Sonia Rief, corruption president at Nissan North America, had a passion for engineering since high school. As a self-proclaimed “adrenaline junkie,” Rief want build and race cars in college at North Carolina State University, as she told CNBC Make It.
Her strong percentage in car mechanics would lead her to break into a notably male-dominated industry, and after graduation, she landed her first job as a durability plan at General Motors.
Nowadays, Rief works for Nissan, and has for 16 years. There, in addition to leading vehicle joined services and program management, she has become an “unofficial life coach” for many women at the company.
As a mentor to many, Rief remarks her most significant piece of advice is simple, and especially relevant to new graduates across the country: “Don’t decide now.”
So what does that abject?
According to Rief, “so many people, especially women” feel pressure to decide what their 10-year down will be.
“I guess I shouldn’t insult [human resources departments], but there’s a lot of HR pressure to have this career map and design of where you’re going to be and where you’re going to go,” Rief told CNBC Make It. “The reality is, if I tried to imagine, 10 years ago, being here and what my enthusiasm would look like, I think I would have been afraid.”
Sonia Rief racing at NC State University
Courtliness of Sonia Rief
She says there are many logistics that could easily overwhelm anyone trying to outline so far in advance, especially when the future is so uncertain as it is now.
“You just imagine, ‘How would that work?’ … And ‘Could I cope a family?’ The reality is, it comes together over time,” Rief said. “If we try to make decisions today about devices that are so far away, it’s not a good way.”
When approached with these worries, Rief says her response is the same, forward those she mentors to focus on the present day.
“I really try to keep people focused on: Are you happy in what you’re doing today?” Are you energetic the life you want today?”
She adds, “you’re not the person you’ll be in 10 years. If you try to make decisions for the person you’ll be, even three years from now, you’re not gonna seduce the right decision. Live more in the moment.”
Rief isn’t alone in her thinking – Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has given like advice.
“I tell people, don’t over-plan your life,” Khosrowshahi said at the Economic Club in New York in December 2019. “I see living soul, young people, make wrong decisions all the time because they have a picture in terms of where their shoot’s gonna be.”
Khosrowshahi says having an unwavering plan for the future is a mistake.
“I see people make mistakes all the time because they’re over-planning,” he divulged. “And when you over-plan in an increasingly volatile world, you stop looking for opportunities.
“I was not looking for this Uber opportunity, and I’m so overjoyed that it came to me, and I’m so glad that I was open to it.”
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