Reflections of 2019 - with 2020 Vision

It was a mere 358 days ago that I worked for the largest rideshare platform company in the world. I was the Chief Audit Executive of an amazing team of smart individuals, and together we had built out a function twice the size of the one I came to, of truly global presence with new locations in India and Mexico, ready to lead a company on its journey to an IPO. Our team had built a solid 2019 audit plan, I had multiple key promotions teed up for my team and we had done everything I wanted to do and more. Almost.

Within 24 hours, I made peace with a choice point I had struggled with over the holidays, quietly signed my name to a document that would change my path, and tearfully explained to my leadership team that "something else" I needed and wanted to do. Not really knowing what was in store for me, I wrapped up my tenure at Uber, got my Internal Audit house in order, and showed up on January 28 to Day 1 of my orientation at Lyft for a job I co-created with our CFO.

2019 was a year of changes I cannot believe happened inside of a mere 365 days.

• I said no to one role, only to have my hiring manager counteroffer a new role that we co-created from my personal desire to do something bigger and broader.
• I started this grand journey as a team of one, quickly learning how to build something from nothing, leveraging the goodwill and borrowed efforts of equally passionate people committed to “Make it Happen”.
• I celebrated being named one of the Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Technology with so many talented women, including some of my favorite leaders in Advancing Women Executives.
• I had the joy of learning how much that first hire makes a difference - and how much every single hire after that expands your capacity to imagine even more possibilities.
• I got to “ring the bell” with my finance, legal and operational colleagues at Nasdaq on the day of our IPO (my first IPO ever).
• I had the privilege of interviewing some of the most talented people on this planet - and the pain of knowing I couldn’t hire them all.
• I watched my oldest son walk across the stage at San Diego State University to accept Summa Cum Laude honors with his bachelor’s degree and wrote countless checks for medical school applications.
• I watched my youngest son get a driver’s license and his first official job outside of his household chores and pet sitting for us.
• I went on an Eastern Mediterranean cruise with my husband and friends, logging three new countries and four new destinations in the process.
• I had the privilege of speaking at a conference in Armenia, visiting a country I’ve never been to and making friends and connections I’d never had without saying yes to my new role.
• I committed to making Engagement a priority and watched so many of my new Finance colleagues take the lead in bringing my seeds of ideas to life at a much-needed time in our Finance journey.
• I said goodbye to two amazing women too early in life as a result of breast cancer; I signed up for Lyft’s “Round Up and Donate” campaign, dedicating a few extra cents of every ride to the American Cancer Society.
• I toasted 7 new team members before the holidays; these people delivered more than I could expect in less than six months of onboarding.
• I hugged my kids during the holiday break, broke bread with extended family, and kissed my husband in the comfort of our home on New Year’s Eve as we rang in 2020 with a cat and a dog at our side.

My life was filled with some unbelievably non-glamorous moments too, but looking backwards from the future, I can only see all the amazing things I experienced in one turn of the Earth.

So what will my 2019 hindsight contribute to my 2020 vision and what will I advise those closest to me?

• Say “yes” to reimagining the possible. I have a job that didn’t exist in its current form a year ago building things that didn’t exist a year ago at a company that didn’t exist when I moved to California and an industry that didn’t exist 20 years ago. Do not be hindered by what is; be open to what could be.
• Say “no” gracefully. Turning 50 made me realize my timeline to do new things in my career and life was not getting longer. Gracefully saying “no” to things that do not move you in the direction you want to go, do not fit with your personal values and goals, and do not contribute to making you a better person will let you be your best self in the precious hours we have on this planet. Ruthlessly prioritize.
• Give yourself and your team big, audacious goals and cheerlead each other (and yourself) ferociously. You will never know what you or your teams are capable of until you ask them (and yourself) to shoot for the moon and find out you make it to Jupiter. The best putting advice I ever heard in golf was to make sure you putt long; if you leave your putts short, there is zero chance they make it to the hole. Don’t leave your putts short in 2020.
• Be bold enough to surround yourself with people smarter than you. Not only will they help you realize your own vision faster than you can imagine, but they will push you farther than you might believe possible if you let their momentum carry you there. There is a slight amount of terror and an immense adrenaline rush when you realize you’re running with world class.
• Be humble enough to say “Thank you.” You didn’t get where you are, and you won’t get where you are going with the micro actions of so many people every day. Be kind and generous with your praise - it has no cost to you and means everything to others.

2019 is in our rearview mirror; make sure your vision is 2020.

Author’s side note - in searching for a picture of a reflection, I came across this one of myself from around 2008 - just a year before life handed me a very unexpected twist in my career journey. 2008 me would never have been able to map the route to 2020 me using any traditional life or career paths. Grateful that 2008 me rolled with the changes; even more grateful that 2020 me is now the architect of the changes.