Siya Vansia took a job as an administrative assistant at a bank after graduating college because she wanted something that looked good on her resume while building a startup. The startup failed, and 11 years later, Siya is the Senior Vice President, Chief Brand and Innovation Officer at ConnectOne Bank.
In this episode of Co-Creators in Conversation, Siya shares her experiences navigating entirely new positions in an established organization. She talks about dealing with imposter syndrome and the inherent discomfort of driving innovation.
Siya explains, "by its definition, an innovation role is meant to be disruptive, right. And that's not comfortable. For me...personally, it's not comfortable. I love talking about disruptive ideas, but the act of trying to get that through others who may not think the same way...has been personally challenging"
Siya tells us how the challenges of turning new, bold ideas into reality never go away. And explains a tool she's learned to apply that's helped her become more effective at promoting change.
Siya shares, "understanding where others are coming from, and what they have to deal with...and why they think the way they think, has helped me change the way I converse with them about these new ideas"
She goes on to share the role self-reflection has played in helping her grow into new opportunities. Including the three mindset shifts, she's had to make to go from Administrative Assistant to a VP.
Siya recommends, "I think it's really incumbent on you to self reflect and not just once or twice it's a consistent process, to understand your strengths and...your team's strengths and then understand where you can provide your company the most value"
Throughout the conversation, Siya models what it looks like to embrace a growth mindset. This interview is full of relatable and actionable inspiration.
Connect with Siya
What's one thing you've learned from this Co-Creators in Conversation episode? We love to hear from you!