Women’s Equality Day: Carolyn’s story

By Carolyn Torres, Manager, US VMS Operations

​To celebrate Women’s Equality Day on the 26th of August in the US, our second story is from Carolyn Torres who explores maintaining a work-life balance and striving for progress instead of perfection.

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I have been with Guidant Global for about eight and a half years.
My Guidant journey began as an Implementation Technology Specialist and was promoted to Senior Implementation Technology Specialist a few years in.

Making waves within the business.
During that time, my line manager noticed I had an innate passion for continuous improvement. From there, I formed a new team where that would be our primary focus. In all, we achieved our target and deployed a series of “quick-win” functionalities.

Currently, I lead on implementing improvements for overall business optimization.
Today, I am starting up yet another new team in our company’s Center of Excellence function that will focus on data standardization and business process optimization and automation. Simply put, we are constant pursuers and implementers of Guidant’s mission, #ABetterWay, by whatever means available.

I have always been impressed by the number of women holding managerial and executive-level positions within our organisation.
This is something Guidant Global has fostered long before my tenure. It is a condition of success embedded in our culture that is further enhanced through our hires and employee development program. Our culture of support is how we’ve been able to grow many of our female talent into our business leaders.

While Guidant has a strong focus on professional development, there is also a strong support for work-life balance.
From time to time, my line manager does gently remind me that it’s OK to take time out for family and that they come first. Both my mother and father have suffered serious life happenings within the last two years and I was encouraged to take time beyond what I deemed necessary.

The time Guidant granted off was for supporting my parents while also ensuring I practiced self-care. The latter was pushed as particularly important – both my line manager and team gathered around to support my work during those periods and I in turn practice the same leadership with my direct reports today.

My favorite thing hands down about Guidant is our People Lead Growth strategy.
Guidant recognizes that people are at the heart of everything we do – we place high value on innovative thinking in our never-ending pursuit of #ABetterWay.

Our people have the necessary space to think creatively and collaboratively while also recognizing that failure is part of the learning process. It creates a safe and trusting environment for everyone to do their best work, regardless of their background or life commitments.

To all the young women starting out in your career: strive for progress, not perfection.
Perfection is an infinite loop that will always lead to disappointment and perceived failure. Instead, push for excellence through continued learning, determination, and personal and professional growth.

No matter what field you enter, your career will involve solving problems and helping others. Keep that focus simple so you don’t lose sight of why you’re there, especially when times get tough.

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We’re big believers in ensuring our people have the right work-life balance and are happy to support them where we can. Come join #TeamGuidant today >