Katy Hollister, former partner at Deloitte Tax LLP in Cincinnati, Ohio, was featured in Dare to be Extraordinary - Life Lessons from Women Who Take the Lead. The book was released by Deloitte to share experiences of current and former female employees.
Katy Hollister was featured in the section “The Best Advice I’ve Ever Received”.
Click here to read “Dare to be extraordinary” or read Katy’s contribution below.
“The best advice I’ve ever received was “It’s not about you, Katy.” Someone said this to me a long time ago, and it was the beginning of my appreciation (and obsession) with looking at the world through other people’s eyes.
There is a great quote: “The three things we crave most in life - happiness, freedom, and peace of mind - are attained by giving them to someone else.” There is something rewarding about dedicating time to another person’s success. Ironically, if you invest in others’ success, theirs will often drive yours.
My first coach told me that other people considered me to be a negative person. His advice? Start listening to myself. When I did that, it didn’t take long to recognize the problem: I always talked about what needed improving and didn’t comment on the things I really liked. I learned the value of celebrating the things that are going well and acknowledging accomplishments.
I have developed a reputation for being candid, almost fearless, about my opinions. This has gotten me in some trouble, but it has also been valuable, especially when I have sat on boards. I have learned how to challenge ideas and be direct without being perceived as negative.
Mentoring others is one of my greatest passions because so many people at Deloitte have done that for me. I coach a lot of younger women. I encourage each one to spend time thinking about what they want to be known for, articulating it in a vision statement, and using that vision to guide their words, choices, and actions. A lot of how we’re perceived is driven by observations of our words, choices, and actions. If you are intentional about the things you want people to know about you, you will build your brand the way you want it to be built.”
