Podcast Episode with Sharon Schuler

 Join us for a thought-provoking episode as Sharon Schuler shares her journey and expertise in leadership, finance, and strategy:
Evolution of Leadership Style: Sharon opens up about the growth of her leadership approach, emphasizing the importance of balancing empathy and effectiveness.

Breaking the Finance Stereotype: Finance is so much more than numbers. Sharon discusses how she has challenged stereotypes, championing a dynamic, people-centered approach in the industry.

Adapting to Gen Z and Millennial Needs: As younger generations reshape the workplace, Sharon shares her strategies for leaders to connect, motivate, and engage meaningfully with Gen Z and Millennials.

AI’s Impact on Finance Transformation: Explore the future of finance with Sharon’s insights on how AI is revolutionizing the field, driving efficiency, and transforming traditional practices.

Career Mapping for Young Professionals: Sharon provides actionable advice on career mapping, especially valuable for Gen Z and Millennials building their paths in a rapidly evolving industry.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianafonsecamedina

Transcript

Welcome to another episode of Innovation in Heels. I'm joined, this is Neha Dutta, and I'm joined by Sharon Schuller. She is, how do I start introducing her? She's a great human being, first of all. She's become a great friend by the virtue of our interactions. And she is an ex -executive, a very senior leader in strategic finance function driving growth and transformation.

for financial planning and analysis. And her former employer was BJ's Wholesale Club. That's not all. Whenever you think about retail and you think about Organizations where a lot of transformation is happening, she's already been at the centre of that. She was at Bob's Discount Funditure, my favorite store when I came to settle in my life in the US. And she was handling their strategy and operations there. She was at Clark's and she's been always at the juncture

Managing finance so I'm not I'm going to keep my numbers very very straight when I speak to Sharon and I'm very happy that I get this I get the opportunity to do my podcast with her welcome on the show Sharon

Sharon Schuler (01:15)
Thank you so much. I'm thrilled to be on the podcast with you. So this is great. It's wonderful the stuff you're doing as far as, you know, being able to introduce, you know, women in our industries.

Neha Dutta (01:26)
Amazing, amazing. All right, cool. So we will dig deep right in. So when we think about innovation and we think about leaders like Sharon who are in the finance space and we think that innovation is only about transformation or being in technology, right? And I think that's a myth that we are about to bust today because when we think about roles like financial planning and growth, there is a deep down culmination of a lot of levers that takes takes role.

Before we go to her role and how she income passed through it, I'm gonna put a spotlight on Shannon and ask her, why are you were growing in amongst all these years and all these trajectory in your career? How do you think your leadership style has evolved as a leader? And from what it started on when you were in middle leadership roles to what it is now when you will be in a C -suite role.

soon or when you are in a senior role right now? How has your leadership style evolved?

Sharon Schuler (02:28)
So, you I would say, you know, I think when you're in the mid management, you're a lot of times very focused on the day to day, right? And really focused on your team. And I think over time as a leader, I've really understood the significance of managing across the organization and really managing your executive team. And it's really getting into their mindset of what's most critical to them. And it's not always what you think it is, right? So I think really being able to sort of step back from your own

things that you're trying to drive and really taking it more from the standpoint of what those executives need. I think that's really where my mind has, you know, has really shifted from a leadership standpoint.

Neha Dutta (03:10)
Amazing, amazing. So I think the way that you're seeing Sharon is not so much what you give in, but it's also about what you take in and then how you adapt and then turn it around, right? It's not always an outside in approach. It's not always an inside out approach. Amazing.

Sharon Schuler (03:20)
That's right, 100%. Exactly, right.

Exactly. I think, know, with the more that, especially in the world of finance, and you talk about how it interacts with, you know, technology, but I think really for finance to be successful in an organization, they really need to partner with their business heads and really help with the operations of the business, right? Because that's where the pain points tend to be as an organization. So I think the more that leaders can do that, the more successful they'll be.

Neha Dutta (03:47)
Yep.

