Name: Monica Zent

Category: Law Firm: Innovative Leadership

Firm/Company: ZentLaw

Title: Founder

Time in Position: Since 2002

What was your route to the top?

Most journeys worth taking are rarely straight lines. My journey has been one with many twists and turns, but, as with all journeys, it started with a destination in mind. I have been driven by a dream for what my future would look like and a belief that I could achieve it. I have been an entrepreneur nearly all my life. It's a lonely and risky pursuit, and definitely not for everyone. For me, however, I was cut out for entrepreneurship from the beginning. It's what I know and what I'm comfortable doing. Despite all the challenges it brings, I find it's still the most thrilling ride! I started my earliest ventures when I was still in school. Flash-forward to decades later and I'm still at it. I did not take a conventional path. I worked in banking for years, while I went to grad school at night. I then parlayed my business background into one new venture after the other, learning about new industries along the way, from the music business to quantum computing. For the past 17 years, I've operated ZentLaw, a leading alternative legal services provider, which represents the world's largest brands.

What keeps you up at night?

As an entrepreneur and leader of multiple businesses, there are two themes always on my mind. First is continuing to delight clients and customers—every single day. Second is ensuring my employees are happy. I believe achieving both is essential to driving success and if you stay focused on these objectives, everything else will fall into place.

What is the best leadership advice you've given, or received, and why do you think it was effective?

Always operate from a position of strength and keep going. In business you are beaten up over and over again. It's just the nature of business. When you're flying on top, it's easy to stay strong. The real tests lie in the rough patches. What do you do then? Pick yourself up and keep moving. Identify the strengths you have in that moment and capitalize on them. Leverage the advantages you have or find ways to cultivate new strengths. Doing this will help you move through rough patches to soar to the next level. Oftentimes people, particularly women, don't recognize their strengths or how to leverage them to their benefit. Self-awareness of our strengths, and our weaknesses, is key to becoming a strong leader.

Looking back, what do you wish you had known when you started out in the legal profession?

As a technologist and businessperson who also happens to be a lawyer, I'm a unique breed. While I knew the legal industry did not operate at the pace of business or technology, I wish I had known how truly slow this industry moves and how resistant to change it can be. Looking back, if I had this insight, I would have adopted some different strategies and perhaps taken different approaches in how I navigated the legal landscape.

What is the most valuable career advice anyone has ever given you?

Control your destiny. Make your own luck.

This advice was given to me when I was in high school. I didn't know exactly what it meant then, but it resonated with me and has continued to be a guiding life principle for decades. We all have the power to chart our own course; we just need to harness our strengths and push forward.