I only needed to start—and I’m exactly where I need to be. Key lessons from my entrepreneurial journey (that you might need to hear): 1. Building a business isn't just about profits - it's about building people. Some of my best hires were freshers who grew into pillars of my company. 2. Your timeline is your own. Being 32, single, and running a successful business isn't a paradox - it's a choice to live life on your own terms. 3. The best investments aren't always from VCs - they're your clients who believe in you and your team members who invest their time and talent. 4. When family and business mix, keep them in separate bowls. Do business with strangers, and keep family for love. 5. Your employees aren't just resources - they're your partners in success. When they ask for a raise, remember: retention is cheaper than replacement. 6. A gap in your resume isn't failure - it's often the bridge to something better. I left a job in 6 months and built a successful agency. 7. Time tracking doesn't equal productivity. Trust your team, focus on results, and watch creativity flourish. 8. True leadership means supporting your team's dreams, even when it means letting them go pursue higher education. 9. The customer isn't just always right - they're the real CEO. Every business decision should start and end with them. 10. Authenticity in business partnerships matters. Choose collaborators who truly align with your values, not just your profit margins. 11. You can be a woman who manages both family and business. Breaking stereotypes isn't about choosing one over the other - it's about defining success on your own terms. My challenge to aspiring entrepreneurs in 2025: - Trust your instincts - Invest in your people - Build with authenticity - Break stereotypes Remember: Success isn't about fitting into someone else's mould - it's about having the courage to create your own. What lesson resonated most with you? #lesson #entrepreneurship

I’ve advised over 200 high achievers in the last 3 years. From F500 companies to billion dollar startups. 5 challenges that kept them stuck + how to overcome: (1) Demonstrating impact It's a harsh truth, but no amount of work will get you promoted. To level up you need to show impact on the bottom line. Recommendation: Focus on outcomes vs. outputs, and track your success. (2) Owning your time If someone else owns your calendar you can't be effective or make a big impact. But most people just accept what ever is put on their calendar. Recommendation: Be proactive, not reactive. Create you ideal schedule (I call it CEO schedule) and own your time. (3) Leveraging advocacy Your career will grow faster if you have key stakeholders ready to speak on your behalf. But most people don't have a strategic plan to build and nurture advocacy. When the time comes they need to beg for support. Recommendation: Identify your advocates and manage the relationship long term, to get undeniable recognition. (4) Having hard conversations The things you want most are on the other side of a hard conversation. Asking for a raise, getting a unique opportunity, sharing feedback, letting an employee go. Avoiding these conversations keeps you stuck. Recommendation: Don't avoid hard conversations. Plan and practice for them to reduce the anxiety and fear. (5) No vision or strategy You assume working hard enough for long enough will get you ahead. That's usually not the answer. Doing more of the same won't get you far in the corporate world. Recommendation: Gain clarity about your vision and what it would take to get there, so you can be intentional about how you spend your time at work. Ignore these challenges and you'll stay stuck for years. Master them and you'll join the 1%. *** Enjoyed this post? ♻️ Share to help someone get unstuck and grow their career

Do you ride the waves with your career? 🏄 🌊 When I started as a rookie lawyer in BigLaw, Singapore's property market was booming, and I was a real estate lawyer. I met interesting clients, and some became friends. 🌊 During the dot com boom, I had the chance to pivot to mergers & acquisitions (M&A) and IPOs, helping companies list on the stock exchange. Useful skills, but I worked 85 hours a week! 😅 🌊 After I transitioned to in-house counsel, China and India were booming, and I picked up valuable cultural negotiating skills in both countries. All these rich experiences came in useful when I became the General Counsel at International SOS. I liked solving problems and thought I could really be a generalist solving problems for the rest of my life and be happy. One day in 2016, my life changed forever. We started preparing for the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which would come into effect in 2018. After reading the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs), basically, a promise you make to follow the EU's data protection rules, even when your data is handled abroad, I thought to myself, "That's very weird. I will try my best to stay away from it." 🥴 Famous last words. The opposite happened of course. Because of the GDPR, client negotiations in Europe involved deep and technical discussions on data privacy. As more countries enacted data privacy laws (I think we are now at 162), the more complex the landscape. 🌊 I became a data privacy specialist. Riding that wave, I split out a separate Privacy function and became the Chief Privacy Officer of the group. 🌊 This year, I set up my own data privacy consultancy, NorthStar Data Privacy, to help companies plan their global data strategy. In today’s world, there can be no significant tech development without data privacy, no AI adoption without data privacy. What waves did you ride with your career? Would love to hear about it. 🏄♂️ 📷 Inspired by TechLawFest last week, I’m reading “Technology Regulation in the Digital Exonomy” by Yeong Zee Kin #RideTheWaves #DataPrivacy #AI #NorthStarDataPrivacy

5 skills that become more and more important as you climb up the corporate ladder. 1. IQ becomes table stakes - EQ takes center stage. As you move up, your ability to read the room, handle conflict, and inspire people often outweighs technical brilliance. 2. Your role becomes increasingly sales-driven. Whether it’s selling ideas, strategies, or vision - persuasion and influence become daily requirements, not occasional skills. 3. You shift from doing to enabling. Success is no longer measured by your output, but by how effectively you empower others to deliver theirs. 4. Managing ambiguity becomes a daily skill. The higher you go, the fewer clear answers you’ll have - but the greater the expectation to decide with confidence. 5. Your network becomes your superpower. Relationships built over time start opening more doors than résumés or credentials ever could.