Amazing, amazing. And while we are touching on collaboration, we touching about how finance as an organization talks to other stakeholders. I know I remember back when I started working, I only saw men in finance, right? Everybody that I would go to would be like, no bias, but pun intended would be middle aged gentlemen who've been doing it from yesterday. So did you face any kind of biases as you were starting on this journey?

Was there any pivotal thing that you can highlight and say that that was the time that I decided I have to at least change gears or have a strategy because it's going to be a tough road for

Sharon Schuler (04:31)
Yeah, I think every organization I've been in, it's different, right? I've been fortunate to have really amazing bosses over the years, though, that really helped elevate me within the organization, give me credit for things that I was accomplishing. You know, but I think you're right. I mean, there's so many times I've sat in rooms and meetings and I may sometimes be the only woman at the table. And it's funny, you know, when I was younger, I never thought about it, to be honest. I think the further into my career I go,

the more you do kind of notice the way people interact. How often do you speak up versus your male counterparts? And I think there are definitely times that you have to kind of think a little more strategic about it than I think I did certainly early in my career.

Neha Dutta (05:01)
Yes.

Hmm.

Cool. So did that when that realization came in, did it, and you said that you were blessed with good bosses, so they were always seeing the good part of you, but did you notice that other women who were middle level, they face that kind of a thing and at least you were there to support them, or maybe you always had to know one thing or two things more, so you had to do more planning, more prepping, so that what you say always has to sound intelligent. You are just not.

raising your hands for classroom participation, you have to make a valid point because all eyes on you. Did you face that kind of thing?

Sharon Schuler (05:52)
Yeah, yeah, I would say one thing in particular that's been a really big learning for me is that you'll notice I find a lot of my male counterparts will be much more elaborate in their storytelling. I tend to be a much more succinct, get to the point kind of person. And I think one thing I've had to do over the years is adapt to that, right? In order to really get some of the floor time.

Neha Dutta (06:08)
Thank you.

Sharon Schuler (06:17)
you know, relative to my counterparts, right? So it's something that didn't come natural to me. I think I'm, you know, I like telling stories in general, but when it comes to numbers, I tend to be very to the point. so kind of stepping back and changing my approach has certainly helped, you know, sort of elevate and prepare me, I think, you know, as I work more and more with my exec teams.

Neha Dutta (06:39)
Perfect, perfect. I think that's a very, very great nugget that you're sharing. You're putting it far more subtly than I think it requires the credit for. That as we are as a person, I think sometimes we all, talk about these terms like imposter syndromes and all of that. But I think these are, there are little things that we need to make note of, right? I've always felt like you do, like you had to change and you had to become a more storytelling person because of the kind of people you were in the room with, right?

Sharon Schuler (06:56)
Yeah.

Yes.

Neha Dutta (07:09)
On the hindsight, I have sometimes felt that I am a storytelling person, but sometimes the men that I've been exposed to working are very data oriented and two facts and two bullets, right? Getting made in the mind and then speaking up, but there's no context. There is no story behind it. So sometimes I feel that, you know, it's like the men are from Mars and women are from Venus kind of a thing, right? It just depends on what kind of value are we adding,

Sharon Schuler (07:20)
Yeah.

Yeah.

That's right.

Neha Dutta (07:36)
So when they're in a meeting next time and they need your viewpoint, they will say that let's call Sharon in because this is what she brings on board with. So I think whether it's about storytelling or whether it's factual and being succinct, I think we need to make ourselves more dispensable and more USP or value oriented, at least in the growing years. And once we have established ourselves, then I think our work will speak for it. But I think in the initial, we definitely have to do that extra.

Sharon Schuler (07:42)
Right. That's right.

Yes.

Yeah, you're right on. You absolutely do. And I know you asked about, you know, do I help other women along? I definitely do. Because I see sometimes where, you know, the way someone presents something or says something kind of gets discounted. And then, you know, your male counterpart can say the exact same thing. And everyone's like, that's great information, right? So it's like, how do you make sure the voices are heard?

Neha Dutta (08:22)
Yeah.

