Haley Browning is an HBA student at Ivey Business School. She shares her insights from the HBA Leaders Forum, held November 10-11 at Ivey.
“Drive your life, don’t let your life drive you”.
This was just one of the many insightful pieces of advice that Janet Bannister, HBA '92, general partner at Real Ventures, offered an auditorium of impressionable HBA1 students during the HBA Leaders Forum.
Bannister told her life story centred around three key themes, beginning with the birth of her entrepreneurial spirit selling muffins on Yonge Street in Toronto.
Aligning with her first theme, follow your passions, Bannister reminded HBA1s of the importance of choosing to do something that inspires you. She recounted her early career during which she built her foundation for success at McKinsey & Company and P&G and went on to describe her adventurous route to obtaining a position with eBay.
This led to her second lesson: be proactive in your life. With determination and drive, Bannister spoke of how she relentlessly phoned company executives until she was invited to sit down and discuss a potential position.
Finally, she told HBA1s her third lesson: it’s OK to fail. Despite her countless number of success stories, Bannister reminded students that there will be moments when you do not reach your full potential. However, learning from those mistakes and repositioning yourself for success is what will build character and move you forward in your career.