Breaking stereotypes wasn’t easy. A banker once told me, ‘It’s better to be a shark in a pond than a fish in an ocean.’ That mindset shaped me. Some stories inspire us to aim higher and keep going. Anuja Bhekane’s journey is one that truly moves me - a story where she didn’t have a head start in life, yet today, she leads a team of 100. Here is Anuja’s story in her own words to inspire you to lead with courage and confidence. “I didn’t have a prestigious degree or a built-in career roadmap. Coming from a family of agriculture and farming, I had no exposure to the corporate world, no roadmap to success. Yet, I refused to let that define me. At 20, I began my career in the capital markets industry, a field traditionally dominated by men. My clients were CXOs of major banks, and through my interactions with them, I realized something profound: financial success wasn’t limited to business owners. Even salaried professionals could achieve wealth and independence. Over the past decade, I’ve been the only female Zonal Head in my field, earning credibility through performance - not gender. And while I’ve never played the “I’m a woman” card, let’s be real - challenges exist. Balancing work and family, ensuring my personal responsibilities never became an organization’s problem, and still delivering at the highest level - that was the biggest challenge I overcame. There were days I felt stretched between two worlds - one at work, one at home - but I never let either become an excuse. Three months after maternity leave, I was back at work - not to prove anything, but because my passion for what I do never took a break. Some days, success comes easy; other days, failure humbles you. The key is to turn setbacks into learning experiences. Staying grounded, being modest - that’s what sustains success in the long run. Even today, my aspiration remains the same. When I first met a CEO as a 20-year-old, I told myself that one day, I would be on that side of the table. That goal still drives me.”

I was once on the redundancy list but then was taken off. It was a wake-up call. The next year, I asked to be made redundant. I've never taken a long break, and embracing it allowed me to regroup. It gave me the luxury and leeway to find what truly drives me: learning and sharing what I've learned. If you've lost your job, I invite you to take this time to reflect, upskill, connect, and figure out what you truly want. Remember, rejection is often the universe's way of protecting you. I believe there’s something better out there for you. Drawing from my own journey, I understand the power of reshaping your career narrative. 🌍 Embracing Curiosity: I explored new places and interests, finding joy in slow travel and experimentation. 🌱 Learning and Growing: I dived into new skills like Spanish, salsa, bachata, and tango. Discovering improv was a revelation – it felt like dancing with words. 🤝 Building Networks: My travels strengthened my connections, opening doors to new friendships and opportunities. 🚀 Adventures in Uncertainty: Leaving banking wasn't scary; it was an exciting adventure, a chance to rewrite my story. 💡 Discovering Passion and Purpose: Dance was a passion, but storytelling was my calling. It allowed me to reconnect with a childhood dream and empower others through narrative. ✨ A Mindset of Possibilities: I chose to see a world of opportunities, not limitations. This perspective is transformative. If you're facing career challenges, remember: every setback is an opportunity to rediscover yourself and reshape your narrative. What possibilities will you choose to see? P.S. Have you ever found unexpected joy in learning something completely new? #whatsyourstory #storytelling #careertransition #careerchange #mindset

For 17 years, he never had to look for a job. Opportunities found him. Then he chose to build something from scratch— a proprietor-led setup, a founder’s vision, and full ownership. The first few months went well. Until they didn’t. Conversations turned personal. Feedback became criticism. KRAs changed after a major launch. He was never confirmed. For the first time in 17 years, work stopped being about performance— and became about survival. That’s when he stepped back. Not because he couldn’t handle it— but because he chose not to normalise toxicity. It’s been a couple of months now. And here’s the reality—coming back after a break isn’t easy. Not because capability is gone. But because narrative matters. How do you explain the exit? How do you rebuild confidence? He knows he’s not alone. Many professionals today step into promising roles— and walk out questioning themselves. But here’s the truth: 17 years aren’t erased by 9 months. One environment doesn’t define capability. And getting back isn’t as difficult as it feels— the right role just needs the right story to find him.

🔸 5 amazing approaches to go beyond your KPIs and KRAs 🔸 Hitting targets is great. But going beyond them? That’s where the magic happens. 🚀 Beyond the Numbers: 5 Stories That Helped Me Outgrow My KPIs & KRAs. Here are five moments that taught me how to turn good into exceptional - 1. The Curiosity Call One day, I picked up the phone not to sell, but to ask a client what really kept them up at night. That single question opened a whole new project line we hadn’t even thought of. 👉 Lesson: Ask beyond the brief. 2. The Coffee That Closed Deals Instead of a formal pitch, I invited a potential client for coffee. We ended up brainstorming casually—and that idea turned into our biggest campaign of the quarter. 👉 Lesson: Relationships outperform rigid scripts. 3. The Unasked “What If” Late one evening, I scribbled a “what if we tried this instead?” in a project doc. The next day, it sparked an internal pilot that became our new standard. 👉 Lesson: Never underestimate small sparks. 4. The Silent Listen In a team meeting, I chose to just listen. I realized the youngest team member had the most disruptive idea, but no one noticed. I championed it. We won an award. 👉 Lesson: Impact hides in quiet corners. 5. The Growth Mindset Game I started mentoring New joiners and Interns, without judging them. In doing so, I learned new tools and trends from them. I grew more in that quarter than any metric could measure. 👉 Lesson: Invest in people, avoid investigating them. KPIs are the destination. KRAs are the route. But what you learn and unlock beyond them? That’s your legacy. #Leadership #BeyondKPIs #GrowthMindset #WorkplaceWisdom #ProfessionalDevelopment #LinkedInStories #ONETHINGTOKNOW