Sharon Schuler (08:28)
in different ways. So, just coaching women to be more confident and speak up and ask questions, right? Because I think not always is that as encouraged. Yep.

Neha Dutta (08:30)
Good.

Absolutely, nuggets on the way. So whoever is hearing it, you need to keep your pen and paper handy. Sharan is just throwing nuggets everywhere. But I think these are very, very important. All of this have helped us and helped so many of us women. So we always need to watch out for not only women leaders, but since I'm a little pro -DEI, but we always look to watch out for people who might need our help. And we need to

get them on the board. I think that's the first sign of leadership as well, right? If we really need to grow, we need to make sure that people grow with us as

Sharon Schuler (09:08)
Yes.

100%. I think being able to kind of reach out to people who are coming up the ranks is just as important as working on your own career, right? Because I do, I'm a strong believer too as a leader, I'm measured as how strong my team is as well. So the more that I can help them to be successful and be able to kind of sit around the table when they need to, I think definitely speaks volumes for your ability to progress.

Neha Dutta (09:22)
in this.

Amazing, amazing. And I'm sure when people who have reported to you, Sharon, when they hear their podcast, I'm sure it's going to be raining in comments because they will absolutely affirm that. Amazing. So from Sharon's story on her leadership styles getting evolved, her mentorship, how she carved her own niche and worked on curating a special niche for her.

Sharon Schuler (09:48)
Yes.

Neha Dutta (10:03)
Let's go towards some of the industry lens and let's learn from Sharon the world that she is in. It requires a lot of data. And this is the common thing between a technologist when I talk about transformation and somebody in finance when I talk about transformation. So let me put it this way. Strategy and planning is where you've been playing a lot of role in, Sharon.

Sharon Schuler (10:28)
Yeah.

Neha Dutta (10:28)
So in today's rapid evolving business landscape, organizations have to be on the cutting edge to continuously transform, to stay competitive and relevant. So what do you think when we think about strategy and planning? Do you think roadmaps and having a three -year roadmap, five -year roadmaps and having an year -to -year execution strategy, is that still conventional or is that still applicable? How should organizations think about strategy and planning?

Sharon Schuler (10:55)
Yeah, I mean, to be honest, I feel like that's still important. I do think getting further beyond three years sometimes can

a little misleading, right? Because I feel once you get past three years, you're really kind of making quite a few assumptions beyond that. So I find the most value comes from those initial three years that you're looking at. And I think it's about the data. It's about what you think your organization can deliver in that time. But I think equally as important, it's around what your executives are thinking of as far as strategy, right? And where they want to pull certain levers. And I think it's finance's job to really find the underlying

Neha Dutta (11:09)
Yeah.

Makes

Sharon Schuler (11:33)
that'll help inform them, right? Because a lot of times I find execs have a certain destination they want to get to, but they don't always have the building blocks of how they're going to do it. And so I think that's where finance can play a really big role in being able to kind of map out which levers they could pull to really hit those numbers.

Neha Dutta (11:52)
Amazing. So you not only have keys to the locker, you also know a way and the GPS to there. So this you touch a very, very important point. And maybe we break another myth here, Sharan. Whenever we think about finance and corporate functions, we think about guardrails. We think about naysayers. We think about this is not good, right? So how do you think, and this could be a two -pronged question.

Sharon Schuler (11:59)
Yeah.

Neha Dutta (12:21)
What do you have to say to other finance and planning leaders like you on how they need to present themselves? Because I'm sure they mean well, but it does not come out like that. So what is the level of orchestration they need to do towards their business stakeholders so that they don't come across like that? And B is that how has it evolved over the years? initially you guys would have been the bookkeepers, but now you are actually playing an important role.

Sharon Schuler (12:30)
Yeah.

Neha Dutta (12:49)
in all the decision making and you are showing people the way that this is what will lead you to your top line, you know, improvement. How has both of these things touched?

