Self-advocacy, mentorship and an inclusive culture are keys to success  

By Sarah Whiteley, general counsel and company secretary, Cabot Credit Management 

When I went back to full-time work after a career break to raise my children, my objective was to make it to general counsel within five years. I ignored naysayers who said senior lawyers like me with a recent break in their career would have a hard time breaking into an in-house role. Instead, I took the opportunity to advocate for myself. 

I achieved my goal of becoming general counsel within three years of joining Cabot Credit Management (CCM), and I am also part of our CCM Executive Team. I was also delighted to be appointed to the Credit Strategy Association (CSA) board earlier this year. 

Through that career journey, I learnt that all the right moves — self-belief, driving through results, building up a successful and motivated team, and doing an excellent job — are critical, but they aren’t enough on their own. It’s also really important to advocate for yourself. Additionally, it’s very helpful if you can find a champion - someone who can mentor you and help you see your successes and challenges from a different perspective. Finally, it’s helpful to be in an organisation with a diverse and inclusive culture (or one that is striving to this) — not just check-the-box policies, but a day-to-day environment that encourages collaboration with people who think differently than you do. 

Starting with self-advocacy, a classic mistake people often make in their careers is not getting their story across. You may understand how essential your role is to the team; you may have confidence in your abilities; but you have to tell your story in a way that people appreciate the value you bring. I tell all my mentees that you can’t let anyone else define you. You must be the one to promote yourself and your ideas. 

It’s a skill that takes time. It doesn’t just happen. It’s about changing your mindset and learning to think more broadly about your company, your role, and your team. 

For women in particular, self-advocacy often doesn’t come naturally, thanks to gender stereotypes and unconscious biases we will still encounter in the workplace. Studies have shown we are reluctant to self-promote in male-dominated work cultures.  

That’s why having a mentor — someone who can help you learn to advocate for yourself — can be very helpful. 

My mentors not only taught me self-advocacy. They also taught me that life challenges can actually be very liberating, as I discovered for myself when I returned to work after recovering from a major illness. Whether it’s overcoming a major illness, going through a divorce, or having a setback in your career, my advice to my mentees is not to let these events define you. It’s important to define yourself and have the bravery to be who you are.  

It’s also important to bring those perspectives into your work. They help your team understand you better, empathize with you, and have a stronger appreciation for your value. 

Research has shown time and time again that businesses benefit from having a leadership team with different styles of problem-solving and who can offer unique perspectives. If everyone in the room is the same, you are only going to get one line of thought and group think.  

I’m proud of the values my colleagues and I share at Cabot, especially being inclusive and collaborative. We have done and are undertaking several initiatives to raise awareness of the benefits of diversity and help colleagues operate from a level playing field. 

As women think about their own path forward in the credit industry – or any industry – my best advice is don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself; find a mentor who can broaden your horizons; and look for a work environment that welcomes and celebrates different experiences and points of view. It’s a path that doesn’t just help us achieve as individuals, but also helps ensure our workplaces and our leadership teams reflect the diversity of the communities we live in and customers we serve.