A legendary career will have both winning and losing moments. What are some of the lessons you learn on the way to your dream job? What are means-to-an-end jobs and why are they so important? How do you become aware of what you’re worth? On this episode, I have a dialogue with one of my colleagues from Scient, Wendi Sturgis, who imparts powerful wisdom for navigating the highs and lows of life, career, and the market.

Know what’s most important to you next. Is it the title, the responsibility, the role or the money? -Wendi Sturgis

3 Things We Learned

Get comfortable with the money discussion

Money is a conversation so many of us are uncomfortable with, and this bleeds into how we ask to get paid what we’re worth. Get comfortable with talking about it with your close confidants because if you don’t, you won’t be able to have the conversation with someone who doesn’t know you.

Sometimes you’re going to have “means-to-an-end” jobs

In our career trajectory we’re going to have dreams jobs that are the ultimate goal, but some jobs will just be pitstops. These are important because they teach us more about what we really want, and lead us closer towards that ultimate job.

Being a next-level executive is all about knowing when and how to push

You can’t bulldoze your way through things when you’re running an organization with billions in it. You have to find the right leadership team and the ways to set the right strategic direction.

Life has a great duality to it. You will experience ups and downs and have legendary moments and losing moments. It’s so critical that you know what your worth is and surround yourself with the right people. When you know your value and your North Star, you will be able to navigate life while taking lessons where you get them and growing every step of the way. This is what will help you determine your next move and execute it gracefully.