Over the years, Minerva BC has had the absolute privilege of working with some our province’s most inspiring and impactful values-based leaders. Some have been at the pinnacle of their careers while many others are just beginning or part way through their leadership journey. We would like to introduce you to some of these leaders from the Minerva BC community, as we believe there’s much to learn from one another.
Recently, we had the pleasure of catching up with Charlotte Pecknold, an alumna of Women Leading the Way™ Cohort 8. When she’s not advising Coast Capital Savings members or giving #moneytips on the CTV morning television show, she can be found practicing yoga and arranging flowers in her spare time. Charlotte was eager to share some of the impact of Women Leading the Way™ on her leadership journey.
What motivated you to join the program?
I am fortunate to work for a company that makes developing people a priority. I was asked to be a part of the Women Leading the Way Program and have been eager to develop my skills so that I could move into a leadership position with a better understanding of the impact my leadership will have on the people who look to me to model those behaviours. This was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.
What is one thing you learned from the program that influences your work today?
This program gave me the space to think about who I am at my core. It allowed me to explore my values and to understand those parts of my personality that either help or hinder me in both my personal life and my work environment. Having that understanding helps me lead from a much more informed place. I find I now take a step back from a situation and evaluate how to best move forward, rather than just reacting to a situation, which I know I have been guilty of in the past.
What advice would you share with young women at the start of their career?
My advice to any young woman at the start of her career would be to pay attention to those moments in your day where hours go by without notice and you are totally wrapped up in what you are doing. Be mindful about what lights you up and then seek more opportunities to do that thing.
How do you practice self-care?
This is so important to me. I find that when self-care is not a priority, I am unable to show up as my best self. I practice yoga and enjoy exercise. I listen to my body and rest when I need to. I am someone who needs time alone, so making sure that I am carving out space in the week where I have that time is important to me.
What advice do you wish you had known five years earlier?
Comparison is a useless activity.
How do you define success?
My definition of success has changed a lot over the years. I believe that success is a very individual pursuit and for me, today, it means having the time to enjoy my life with the people that I love and care about. It means feeling a level of contentment with who I am and feeling comfortable in my own skin . . . of course I’m still working towards this.
If you could have coffee with anyone, who would it be and why?
Brene Brown. Whether reading her latest book (Braving the Wilderness) or listening to her Ted Talk on Vulnerability, which I have listened to probably 50 times, or listening to the interview that she recently gave with Marie Forleo – I am completely taken with how she thinks about the world. She is intelligent, thoughtful and very real.
