Leading the Way with Erica Canzona

 

Leading from Work

 

How did your career develop?

I've been at Goldman Sachs for 18 years, working with families and institutions on their investment portfolios and broader wealth management considerations. Prior to earning my Masters of Business Administration at Columbia Business School, I worked at a small nonprofit that provided technical assistance and training to financial sector institutions. I had the opportunity to work in countries around the world including Indonesia, Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia and Albania before transferring to the headquarters in New York.

What’s the most important career advice you’ve received? 

If you love what you do, success will come.

What is your role at Goldman Sachs, and how do you support clients?

As an investment advisor, I help our clients reach their investing goals and access the full resources of the firm. I also partner with their other advisors to help address broader wealth planning needs including trusts and estate considerations, strategic philanthropy and the use of our firm’s lending capabilities.

How do you lead by example?

I try to demonstrate the culture that I grew up in at the firm, in which we put the client first. We take a very long-term view when serving our clients, and we invest in teaching and mentoring younger colleagues along the way.

What are some interesting themes and/or trends that you see in your area of expertise?

I find that more and more clients place a premium on our ability to engage with their family across multiple generations. Having the ability to help families pass along their values and goals to future generations is very rewarding.

What is your favorite thing about your job?

I love seeing the families and organizations we work with reach their goals. It’s wonderful to spend time with our clients and I am so proud of their many successes. Our clients are some of the most interesting and innovative people and institutions. They all have a unique story and it is very exciting to be a part of their journey. Despite having been at the firm nearly two decades, I learn something new every day from either my clients or the firm. That intellectual challenge is addictive.

 

Leading from Home
 

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Look for opportunities to take the road less traveled and follow the path about which you are most passionate. Doing exciting and unique things early on in your career will differentiate you and will propel you into further adventures as you progress in your career.

How do you find motivation and inspiration?

My motivation and inspiration comes from keeping in touch with the foundational elements of who I am. Staying connected to my family and friends, doing service work in the community and traveling in my free time, energizes me and helps me to bring my best ideas and service to my clients and colleagues at work.

What is one thing you make time for every week?

I really like to read to my daughter at night before she goes to sleep. I used to read to my son a lot too, but he is older and my daughter has moved into the pole position recently. If I could, I would read to each of them every evening!

What is your favorite weekend activity?

There are so many activities I love; it is really hard to choose one favorite. I love making brunch for my family, going to the farmer’s market, teaching my kids piano, reading a paper newspaper on Sunday mornings and seeing friends. The one activity I probably enjoy the most is traveling with my husband, Jeff.

How do you stay healthy – mentally, physically or both?

I love to bike or do yoga before the kids wake up. My mental health is best when I am able to hang out with the people I care about and sneak in vacations abroad. Good friends and experiencing new cultures broadens my perspective on all that the world has to offer and that keeps me in a pretty zen place.

What is your favorite book, movie, podcast or artwork?

I love the BAST art piece we have in our living room. My husband got it in NY while we were living in the Lower East side in the early 2000s. It reminds me of when we had no kids and brunches on Saturday were 3 hours long and offered both coffee and champagne. We were sad to hear about the artist's recent passing.

What is one app on your phone that you can’t live without and why?

Spotify. Music and dancing are some of life’s greatest pleasures.

 

Leading from future
 

How do we provide more leadership opportunities to women in the workforce?

I was never much energized by the idea that I had to prove myself or beat someone else out. I personally always felt most motivated and confident when I was told by my managers that they believed in me and knew I was destined for greatness. I feel so lucky that I have always had managers who communicated that way to me at Goldman Sachs, and I have been given many opportunities to share my talents with the firm. I also love creating opportunities to collaborate and bring along others in my success. I think to create more leadership opportunities for women, leaders should remember that while women might not always push themselves to the front of the line and shout about their talents, if they are invited to lead an initiative and told they will crush it, they will.

What are some of your professional and personal goals?

Professionally, I strive to help lead my team in such a way as to help ensure that everyone is happy and able to bring excellence to all they do on behalf of our clients. We want to exceed the expectations of those who give us the opportunity to serve them such that they can’t wait to tell their friends. Outside of work. I would love to help my children grow up to be happy, successful people, who contribute to society in a meaningful way.

What suggestions would you give to women who are starting their careers?

You will crush it! As soon as you start believing you have everything you need to be successful, you will start being successful.

Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?

In 5-10 years, I hope to be working with the clients I have now and a few select more. It would also be great if by then I had managed to take a few more trips with my family that are on our bucket list. Paris with my kids and their Grandma (who taught French for 30 years) is on tap next!