"There's a tremendous learning opportunity when you're willing to kind of take a risk and put yourself out there"
CWB Optimum Mortgage vice president discusses the value of risk-taking
For Rejean Roberge, vice president at CWB Optimum Mortgage, the positives of betting it all on a roll of the dice in the mortgage industry tend to significantly outweigh the potential pitfalls.
“There’s a tremendous learning opportunity when you’re willing to kind of take a risk and put yourself out there, even if you don’t necessarily know the answer or what the end solution is going to look like,” Roberge told Canadian Mortgage Professional.
This especially applies to women professionals who are looking to establish a foothold in the industry.
“When I think back on my career progression, it kind of came down to … always [being] curious and not afraid to ask why, even if it risked me looking inexperienced,” Roberge said. “I think sometimes – maybe particularly for women – we often suffer from, or have experienced, imposter syndrome. I would say we have to be courageous, be curious and ask ‘why’.”
Read more: Panel explores challenges and opportunities for women in brokering
A veteran mentor who can show the ropes and champion a woman professional’s career was also a significant boon for Roberge.
“He always gave me all the time in the world for all of those questions I might have as to why we do something a certain way or why things couldn’t be a different way, which helped me learn about the business,” Roberge said.
“During all those curious conversations with my mentor, I would ask, ‘Can I help with that?’ And I think that’s really important. You can step into that, step into the gap and take stretch assignments and stretch goals.”
For more thoughts and advice from the industry’s trailblazing women professionals, click here.
