The Golden Rule is : Treat others how you want to be treated. I have always treated my suppliers with utmost respect. Even when they are not perfect. In my 25+ years of career in purchasing, I have learned that working together and making yourself available in order to achieve Alstom's goal is the winning formula. When things are not going well with my supplier, instead of being angry and demanding, I always ask "how can I help?" or "what can we do together in order to achieve X or Y ?" . This has worked every single time. It has opened the relationship with them and has done more than being angry. Suppliers are people and people will go the extra mile when you ask them to go that extra mile with you, not when they are being demanded to. That is my biggest advice for a buyer or potential candidate.

There are lots of knowledge silos at large engineering firms and it's useful to get to know people on other teams and understand what they do. I have often made progress much faster on issues with my subsystem by having relationships with engineers on other teams who often have relevant experience or understanding I would not have benefited from otherwise. Even areas I'm less involved with like project management, bids, or HR, have people willing to share a lot of information that helps me get a better understanding of the organization as a whole and all the things that go into making a project successful.

A supportive and positive work environment makes a big impact to your career development, job satisfaction, and overall happiness. Having the employee resource group, Alstom Women of Excellence (AWE), has made all the difference for me. From the beginning, AWE made me feel like I was part of a community and truly belonged. That means a lot for a woman in a male-dominated workforce which can be isolating. My number of work friends increased exponentially and so did my confidence. You cannot perform your best unless you can bring your whole self to work, and AWE helps me embrace my whole self.