Sharon Schuler (12:58)
Yeah, so let me talk a little bit about your first point. I would say really, I think you're right. Finance historically has had the reputation, we're sort of the no group, right? You wanna spend money? No, right? So that traditionally has been what finance has done, created those guardrails and we say yes or no. I think finance really is evolving for the future around really

Neha Dutta (13:08)
Ssnsnsnsns

Sharon Schuler (13:23)
different options. So I would say if you're not thinking that way now, you need to soon. So when someone comes to me and they want to spend money that they don't have in their budget, I don't say no out of the gate. My response is let's see how we could do that. And then I take it upon myself with my team to really come back with, you know, at least two, if not three viable options of what they could be doing or thinking differently about to find that money, right?

Neha Dutta (13:29)
Yes.

Thanks.

Sharon Schuler (13:52)
or do things a little bit differently and be creative on it. I think that gets you a bigger voice at the table and it also helps drive your organization to success, right? Yeah.

Neha Dutta (14:02)
Amazing. that's another important thing that you're touching is you're not telling them or you're not dissuading them from thinking that they need help. You are helping them find out ways and means in which they can get the budget. So next time when somebody goes to you or a leader like you, they will not think that, we are going to Sharon, but she's going to say, why have you tried ABCDE? Because she's going to doubt our decision and she's going to doubt where we come from.

Sharon Schuler (14:17)
That's right.

Neha Dutta (14:30)
But on the other side, you are with them and you have a solution mindset and you're helping them find. So they will feel all the right kind of confidence in coming into you because they will feel that they're being heard and you guys are in it together.

Sharon Schuler (14:44)
Right, exactly. And you want that partnership and you want them to think that way because the last thing you want people to do is not come to finance, right? Because then they make decisions that are not always the best because they didn't have all the numbers. And then if you bring finance in too late, right, you don't get an optimum solution. So, yeah.

Neha Dutta (14:51)
Correct.

Good.

Correct. Amazing. Amazing. I think that's a very, very important nugget. And like you said that it could have been conventional, but it has changed. And for places it has still not changed. I think it's the right time to change because now everybody is talking about, you know, building or buying. And that brings me to my next topic because I'd heard you speak at a panel and I was really, you know, awestruck by the way a finance leader was talking about

Sharon Schuler (15:14)
Yes.

Neha Dutta (15:29)
how you should think about building versus buying. So this will be our last thing on our strategy and planning. What is your, how do you want organizations to think about that? I know there's no one answer.

Sharon Schuler (15:40)
Yeah, I mean, you're right. I'm incredibly passionate about it because I think there's so many times, sort of finance gets pigeonholed into find a lowest cost provider, go with the cheapest option. And I don't really think that's what our function should be. It's really looking at all the different alternatives. And so whether it's, know, build versus buy where you're saying, is this something I could be doing internally, effectively?

Or is this something I really should be sourcing outside because it's not my key competency, right? So it's like, how do you think about those things and how do you bring those to the surface? Again, providing options to your leaders so that they know that you're kind of considering alternatives to what could be the right thing for your organization.

Neha Dutta (16:12)
for today.

Amazing. And I think that's all we all have to think about that even more so now with the advent of tools and technology in the 16 minutes that we have chatted, I'm sure four new startups would have come up with some technology that we might not know of, right? Like population in India. So definitely we can't make it a devil. have to really, really embrace it. On that point, I will segue into my last point on the industry lens. How do you

Sharon Schuler (16:37)
Yes.

Exactly. Yeah, yes, yes, Yep.

Neha Dutta (16:59)
So when you think about finance, you think about large ERPs, big million dollar investments, then a large work being done by enterprise solutions. How do you think AI has been able to play a role in how you look at finance transformation? Or how deeply penetrated is it right

Sharon Schuler (17:19)
Yeah.

think there's so much opportunity, to be honest. I think we're only scratching the surface on AI at this point. We're starting to use it as far as data sources, being able to interpret information out of it. But I think the ability for it to play a significant role in providing insights, but also really allowing people to free their time

to really look and interpret and understand some of the information. I think there's just a lot that's gonna be happening in the next year. And I think we're only scratching the surface is what the solutions could be. So.

