Starla Sireno, Featured Leader
Posted by Megan Bergtholdt on Mon, Jun 22, 2009
:: Current title and company
Founder and president, Fearlessness Inc.
:: Online profiles
Follow Starla on Twitter
Join Starla on Facebook
Join Starla on LinkedIn
:: Favorite books?
Anything by Oscar Wilde - his humor, perspective and quotes are timeless ("Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.")
The Pearl by John Steinbeck - This short work is heartbreaking and encourages us to cherish what you have.
Let your Life Speak by Parker Palmer - His advice is soul-stirring. A must-read for those trying to find meaning in their career.
:: Who is a woman leader who inspires you?
She's not famous, but she inspires me everyday...my mom. She is resilient, grounded, wise, spiritual, pragmatic and in tune with herself and the world around her. Besides that, she is hilarious, absurd, and mischievous. She is completely unafraid to be who she is. She has taught me a lifetime of lessons - how to get up after being knocked down, how to laugh at myself, and to always find the good in people.
:: Who was your best manager? Why?
Maybe it was the world of finance, but I never worked for a woman I respected (sad to say, isn't it?).
My best manager was Ken Barnes aka The Pope. He sat about a foot away from me on the trading floor at Fannie Mae. He hired based on a person's potential, not whether they had done the job before. I managed a $35 billion portfolio and one of the best pieces of advice he gave me was, "When you make a mistake (and you will), be able to explain why you made it, what you're going to do about it and learn from it."
:: Your first "real" job?
International Marketing Analyst for Fannie Mae.
:: Where do you do your best thinking?
In the shower or talking with my husband.
:: What do you value most in employees? Colleagues?
Passion, originality, tenacity, conscientiousness, caring and a good sense of humor.
:: What would you like to be the world's best at?
Wife, daughter, friend, person on the street. Everyday, we have the ability to impact someone's life for better or worse. I believe that if each of us just tried to be fully present in our daily lives, the world would be a more positive place.
:: What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Leaving a career that was "successful" for the uncertainty of creating my own company.
:: What is your personal mission statement?
I have learned that the only way I can make a positive impact is by being absolutely true to who I am. There is an e.e. cummings poem that says, "To be nobody but yourself in a world that's doing its best to make you somebody else, is to fight the hardest battle you are ever going to fight. Never stop fighting.