Young women: find your voice and share a great idea at work - Women's Agenda

Young women: find your voice and share a great idea at work

Sarah Curnow started her banking career at age 17, was a bank manager by her 21st birthday and is now the head of foreign exchange sales for a big four bank.

She calls herself an ‘intrepreneur’ (someone who executes great ideas within a large organisation) but has proven credentials as an entrepreneur having established her own business called Young Einsteins.

Passionate about what young people can bring to business and how they can voice their best ideas, Curnow started Young Einsteins as a networking and mentoring group for men and women in the early stages of their careers.

In the video above, she offers her advice on what young people can do to boost their confidence for sharing ideas by finding their voice.

“It’s really important to have a voice. If you have an idea in your mind, don’t be frightened to share it,” she says. “I don’t think there’s such thing as a bad idea. The merit isn’t related to the idea, the merit comes from the idea being executed.”

“When you go to a meeting, to ensure you have that voice prepare accordingly. Have one question on a piece of paper so that at some point throughout that forum, if you don’t feel comfortable creating conversation or sharing an idea, you can just ask a really great question.”

Curnow also recommends young people get a mentor. “Having that advocacy for you as a go-to is beyond valuable,” she says. “A lot of people, surprisingly, don’t have one.”

And she explains why even those who don’t run a business or manage their own team can be a leader. “To me a leader is a role model. Someone who does whatever their job is really well, and leads by example,” she says.

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