MY CAREER IN SIX SPOTLIGHT

MICHELLE GILL

 EVP, General Manager, Small Business and Financial Services Group

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Sharing her career journey by answering the six questions below.

Who or what has been your biggest source of inspiration throughout your career?

Early on in my career, I was most inspired by women who made it to the top. While I’m still inspired by successful women leaders, as I got more seasoned, I started to value different things. Today, I’m most inspired by humble leaders who are calm under pressure. I have been very fortunate to work with some incredible leaders in this regard, but one who really stands out is David Viniar, who was CFO of Goldman Sachs during the Great Financial Crisis. As you can imagine, that was a tumultuous time, but watching David be incredibly methodical as he worked with the team to navigate through the crisis was really inspiring.

Would you say your success is primarily due to luck or hard work?

I’m so grateful to have had some amazing mentors throughout my career. People who took a chance on me, put me in roles that I did not think I was ready for, and opened doors that I did not realize were there to be walked through. If someone presents you with an opportunity, it’s what you do with that opportunity that drives your outcome. That being said, I do think bad timing can work against you. If you are an incredible talent but end up in a seat at a time of downsizing, that’s a tough shake. But again, it’s what you do to turn that into opportunity that matters.

What is the driving force behind your career aspirations?

I moved to the United States when I was 9 years told and went into ESL (English as a second language) classes. As a child of immigrant parents, I felt like I always had something to prove. I remember wishing that my mom would make me baloney sandwiches on Wonder bread rather than chocolate spread sandwiches on challah. Ultimately, I just wanted to prove that I was as good as everyone else and deserving of the spot or opportunity I had been given, so I worked twice as hard, asked tons of questions, and never took anything for granted. I always assumed that it could go away tomorrow and that I had to make the most of the present.

If given the chance to do one thing differently in your career, what would it be and why?

If I could do one thing differently, it would be to go to my brother’s college graduation. When I was a summer intern at a law firm, I was assigned weekend work and ended up missing my brother’s college graduation to finish the assignment. (By the way, Madeline Albright was the commencement speaker at the graduation!) At the time, I thought this law assignment was not only bigger than a once in a lifetime moment for my family, but even bigger than seeing Madeline Albright. I picked this example to make the point that when you are in the moment in your professional life, you can sometimes lose sight of the bigger picture. That doesn’t have to manifest itself in the form of a missed personal event, but can be the way you treated someone because you were overwhelmed. It’s important to remind yourself to take a step back and ensure that you’re making the right decision. Be true to yourself. If your professional life is persistently not allowing you to be true to yourself and make the right choices for you, maybe your professional choice should be questioned.

What was your most favourite job/role and why?

That’s easy! The role I am most proud of is being a mom. It is such a privilege to be a mom in a way that I never anticipated. My girls push me to be a better version of myself every day, and they have unwavering commitment to our family.

Do you have a favourite motto or quote that guides your professional life?

Roger Federer’s speech at Dartmouth’s commencement really resonates with me. The entire message is so powerful, but the line that resonates the most is “It’s only a point.” Roger pointed out that the most winning athletes in tennis only win 54% of their points — that’s about one out of every two shots. So don’t dwell on the point, learn from it and move on. What an incredible lesson. It drives you to not be afraid of trying something new and allows you to quickly iterate for the next “point” rather than obsessing over what did not work. It also allows you to focus on the positive rather than the negative. You only need to win slightly more than half the time – which makes everything appear much more conquerable.