From the course: Career Advice from Some of the Biggest Names in Business

Arne Sorenson on saying yes to opportunities

From the course: Career Advice from Some of the Biggest Names in Business

Arne Sorenson on saying yes to opportunities

- Your career. You're not a hotelier by training, or a lawyer. What kind of advice do you give people who are saying look, I want to be, either I want to become a senior executive at the company, or I want to just see my career keep growing? - Often, it depends on the precise context of that question, but there are a few things which are sort of regular bits of advice. One is just say yes. And maybe this is particularly the case for folks who have a bit less confidence. Sometimes we talk about this in the context of gender, where a man will be given an opportunity and sort of say, "I deserve this and I'm going for it," and a woman will be given the same opportunity and say, "Well, I'm not sure if I'm ready for it." But if somebody is delivering that opportunity for you, you may not feel like you're ready for it, but they feel like you're ready for it. Say yes, take it. They're almost always going to be looking out for you and themselves, because they think you will be doing well in that job. So say yes is a big piece of it.

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