Melissa Barra Shares 3 Pieces Of Career Advice After Being Named One Of The Most Powerful Latinas In Corporate America

Melissa Barra believes in mentors having the power to guide and empower mentees to take their next step because it was through watching her very first mentor that she found the momentum to create her own career.

"My mother was a CFO for a bank in Latin America at a time when not many women worked outside of the home," explains Barra. "She taught me I could be anything I wanted to be."

Through the trajectory of her career, Barra has done just this. After working in mergers and acquisitions straight out of college, Barra took five years off when her two children were young, and re-entered the workforce at Best Buy that ranged in leadership roles in finance, strategy, and operation.

Close to seven years ago, it was having this experience that prepared her to take on a more consumer-facing role at Sleep Number.

"It's been incredibly rewarding to be part of crafting and delivering our strategic transformation to a consumer-innovation company," notes Barra. "I recently took on a newly expanded role as Sleep Number's Chief Sales, Services, and Strategy Officer. This role brings all our customer-facing teams together into one organization as we lead the next generation of customer experience."

Through her various leadership roles, Barra has piled on experience that she decides to pay forward to next generations.

"The most important lessons I've learned along the way are actually ones my parents ingrained in my very early on," shares Barra. "Embrace your ambition; in fact, be unapologetically ambitious, [and] work very hard - earn your seat at the table. [Finally], be humble and give back - all we achieve is with the partnership of others, so make sure you pay it forward, pay it backward, pay it sideways."

Barra has acquired proof of concept that you get out of your career what you put into it, having recently been named one of the 50 most powerful Latinas in Corporate America.

" Invest in learning - be insatiably curious," adds Barra. "This is how you build your capabilities and knowledge base. Take risks: Whether you succeed or fail, you will have learned lessons that will be invaluable building blocks for your future aspirations."

"My culture and Hispanic heritage are simply who I am," explains Barra. "They influence all facets of my life.In my personal life, my husband and I have been deliberate about raising our children to value their heritage. We speak Spanish at home, and we joke that even our dog is bilingual. In the Hispanic culture, raising children is a multi-generational affair. My parents have been important caregivers for my children, particularly since I've worked outside the home for a long time. Professionally, I've made deliberate choices to work in companies that are aligned with my values."