CNBC.COMRuth Porat has had a storied career.
Porat, formerly the chief financial officer of Morgan Stanley and today the president and chief investment officer of Google, recently spoke with The Wall Street Journal about her career trajectory and lessons from her success.
Asked how she rose so high so quickly in her career, Porat said she frequently asked herself one question.
"I always said, 'What is my highest and best use?'" she said. "People come into their careers with a preordained notion of what work they're going to do. Given that the world is dynamic, not static, they miss seeing things that otherwise might be extraordinary."
Other business leaders, like entrepreneur Mark Cuban and Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman, have also said they put a premium on traits like agility and adaptability in an ever-evolving workplace, especially with more changes coming from AI adoption, for example.
"My calculated risk was worth taking: I was asked to run financial institutions, and my immediate instinct was, no, that is so boring. I did it months before the 2008 crash, which opened doors I didn't even know existed," Porat continued.
In the interview, Porat also talked about what trait star employees have that sets them apart from their peers.
"A star is someone who is in my face, because I want them to challenge me in different ways," she said.
Her pet peeve in employees, meanwhile, is those who process, rather than think of ways to meaningfully contribute.
"Step back and put yourself in my shoes; if I'm having a conversation with a head of state somewhere, think, 'Is this material rich, deep, insightful — does it take the conversation to another level?'" she said.
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