An Evening with Senior Level Executive Margot Micallef
Recently, at a Canadian Women in Communications (CWC) senior level event, hosted in the lovely home of Linda Schuyler in the trendy Beaches location in Toronto, in a very intimate setting, Margot Micallef shared her story about her journey to success. Like countless others, Margot reminds us that it's not where you start out that matters in life, it’s where you end up. Hard work, persistence, tenacity and a guiding light can make a difference in any life. Margot Micallef is the perfect person to speak about success with several major achievements under her belt – Founder and President of Oliver Capital Partners Inc., an investment and advisory firm; appointed a Queen's Counsel in 2002; named as one of Canada’s Top 100 Women in 2011; named the Woman of the Year by CWC in 2013; has served on many boards; and have been involved in a variety of entrepreneurial ventures.
Margot Micallef’s big goal, her guiding light, her moral compass, is to make a difference in her son’s life. She consistently strives for a higher purpose because she knows that life is never just about her. She told us that when you have a higher purpose in life you are able to perform at a much higher level. The issue of having a goal such as making a difference in another person’s life is that others discount your higher purpose, but that shouldn’t deter you because it’s about you and not about them.
Margot recommends that we think about the things we do, and value them, it’s always about how you interpret situations. It is about turning what might be perceived as a negative into a positive. We have to validate ourselves every day, do not devalue or downplay things, and be seen and be able to articulate who you are.
She has been successful in business because Margot knows when to draw her line in the sand. When asked how she defines success, “Success is very personal. You define it by what you want in life. I have a great relationship with my son. I enjoy my job, and I help people to be as great as they can be,” she says. Margot also attributes her success to having faith in the outcome, and doesn’t accept failure as an option.
Some key takeways from Margot Micallef:
- Make goals manageable and take it one step at a time.
- Don’t go too far ahead because you will become overwhelmed, especially when you have big goals.
- Strengths she brings to the table:
- Excellent listening skills.
- Always tries to find a solution to bridge both sides.
- Make decisions even if the information is imperfect, because if you don’t others will make the decision for you.
- The best leaders are authentic, have belief in people, and allow others to do their job.
- We need mentors who play different roles – cheerleaders, champions and guides.
Please let me know your thoughts about Margot Micallef ideas on success in the comments section below. Liked this post? Share it and subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
Author Bio: Avil Beckford, an expert interviewer, entrepreneur and published author is passionate about books and professional development, and that's why she founded The Invisible Mentor and the Virtual Literary World Tour to give you your ideal mentors virtually in the palm of your hands by offering book reviews and book summaries, biographies of wise people and interviews of successful people.
Book links are affiliate links.