• Journey
• Life Choices   
• Notice now we get to where we are in life
• Follow Your Interests and Passions
• Don’t Underestimate Your Value
• Build Your Mentoring Team 

Career Journey: Dean Gardial talks about her journey here to the University of Iowa from the south She also brings up the pasts of our very own Henry B. Tippie, alums Sheri Salada, and Tuma Basa.  What core formative experiences and values have contributed to your leadership? 

Life Choices:  How does life work? Is it all planned, or do you just go with the flow? Dean Gardial speaks about some od her life choices; both conscious & unconscious, that lead her to becoming the Henry B. Tippie Dean at The University of Iowa.

How we get to where we are:  Nothing happens by chance. How we get to where we are in life is always up to us, however, the process can be different than how we plan it. Describe your process in life to get where you are.   

Follow Your Interests and Passions: Dean Gardial challenges us to look for opportunities to try something new and to ask for more than what we do on a day-to-day. Don’t be so focused on grinding away at work or settling for something that you are not passionate about. Discover new hobbies that will bring about new interests, passions, and build new strengths. What spars you?

Say “Yes”:  Saying “yes” can be good for you personally and professionally; just don’t overdo it.  When someone comes along and says, “would you, could you…?” and it fits the larger narrative say yes as often as you can. This can allow you to grow your portfolio or grow your skillset. However, you must be ready to jump when the opportunity arises. So, how often do you say yes?

Value: Don’t underestimate your value! Know your worth and know your skillset! Dean Gardial mentions that culturally and even in some cases biologically, women are prone to accept positions at the base level salary. She stresses that women should advocate and negotiate for themselves so that they do not start positions “in a hole” or to be undervalued behind men.

Ask for What You Need: Women do not ask for what they need; but why? For fear of failure? Fear of rejection? Seeming needy? Feeling undeserving of whatever is being asked? For whatever reason, bottom line, ask for what need. In and out of the workforce.

Mentors:  Look for a mentor at some point in your life. You need someone to talk to about family issues and how to have balance with that. You need someone to talk to you about the specifics of your program. You need someone to show you how to advocate for yourself, however, that may or may not be someone that you work with. Dean Gardial stresses the aspect of a mentoring team to gain different perspectives that could be useful.

Formal vs. Informal: These mentor relationships can come from work or friendships outside of work. It is important to think about all of the things that you need to work on as a young professional and add key mentors into your life accordingly. Do you have a few mentors in mind?

Kay, K. and Shipman, C. (2014). The Confidence Code. Washington D.C.: Harper, Collins.