Neha Dutta (18:00)
Amazing, amazing. As a podcaster and as a person from EXCEL, I'm happy both the ways because there is a scope of lot of innovation. And I think this is one of the few industries, like you said, which have just started to do it. But I think they were a little inhibited in completing because these are numbers, right? And like we are scared about regulatory and compliance things, these are a lot of numbers that we care about. But.

Sharon Schuler (18:24)
Right. Yeah.

Neha Dutta (18:27)
It's not going to be a lot of time when we start to deeply penetrate and see what all areas can be doing. Amazing. So my next segment, next talk about, we're talking about technology, we're talking about AI. So how can we not talk about Gen Z and Millennials? I know we talked about your leadership style and how it has evolved and your mentoring. Now in a role that you are in, Sharan.

Sharon Schuler (18:32)
Yeah. Right. Yeah.

Neha Dutta (18:55)
as senior executive in these big firms. What is that one thing that you will tell your peers while we are hiring? about, I think in the next two to three years, 40 % of our workforce will be millennials. The way they are learning, the way they work, the way the culture is, how should we think about them as we want to make them a part of our ecosystem? Because I don't think there's gonna be a time when they're gonna spend 15 years in an organization like we did.

Sharon Schuler (19:25)
Right? Yeah, no, I think those days, yeah, I think it's very different today. And I think what they want is different, right? I think sometimes they want balance, right? They want to, they're definitely have more ability to set boundaries than I think I did when I was that age. I think from, for a leader, you really need to adapt, right? So anyone who's saying like, that's not how I work. You know, you're going to have to learn to work differently because you want to harness

Neha Dutta (19:25)
Right? So, how do you want

Sharon Schuler (19:52)
that group of people and you're gonna want to, you know, get the best out of the organization and they have so much to offer, but you have to be able to meet them where they're at. And so it could be communicating differently, it could be being flexible around your hybrid work method, how you interact with them. But I also think it's important too to understand sort of where they want to get to. And to your point, they don't want to necessarily stay in an organization for 15 years.

I'm fine with that. think for me, it's about how do I leverage them to be successful in the position they have, develop them for where they want to get to, but it's, you know, it's going to work both ways, right? And it's, know, how do you kind of harness that and help them get on the path they want to be? And it may not be at your organization, right? And I've told some of my, you know, employees that like, look, if that's not where you want to be, let me help you get to your next place. But in the meantime,

Neha Dutta (20:23)
while

Sharon Schuler (20:46)
You know, you can still contribute significantly and you can play a big role here. So that's sort of my approach with using.

Neha Dutta (20:52)
Amazing. And that's, that's a lot of nuggets. stopped counting after three, but that's amazing. You are really, really succinct. And I think I might not, I might, you know, evade from being a fan of storytelling and start talking as articulate as you do. So Sharan, you explained a very, very beautifully of how wellness, understanding them and giving them the kind of things that they need and not thinking about what are you going to do in 10 years being with an organization, but what are you going to do with us in the next six months?

So keeping that as like a playbook kind of a thing, do you think organizations are embracing this or do you think that we haven't changed the way much apart from the fact that there is remote work everywhere? Have we really changed the cultural way of really getting people and having these kinds of mechanisms because not every organization is Google, right?

Sharon Schuler (21:43)
Right, I would say not every organization has really embraced that. think if even if you look at how we do, and it depends on your organization, but just think of even like annual review processes. Like I feel like those could be a bit archaic in the way they're done. I don't think they really get to, you know, helping develop people. You know, to your point, if you're not going to be here for, you know, if you're looking at six to 12 month increments, you've got to set much shorter targets for that.

