Women’s History Month | Alicia Dagosta
AFSA is celebrating Women’s History Month by featuring outstanding female leaders in the consumer credit industry.
What has been the most important lesson?
My most important lesson – make the hard decisions faster. Time will not help and will likely only increase the pain. This applies to decisions made for a big project, and also for people/team based decisions. If things are not working out, give one second chance and then move quickly if it’s not remedied. I could have saved myself and the other person a lot had I moved faster in the past.
And, a related lesson, trust your gut. This is also helps you get to things quicker if you rely on your gut reaction. Of course, we do our research and make well reasoned decisions that we articulate to clients, but there are times where your gut will lead you and you need to listen.
Was there a mentor who provided great insight in your early career?
I’ve had the benefit of working with several brilliant lawyers that taught me to stand up for myself, to say what I am thinking and to know that I have the right to be at the table. One leader I had early in my in-house career taught me to think like a business person with a law degree instead of just thinking like a lawyer. Finally, I learned from others with intellectual curiosity that I should always ask the question and dig deeper, and I should silence that part of me that worries it’s a dumb question.
What do you wish the you of today could have told the younger you about building a career?
First, that it goes by in the blink of an eye, so grab every opportunity that comes your way to learn and expand your area of expertise. Also, I wish I would have discovered earlier that law in financial services can be fun! There were times I held onto roles for stability, when I should have left to find that company and team that promotes trust, partnership and knows how to make it fun and interesting at the same time!
March 10th, 2025
