Judith Germano, Founding member of GermanoLawLLC and Senior Fellow of Cybersecurity and Adjunct Professor of Law at NYU School of Law, on having a work mantra, doing the right thing, using hobbies to advance in the professional realm and learning from anyone and any situation.
Former federal prosecutor and Chief of Economic Crimes at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey, Judith Germano has always worked hard and believed in doing the right thing.
Two important life and career lessons she learned at an early age.
Judith grew up in a very loving and supportive family, but was never coddled. Instead, those who surrounded her showed Judith that everyone works for what they want and everyone contributes. So that’s what she did. Judith had a paper route at age 10, babysat at 11, and worked at an ice cream store at 14.
Since then, this quintessential ‘overachiever’ has done and succeeded in many things. Judith credits her success to pursuing what interests her, doing what she believes, and having the support of her friends, family and mentors.
Like everyone, Judith has faced professional crossroads. So a few years ago, when she was considering lucrative job offers or venturing out on her own, Judith found herself turning to her “support team” for advice. Topping the list was her husband who always has provided great perspective, and her mother who, Judith says, has constantly offered “phenomenal pearls of daily wisdom” and “always been an invaluable sounding board.” Surprisingly, however, it was a conversation with Judith’s elementary-school aged daughter and son, as well as words from a friend, that inspired her to find the “right” answer and the specific path to follow.
Who is someone unexpected who encouraged you to take a risk?
Part of my approach on life is being open to learn from anyone in any situation. We only have a short time on this planet, so all of our interactions are opportunities to learn and grow and become better – if we chose to listen. While I was considering starting my own business, I had in-depth conversations with my children. Hearing their advice helped me address and dismiss the doubts I had about taking this risk. They asked me: “Why wouldn’t you do what you want to do?” I realized I did not have a good answer to that. And they responded, when I told them I would be taking a big risk to start a new business alone: “If it doesn’t work, then you can go do something else.”
Hearing that from my daughter, who was 10 at the time, was very inspiring and clarifying. They are wonderful children and I have always valued their thoughts and input, but this advice at this time in my life was truly special.
Do you think there is a process to do what you love?
Everyone wants to find what makes us happy and excited to wake up each day. You start this “process” by thinking what you like and don’t like to do - so that you can start creating your dream scenario. Doing what you love for a living isn’t instantaneous. It takes research and homework, which includes talking to people who are doing the very thing you hope to do, and making a plan to see what you need to achieve that. It requires you to not only find, but also create different opportunities. And during the process, you usually have to have other “less-than-dream” jobs, perhaps to gain knowledge and experience, or to earn money so you can hopefully have more choices later. Happiness in those situations can come from acknowledging why you are in a particular job at that time, whether it is to earn a salary, to learn and get experience, to work in a particular geographic location, to have a schedule that works for your family, or some other purpose.
How do you approach navigating career challenges and even “failure”?
I think it’s very helpful to have a professional “mantra” to get through tough times. I believe everything that I do leads to something good. But it wasn’t until someone told me that I often said “it’s all good” - that I realized that it was in fact my mantra. When something’s tough and uncomfortable, “it’s still good” because something great can come out of it. I often also use this mantra during my triathlon workouts. It’s when things aren’t easy that I need to remind myself that good can happen and the experience will make me even stronger.
Failure is not trying, not working hard to get to the next level and not taking a risk. I take the focus off of, ‘what will people think of me for this?’ and instead focus on, ‘what is the best that I can do.’ If what I do all turns out well in the end - then that’s even better. But nothing really is a failure.
How does being a tri-athlete help you compete or advance professionally?
I was one of the last ones picked in gym class. Other than riding my bike, I wasn’t very good at sports. However, since I was a child I always thought it would be really cool to do a triathlon.
Being a working mother, exercise and my personal well-being often fell to the back of the list. As an adult, I still thought about triathlons but thought that they were something that ‘real’ athletes did – not me. In 2010, a group of people from work were doing a ToughMudder race and asked me to join them. I wasn’t sure if they were asking me as a joke or not, but it was incredibly enticing. Once I found the courage, I realized having a goal to work towards showed how much I can do when I set my mind to it.
Triathlons are a highly disciplined sport with a lot of components that require incredible organization, including how to fit in the weekly workouts. I often start my day at 4:45 a.m., but I now I find ways to fit in a lot more than I expected from advanced planning and efficiency that I’ve learned from my training.
How can listening to others, and even yourself, help someone in their career?
Take time for careful introspection. As I said before, make sure there’s the right balance of confidence and humility in each step you take. Doing so will help you find balance and not succumb to self-doubt. I also think it’s important to keep an open-mind to all kinds of advice, the positive and the more critical. Remaining open to listening to contrary opinions is helpful even if you decide to go/do it another way.
How and when did you determine that law school was your next career step? And how did working in PR prepare you for the transition and success in a new field?
As far as I know, I’m the first lawyer in my family. I didn’t know or interact with lawyers growing up. I thought the law was fascinating and I wanted to learn about it.
Before law school, I worked as an adjunct professor at Cornell University’s New York Extension in New York City, teaching public speaking and was in Burson-Marsteller’s media relations group for the technology and telecommunications sector. I expected that I would be a corporate crisis advisor and thought that having a law degree would give me more credibility.
I saw a federal prosecutor speak during my first semester of law school and decided that was what I really wanted to do. I soon discovered that being a lawyer was something I loved very much and, after clerking for federal judges and spending a few years at a multi-national law firm to gain experience, I worked as a federal prosecutor for more than a decade.
Having a PR background was more valuable than I expected, in terms of developing and communicating a clear message, and understanding the public consequences of what you say. Specifically, working at Burson-Marsteller with my primary client, IBM, gave me a great opportunity to work with IBM developers to help describe and promote their new products and technologies. I learned to take highly technical language and translate it into a common (and interesting) vernacular that others could understand. Both PR and teaching also have helped me connect people who speak different corporate ‘languages,’ from technology, to finance, to risk, and find a common way to discuss critical issues.
What is one unconventional lesson or quiet wisdom that you learned from someone?
While I was contemplating start my own business, my friend who I had not spoken to in years told me, “Judi, I am sure that you will be successful, and even if you are not you’ll have a wonderful story to tell.” Hearing those words from someone who just came back into my life out of the blue after a very long time was very helpful. It put things in perspective. I moved forward not being afraid to turn down some very lucrative, more secure jobs, in order to take a risk and go the entrepreneurial route. I didn’t know how many clients I’d have or how much money I would or wouldn’t make. His words made me realize that the only failure would be in not trying and not doing what I wanted to do, and where I really felt that I could help others.
About Judith Germano:
Judith Germano is the founding member of GermanoLawLLC. She specializes in cybersecurity, privacy, securities and other financial fraud, and regulatory compliance matters, as well as internal investigations and crisis management. She was Chief of Economic Crimes at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey. After serving 11 years as a Federal Prosecutor, Judith founded GermanoLawLLC to provide client-focused advice and representation to companies and individuals. This mother of two masterfully juggles a full personal and professional life. Judith also currently serves as a Senior Fellow and Adjunct Professor at New York University School of Law, focusing on cyber/national security issues, and leading a task force to foster public-private sector communication and cooperation on cybersecurity issues. Judith is “Living on Purpose” as a passionate attorney, entrepreneur and triathlete. Her life story proves that pursuing your interests, working hard, and doing what you truly believe is “right” (for you) is the ultimate measure of success.
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