Fortune 500 executive and consultancy Founder Nyla Beth Gawel took an non-traditional path into technology, originally studying foreign service not computer science. In leading transformational initiatives at SAIC, Verizon and Booz Allen Hamilton that included steering $7B+ organizations through AI adoption and digital transformation, her secret was simple. She never planned any of it. "Career paths are rarely linear. It really wasn't about what degree did I have. it wasn't about certifications. It wasn't about things on paper that could correlate to the likelihood of success." What did matter was intellectual curiosity and the willingness to embrace complexity rather than run from it. Plus a big dose of really understanding customer needs. "The best technical solutions cam from a deep understanding of a need, not just the interest in what could happen technologically." Everything is ultimately about people, and your legacy as a leader is defined by how you inspire them.