And I think that traditional method is just too old school in some ways to really accomplish that. So I think we need to think differently. And I'd like to think, you know, HR organizations are starting to move in that direction. I think larger organizations, some have been, you know, successful and some haven't. But I think there's, I think that's where it's going to be going for

Neha Dutta (22:33)
Amazing, amazing. So this was on the employer side and on the brand side of how they should be thinking, things that they should be doing, or if they're already doing, pat on the back, that's what's going to help you. Now coming to think about the Gen Z millennials. While it's ironic that they might know what they want to eat for lunch or where they want to vacation or whether they want to buy a house or not, sometimes they don't know about this is a good job for me or not. And they are, think,

you know, perpetually, I'm thinking about the right choice of words, they're perpetually confused, right? Or in a dilemma, whether this is the right thing for me or not. And I think I constantly, when I speak to a lot of STEM students, I understand that I picked up this course, but I'm really getting bored or it's not my jive and I'm not really enjoying it. So while we know permanency is not something that comes to them naturally,

What message do you want to give them if they really want a sustainable career which is holistic for them? And it's not that we did not move or we did not change tracks, we all did. But what is it that you can tell them understanding where they've come from and the generation that they belong to? But how should they still think about career mapping?

Sharon Schuler (23:38)
Yeah. Yes.

Yeah, I mean, the one thing I would say, and I've seen this from, you know, over, especially with COVID, and I feel like people were more willing to move because of, you know, being able to work remote. I think the one thing I've said to folks, though, is that, you know, it does take you some time to get some expertise in the position you're working in. And I feel like some people who jump after even a year are not going to get the same depth of knowledge, because let's be honest, right, you spend your first six to 12 months really getting into the weeds and understanding what's going on. And your

Neha Dutta (24:17)
today.

Sharon Schuler (24:18)
year is when you really make an impact. So I always say to folks like think less about that timeline and more about what you're actually being able to accomplish in that time. So you know it's more about what projects can you get pulled into. Never if you can right raise your hand volunteer ask to do some more things that will give you different exposure and if you're not really happy with what you're working on

I really wish people would have more of those conversations with their leaders because I think there's opportunities for us to rethink and rejigger experiences for our team members.

Neha Dutta (24:55)
Amazing. And if I'm able to capture this correctly, Sharon, the essence really is that because our ways of measurement as an organization and industry have not changed, and we still will have goal setting six months and annual appraisal review, we need to align with these people or let's put it that way, the Gen Zs and millennials have to align with us and have smaller goal so that they have that kind of accomplishment that, you know, I

Sharon Schuler (25:23)
Right.

Neha Dutta (25:24)
contributing and I'm in the right degree. I think that's very important. you think mentorship is something that we should recommend to them as well and having the right kind of industry mentors while they believe that they already know about how to solve world hunger and global warming?

Sharon Schuler (25:27)
Right, yep, yeah, exactly.

think it's really important, especially for ones who know what they want to accomplish. Let's say they do have a sense that they want to ultimately be in a certain position. I think if they can find someone who can help, who's already in those roles or close to it, that can help guide them, give them some mentorship around what some of the things they should be thinking about or what's the next opportunity they should consider. I feel like sometimes people go with the opportunities that are presented to them.

as opposed to really kind of thinking out what do they really need to expand their experience and background to get them to the next level.

Neha Dutta (26:20)
Amazing. And that was a very selfish way of putting you on the stage and saying that whoever is wanting to seek a career in financial planning, data and analytics and leadership, know, please listen to this podcast and then reach out to Sharon and Sharon will tell us what is the best way for people to reach out to her. And I'm sure we all can learn a

Sharon Schuler (26:44)
Yeah, for sure. Yeah, I love mentoring. I will say being a leader is for me has always been so important. Managing my team, helping them get to where they want to be. And I wish all, you know, of course all leaders would do that.

Neha Dutta (26:58)
Amazing. So Sharon, on this point, to close the loop, what's the best way people who are listening to it can reach out to you? What is the best way where you will have

Sharon Schuler (27:07)
I would say the best way to find me is look up my profile on LinkedIn. I'm very responsive to messages. Any kind of notes you send me, I will respond.

Neha Dutta (27:16)
Amazing. And I'm a testimony to that. She's saying the truth. Amazing. Amazing. So we learned about industry, learned about Gen Z and Millennials, leadership styles, data, strategy and planning. So I think there's in this podcast, there's something for brands, there's something for organizations, for Gen Zs, for Millennials, for your peers in business and understanding that, wow, this is what a financial planning executive should be talking to.

if it requires, taking it to their organization and carving out the same comparison. Now let's talk about something fun. So in the last one year, where has your travel bug taken you and what are some of the places that you would recommend people who love to travel go to?

