JSE CEO offers ten tips for success

Nicky Newton-King, CEO of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, was the keynote speaker at the Cell C Take a Girl Child to Work Day. She shared her formula for success with the young women in the audience.

• Get the best education you can.
• Know that no one owes you a living. Seek out opportunities. And people who can help you get where you want to go. Newton-King calls them “champions”. Seek out champions who are not like you – that way you will learn more.
• Make sure you are part of a team. This will allow you to flourish. Speak up, show a willingness to get involved in and contribute to projects.
• When climbing that ladder, surround yourself with people who are better than you. Remember you are only as good as your team. The ability to put a good team together is what makes a good leader.
• Be humble. Do not buy into your own media regardless of your success. Don’t forget the people around you – they are the reason you are successful.
• There are no short cuts. Work is hard and it requires time. Embrace it.
• When starting out, know that you might be required to work long hours and weekends. The work-life balance is the gift of the givers – only those higher up decide on which tasks to assign to whom.
• Shed any concept of victimhood. The “poor me, is it because I am a woman” mentality will get you nowhere. Put a smile on your face and do the work.
• Take the time to listen. Even when you are the boss. Ask for feedback and reflect on it, analyse it. “I call it reading the tea leaves. Stop talking, be quiet and listen,” Newton-King says.
• Most important, say: ‘Thank you.’ Say it to the boss’s secretary and she will grant you access. Put a smile in your voice when calling on the phone and next time she will remember you.

Read more about the Cell C Take a Girl Child to Work Day here.