8 Career Tips For Women From The Former Finance Minister Of Ukraine

“I think today there are more ways to make a difference while making money than there ever have been before. You don't need to remain or stay in public policy, in the traditional kind of government think tank world. Now, companies are establishing entire branches, departments, foundations to make a difference.”

Those are the insightful words of Natalie Jaresko, former finance minister of Ukraine in a groundbreaking recent interview on my Electric Ladies Podcast. She would know that you can make a difference in different sectors, because she has worked in both the private and public sectors, going back and forth between them, including working in different countries and cultures.

We can also find career advice in her own career trajectory. Jaresko was Ukraine's finance minister from December, 2014 until April 2016. Since then, until last month, she served as executive director of the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico, helping to guide their rebuilding efforts after the massively devastating Hurricane Maria. Prior to serving in her parents’ home country of Ukraine, Jaresko served in several economics-related positions in the U.S. State Department, including working with the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. She was also the first chief of the economic section of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, and worked in private equity in her own firm and as President and CEO of Western NIS Enterprise Fund. She earned her Bachelor's degree in accounting and political science from DePaul University and a Master's in public policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Here are 8 nuggets of career advice from both her unconventional path and from our conversation:

· Think about working in different industries: As Jaresko said in that quote above, there are many ways to earn a living and make a difference today, which means you don’t have to feel locked into a particular industry or path. She highlighted MasterCard’s work providing financing for underserved communities across the globe as an example, which Shamina Singh, the CEO of MasterCard’s Center for Inclusive Growth described to me on my show previously.

· Leverage all your abilities: Each one of us is a multidimensional person. We are good at more than one thing and have more than one interest. Jaresko leveraged her financial strategy skills, her economic skills, her management and people skills, her negotiation skills, her political skills and contacts in various roles – and found additional abilities, including to envision a thriving metropolis from rubble.

· Be open to going back and forth between industries: As Jaresko and many others have done, especially women who want to use many their abilities and activate multiple interests (including MasterCard’s Shamina Singh and yours truly), in addition to changing industries, feel free to go back and forth between them. That varied experience is an asset, enabling you to bring a new perspective to each industry, even ones you worked in before.

· Tackle important issues from wherever you are: As we see in companies stepping up to support Ukraine in its unprovoked, brutal attack from Russia, and in addressing climate change and racial justice, you can make a difference in any role in any organization. Jaresko explained, “In business, we can tackle climate issues. We can tackle voter registration issues. We can tackle the issues that we care about, DEI issues. And we can do it in a way where we serve as an example, and then that can press and push our policymakers.”

· Seize opportunities – and learn from them: Jaresko was willing to accept and toss her hat in the ring for various types of roles as they came up. This enabled her to live an enriching life, learn new skills, stretch her abilities, build new relationships, and grow her career (and probably her own financial circumstances).

· “Always follow your heart in your career”: She said that and added, “because somehow, if you are fulfilling your passion, if you're following your mission, and if your mission is to make the world a better place, then it leads you to the next job.”

· Frame your experience as what you’re gaining from it – and how you’re making a difference: When the war in Ukraine first broke out, Jaresko was in her role in Puerto Rico helping them rebuild. Initially she felt guilty that she wasn’t in Ukraine, her parents’ native country. “Then I realized, after about a month of the war, that the experience that I got in Puerto Rico on the rebuilding was unique for many Ukrainians. And I was going to be able to add something back when the time comes in Ukraine that others may not have.” She realized how valuable that experience in Puerto Rico has been and will be for her ability to help Ukraine.

· Work overseas – or at least travel overseas: The way world’s economies are intertwined is on stark display at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum this week (pictured above)– and on our store shelves and in our gas tanks. We see it in supply chain issues due to covid, to energy and food prices and scarcity in some areas due to the war in Ukraine, to the sanctions against Russia rippling through nearly every country, company and sector. It’s important to understand different cultures and there’s no better way to do so than to go there yourself.

“Just do one small thing a day, just one small thing,” is the closing counsel Jaresko gave in our conversation. She was referring to supporting Ukraine – which is critical because protecting Ukraine is protecting democracy worldwide – and it also applies to your career.

Do at least one small thing every day to make a difference from where you are in your career, and to build your skills and contacts.

Click here for ways Natalie Jaresko suggests as vetted sources to support Ukraine, click here to read my 3-part series on “The Hidden Power of ESG” from this interview, and click here to listen to the full interview with Natalie Jaresko on Electric Ladies Podcast.