Sharon Schuler (28:03)
Yeah, so I'm a huge believer in travel. I was fortunate when I was young to be an exchange student to both Belgium for summer and Australia for six months. And then in college, I traveled South America quite a bit. So I am a big believer you got to get out and see the world. So one of the trips that I took this past year that been most meaningful for me is I got to go to Lisbon in Portugal.

Neha Dutta (28:10)
Wow.

Sharon Schuler (28:29)
Only for five days, but it was amazing to see a country I'd heard so much about, but actually to see it in person. Beautiful, far better weather than I expected in December. Much more tropical. Just an amazing culture, really friendly people, and the food is just amazing. But the history as well.

Neha Dutta (28:34)
Amazing.

Sharon Schuler (28:55)
just the amount of cultures that have passed through Portugal and the history that you can see from that. So I would say that for sure is one of my favorite places now I'd love to get back to.

Neha Dutta (29:07)
Amazing amazing and if you were to draw not that we need to learn from everything But that's what my daughter says because I put her on documentaries and she's like, but I'm not supposed to learn from everything Why do you have to put learning in everything? But for me, it's like, you know, I think I'm an ROI person I want some value out of everything I do right? So do you do you think you can draw out a parallel? Sharon from all the travel that you did early as a kid did it?

What did it change in you as a person? Did it make you more flexible, agile, resilient? What are some of the things that that definitely traveling can do to you apart from fun?

Sharon Schuler (29:46)
Yeah, I mean, for me, it definitely made me even more adaptable than people that I knew at my same age, right? It opened my eyes to certainly different cultures and different perspectives. And so I think the ability to take different views in, your view isn't always the right view. Sometimes you can disagree with people and have different views. But I think just that adaptability has certainly helped me even in my career.

I always think a little bit like a chameleon when I go into new organizations, right? How do I need to kind of blend in, you know, and kind of fit? And I think that was true being an exchange student, right, in multiple countries. So, yeah.

Neha Dutta (30:26)
Amazing. And have you passed on that? Have your kids taken up anything like that you did and have you been able to descend that?

Sharon Schuler (30:35)
Yeah, I mean, luckily I've got my oldest who will be heading to Spain this fall. So this will be his first study abroad. I would have loved for my kids to have done high school study abroad like I did. I feel like kids nowadays are so busy with sports and activities, it's harder to get them. But I've certainly been able to take them to different countries growing up too. So that's helped.

Neha Dutta (30:55)
Amazing, amazing. That was amazing and we're on top of the hour, we will amongst the 1098 nuggets that we've already shared, one more for the road. So Sharon, for the young people who are starting their journey in transformation or financial planning, or they're just doing MIS work for financial planning, what is that one thing that you want them to look out for in 2025?

Sharon Schuler (31:22)
Yeah, I mean, I would say really the one thing, and maybe this is for any year, right, is that, you know, there's always something new to learn and there's other questions you could be asking. And don't be afraid to ask those questions. I think that's the only way you grow and develop. And so I'd say those are the things you really need to do that, especially now with technology and AI being so critical on the forefront.

Neha Dutta (31:46)
Amazing. So stay hungry, stay foolish and keep asking questions. Amazing. Thank you so much for your time, Sharon. And for all the listeners who are listening to her, you can catch her up on LinkedIn, leave her a LinkedIn navigator or a normal message and she will respond. Anything that you want to learn more about, you can post in comments. We will try and answer anything that we can. I had a time of my life and I was making mental notes of what I need to, you I always learn from this.

from my list from my guests and see how they are in such different facet of experience. It's truly, truly remarkable and not planned, but coincidentally, I have got inspired by Sharon a lot. So I am also going to Spain. So we're not passing our time together, but we will just touch and go each other. But I wish you all learn a lot from what we could share in this and look out for the next one. Sayah.