Unapologetically Ambitious

Create your own luck – your ambitions are achievable when you set goals, strategize, and take charge of your journey.

1. Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

Imposter syndrome can make individuals feel like they don’t belong or aren’t deserving of their success. Shellye Archambeau faced this throughout her career, starting with her childhood experiences of racism and exclusion. Despite these challenges, she learned to act confidently even when she felt otherwise.

Shellye often reminded herself that self-doubt doesn't reflect reality. She used a mantra to keep moving forward: “Act like you know what you’re doing, listen hard, and eventually, you will know what you’re doing.” This attitude helped her maintain poise and achieve her milestones.

Having supportive cheerleaders in your corner can also make a huge difference. For Shellye, one such cheerleader was her math teacher, Mrs. Mizrahi, who encouraged her talents and boosted her self-esteem by giving her roles where she could shine.

Examples

• Shellye’s experiences of harassment and exclusion as a child tested her resilience.
• Her math teacher offered positive reinforcement and encouraged her abilities.
• Shellye’s mantra allowed her to push through moments of doubt and intimidation.

2. The Power of Defining Goals

Setting clear goals can help steer your life in the direction you want. Shellye decided early on that she would become a CEO, basing this decision on her passion for leadership and organization.

Her determination was inspired by her mother, who showcased focused goal-setting. Her mother's long-term saving plan to achieve her dream of owning a horse taught Shellye the importance of defining priorities and making sacrifices.

Shellye chose strategic steps to make her goal a reality. She attended Wharton, a top-tier business school, and gained knowledge from her temp job at IBM, where she learned to navigate the growing tech industry.

Examples

• Shellye’s career counseling session solidified her CEO ambitions.
• Her mother’s goal-setting around owning a horse taught her valuable lessons.
• A summer job at IBM gave her critical networking and industry insights.

3. Strategic Partner Selection

Decisions about life partners can affect your professional trajectory. Shellye approached her search for a partner strategically, ensuring their values and goals aligned with hers.

Her approach involved identifying qualities she sought in a partner. Shellye valued confidence, shared goals, and willingness to support her career. Critically, Scotty, her partner, agreed to stay home with the children while she pursued her ambitions.

Despite objections over their age gap, Shellye demonstrated self-determination. She stood firm in her decision, showing how clear priorities and confidence can shape important life choices.

Examples

• Shellye assessed her partner’s qualities to ensure alignment with her vision.
• Scotty’s willingness to support her career was a dealmaker.
• Reluctance from her family didn’t deter her from following her decision.

4. Learning to Delegate

Ambitious people often take on too much and struggle with delegation, and Shellye was no exception. However, she eventually learned that sharing responsibilities improves both professional and personal well-being.

Her mother suggested that she involve others when Shellye tried to handle all the work of setting up their new house. This wisdom translated to her leadership roles, where she learned that delegation built trust and helped her teams perform better.

Delegating at work also gave her more time to focus on her health and personal growth. Therapy helped her prioritize self-care, enforcing boundaries and allowing her to say no when necessary.

Examples

• Shellye’s mother’s advice nudged her to let go of total control.
• Delegating tasks at work contributed to her ascent up the corporate ladder.
• Self-care decisions allowed her to handle responsibilities with improved well-being.

5. Speaking Up About Career Goals

To achieve professional goals, Shellye learned to be vocal about her ambitions and not just rely on others to notice her potential. Communicating her intentions gave her opportunities she wouldn’t have received otherwise.

For example, when her boss blocked her promotion, Shellye took action by interviewing elsewhere. The threat of losing her led to the promotion she deserved. She constantly shared her goals with higher-ups, ensuring that relevant information about her was passed along.

Additionally, being assertive helped her navigate stagnation and pursue other career opportunities when necessary. Shellye actively chose growth over comfort zones.

Examples

• Shellye’s vocalization of her promotion aspirations secured her advancement.
• Talking to a higher manager revealed overlooked opportunities outside her area.
• She recognized IBM’s limitations for her advancement and sought better prospects.

6. Navigating Obstacles Creatively

Sometimes direct paths to success are blocked, and Shellye learned to work around those roadblocks instead of stopping. Her experiences at IBM taught her to identify when persistence is futile and when it’s time to pivot.

Recognizing that she wouldn’t become CEO at IBM due to structural inequities, she resigned and explored opportunities in Silicon Valley. Shellye sought out environments where her abilities were valued more fairly.

Creativity also played a role. For instance, she focused on smaller companies because they offered more room to showcase her leadership capabilities.

Examples

• Shellye noticed pay gaps at IBM that disempowered her.
• Shifting to Silicon Valley opened new possibilities.
• Smaller companies allowed her to refine her leadership and score later successes.

7. Embracing Flexibility and Risk

Shellye’s career thrived because of her ability to take calculated risks and stay flexible. She joined Zaplet, a struggling company, knowing it carried the potential to grow into something significant.

This decision was strategic. If she succeeded in turning Zaplet around, the company’s transformation would validate her leadership. And indeed, under Shellye’s guidance, Zaplet turned into MetricStream, an award-winning company.

Flexibility also allows you to pivot as circumstances change. The stock market crash demonstrated the importance of adaptability in uncertain situations.

Examples

• Choosing a smaller, struggling company increased Shellye’s chances of becoming a CEO.
• Zaplet’s turnaround was a testament to her effective risk-taking.
• Adjusting her expectations during the stock market crash showcased her resilience.

8. Building Confidence Through Action

Shellye discovered that confidence and resilience develop when you repeatedly take risks and learn from the outcomes. Failures taught her recovery, while successes built self-belief.

An early experience showed this when she navigated promotions at IBM. Confidence also allowed her to handle moments of immense pressure, such as leading MetricStream to success despite its rocky beginnings.

Her advice: evaluate potential risks by asking if you can survive the worst-case scenario. If you can, lean into the opportunity without fear.

Examples

• Early resilience came from bouncing back after childhood challenges.
• Handling high-pressure stakes at MetricStream proved her expertise.
• Evaluating her fear-vs-reward mindset enabled bold decisions throughout her journey.

9. The Importance of Support Networks

Support systems make big leaps less daunting. For Shellye, encouragement from her family, husband, and cheerleaders helped her embrace challenges confidently.

She emphasized creating spaces of belonging, especially when being in minority groups made it harder to feel at ease. For instance, joining African American student groups during college gave her a strong sense of community.

Partnering with people professionally was also beneficial. While working through challenges at Zaplet, Shellye leaned on her allies and trusted advisors.

Examples

• Family support relieved stress as she balanced work and home life.
• Building a sense of belonging in college made her more resilient.
• Workplace alliances at MetricStream helped her succeed in Silicon Valley.

Takeaways

1. Create a clear plan for your career by defining goals and pursuing small, strategic steps to achieve them.
2. Build a community of supporters whose encouragement will reinforce your confidence along the way.
3. Regularly assess risks with this mindset: If you can live with the worst-case scenario, take the leap.