5 HABITS OF A SUCCESSFUL VINA IN THE WORKPLACE

As a woman in the motorsport industry, I’ve had many people come up to me and say, “It must be so hard to work in the industry you do—there aren’t many women in it.” I want to say it’s easy to work in this sector but the truth is, I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I got the job two years ago. For every discussion or obstacle that came up, I would have to fight twice as hard to be heard because I was young and a woman.

In a matter of weeks, I developed five habits that have kept me sane and earned me the nickname of the Queen of Kings. Absorb these, vinas, and try it out in your workplace—you deserve that R-E-S-P-E-C-T!

BE PERSISTENT

If people in your workplace are disregarding your ideas and opinions with no basis to do so, it’s hard to keep fighting against that negativity—but instead of letting it get you down, use it as fuel to light your fire. They didn’t like your idea? Give them three more. Arm them with research, facts and, most importantly, keep using your voice. The only way someone holds power over you is if you don’t speak your truth.

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE WHOSE SKILLS ARE BETTER THAN YOURS

This might sound odd, but surrounding yourself with people who are actually better than you at what you do will only make you better at what you do – are you following this? For example, when I started in my position, I had to cover all the marketing aspects as well as doing all the design elements. I didn’t know much about graphic design, but now I can whip together an entire corporate identity package because I made a friend who is an actual graphic designer and, just by engaging in conversation and observing him when he worked, I learned small details that made all the difference in the end results I produced. Seeing him do what he did made me want to better myself—not in a competitive manner, but as a way of self-improvement.

ALWAYS LOOK TO MAKE EVERYTHING BETTER

If you believe something is not at the standard it should be, don’t let it stay that way—make it better. When I started at my job, there was a lot of marketing activities that were just done for the sake of being done; They didn’t get the care and
attention they should have been getting, or they weren’t projecting the message they should about the brand. I made it my mission to improve this in order to be an employee of value to my superiors and the company.

BE DIFFERENT

Don’t think outside of the box because everyone is doing that. Rather, think about how to deconstruct the box and create something new. As important as it is to create a new approach, it’s just as important to believe in your new concept. If you don’t believe in it, nobody else will.

BE A QUEEN

Not a drama queen, but as in knowing your worth. Be humble but stern. You deserve all the rights and respect as everyone else in the workplace. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Owning your space is always better with a support group cheering you on; download Hey! VINA and make connections that will have you feeling like your best self!