Jenna Fisher’s Post

Great spaghetti and great careers have a lot in common. Hear me out. On a recent trip to Italy with my family, I went deep into the history of pasta (while enjoying many bowls of it). Today, we all think of Italy as home to the world’s best rigatoni, bucatini, cavatelli (pick your shape), but it was the Chinese who actually invented it thousands of years ago. And that succulent tomato sauce? That wasn’t Mediterranean, either. Tomatoes are indigenous to South America, where they were harvested and transported to Mexico before being imported to Spain some 500 years ago. These circuitous culinary histories got me noodling—even on vacation—about what it takes to make something, including your career, great. It’s not necessarily about invention, but what you do with the ingredients you have. This is especially important for women. We are already out-achieving men academically and we have the skills and competencies to be successful leaders. More often than not, we find ourselves in organizational constructs we did not build but know must be changed for women to be able to succeed en masse. So what can we take away from pasta? ➡️ Consider what’s next rather than what has been. What tweaks or twists can you implement to support yourself (and other women) on your journey to the top? Just because nobody used basil before doesn’t mean it won't be delicious. ➡️ Think about what kind of support or systems you need to put in place to achieve a fruitful, healthy life. And don’t be shy about it. Speaking up for what you need will embolden others to do the same. Perhaps some Calabrian chillis can be the kick your career needs. ➡️ Feel confident in your own recipe. Your special flavor—or particular concoction—might just be the world’s next spaghetti and meatballs. (Don’t worry, I know that one is completely American.) #tothetop

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You make everything interesting! Now I’m going to try making an interesting pasta dish!😀

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Christy Consler

CEO | Executive Advisory | Leading Experts in Cohort-Driven Leadership Development | Wharton MBA | Courageous and Agile Leadership | Sustainability

4mo

Love it and you had me at "noodling"! 🤣

Sharon Kedar, CFA

Let’s defy the odds together. | Multi-Billion $ VC Co-Founder | 60+ Start Ups + Board Seats | Leading Academia Partner (Harvard, MIT, Stanford)

4mo

Great message Jenna!

Tarek A. Robbiati

Chief Executive Officer

4mo

Agree 200pct!

Edmond Cheng

Chief Financial Officer | Board Member | Corporate Development | Global Growth Initiatives

4mo

Thank you Jenna! I have shared your posts with my two daughters who are in their early stages of building their respective career in different field. 👍

Julia Pulzone MBA / CPA

Executive Leader | Chief Financial Officer | M&A | Financial Operations and Strategy Focus

4mo

Jenna, LOVE your post and all of the analogies!! It has me thinking particularly as I am in the market for a CFO role. Thank you for such a thoughtful post!

ABDUR RAHMAN

Ceo & Founder at Metaitsoft.com

4mo

Great perspective!

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