Fortune's Brainstorm Tech Conference (beginning today in Aspen, Colo.) regularly brings together the best and brightest minds in tech innovation. Each week, Fortune turns the spotlight on a different conference attendee to offer his or her own personal insight into business, tech, and entrepreneurship. This week, we asked Facebook Director of Design Kate Aronowitz to answer 10 questions about life outside of work, the company she admires most, and industry advice for young entrepreneurs. Her responses follow.

    What is the best advice you ever received?

    Show up to work with the energy and curiosity of your first day and the honesty of your last.

    What would you say to a group of young people looking to enter the tough job market?

    You'd be surprised at how many young people I meet who are ultra picky about what they will and won't do. Don't be that person! Be the one who jumps at the opportunity to try something new. Just being a positive and enthusiastic team member will set you apart from the pack.

    What would you do if you weren't working at your current job?

    I'd love to have the experience of being an apprentice to an established fashion designer, just to get my hands dirty in their work and play a behind the scenes role in planning, designing, and launching a collection.

    What is one startup you would have wanted to found?

    I'm somewhat biased here, as I know and work with the team, but I would have loved to have started Instagram. It's so simple, visual, and engaging. I love the ability to see what's going on in the world visually and have the power to take beautiful pictures.

    What was the most important thing you learned in school?

    When I was younger, I was often intimidated by people who just seemed to be naturally talented at things, like the kids who excelled in academics or were really great designers. But as I've grown up I've learned that talent and success are really just the product of hard work. You don't see it, but behind the scenes the best people spend years perfecting their craft, and that's often the real secret to success.

    《财富》（Fortune）杂志举办的科技头脑风暴大会（7月22日在美国科罗拉多州阿斯彭召开）定期召集科技创新领域最优秀和最聪明的思想家相聚一堂。每周，《财富》杂志都会重点推介一位大会嘉宾，分享他/她对于商业、科技及创业的真知灼见。本周，我们代表年轻企业家向Facebook设计总监凯特•阿洛诺维茨就工作之余的生活、最崇拜的公司以及行业建议提出了10个问题。她的回答如下。

    你获得过的最好建议是什么？

    抱着孩子般的活力和好奇心以及生命将走到尽头时的真诚投入工作。

    当前就业市场非常严峻，对于即将进入职场的年轻人，你有何建议？

    我遇到过许多年轻人对工作极为吹毛求疵。这类人数量之多，令人称奇。千万不要这样做。年轻人应该勇敢地抓住机会，尽力去尝试新东西。只有积极而充满热情地投入工作，才能脱颖而出。

    如果不从事现在的工作，你会干什么？

    我很希望当一位知名时装设计师的学徒，每天跟着他忙里忙外，为策划、设计和举办一场时装发布会担任幕后工作。

    如果可以，你希望哪家新创企业是你创办的？

    我在这方面可能有些有失公允。我希望自己创办了图片分享应用Instagram，不过这可能部分原因是因为我认识这家公司的团队，还跟他们一起共事过。Instagram十分简单、生动且极具吸引力。通过这款应用，用户能直观地看到世界上正在发生什么事情，还能拍摄美丽的照片。我很喜欢这一点。

    你在学校学到的最重要的东西是什么？

    我年少时经常被那些看起来似乎天资聪颖的人吓倒，比如那些学习超棒或者设计水平一流的小孩。但长大后，我发现才能和成功真的只是勤奋工作的产物。虽然大家看不到，但在人后，那些精英人士常常花费数年来打磨自己的技能，这才是成功的真正秘诀。

    What has been your biggest failure?

    There have been times when my team members have come to me with really big, outrageously creative ideas and I've shot them down too early. One of my strengths is my pragmatism, but sometimes I have to keep it in check (especially when running a design team).

    What business or technology person do you admire most? Why?

    Angela Ahrendts, CEO of Burberry. Yes, she's grown Burberry by leaps and bounds and that's something to be admired. What's special about her to me is the way she openly talks about the human side of business—the power of authenticity, positive energy, and inspiration. I love that she openly talks about being "50/50", a balance of intuition and feeling with hardcore analysis and how that has contributed to her success. She embraces the people side of business and uses that as a strength to propel the company forward.

    What technology sector excites you most?

    I just moved into a new house and engaged with many contractors and other service providers, and I realized there is still a huge gap in access to honest ratings and reputation indicators. I was surprised at how difficult it was to find unfiltered, authentic reviews of companies—from cable to plumbing and so on.

    What do you do to live a balanced life?

    The biggest lesson I've learned in this area is that you have to set your own limits. No one else is going to tell you to leave in time to get home for a family dinner. Set the schedule that works for you and others will respect it.

    What is one characteristic that every leader should possess?

    Empathy. Great service comes from understanding others' needs. Great management comes from leading through example and inspiring others. Neither can be done by someone who is out of touch.

    你最大的失败是什么？

    曾经不止一次，当我的团队成员带着极富创意的想法来找我，我却过早的将它们枪毙。我的优势之一是务实，但有时我必须有所克制（尤其是在运作一个设计团队时）。

    你最钦佩哪位商界或科技界人士？为什么？

    博柏利（Burberry）首席执行官安吉拉•阿伦德。她带领博柏利实现了跨越式发展，这一点令人钦佩。在我看来，她的特别之处在于，她公开讨论商业人性化的一面——真实、正能量以及灵感的力量。我十分欣赏她公开谈论“五五开”，即在直觉和感觉以及客观分析间实现平衡，以及这一点为她的成功做出的贡献。阿伦德欣然接受商业人性化的一面，同时把它作为推动博柏利前进的力量。

    哪个技术部门最令你兴奋？

    我最近刚刚搬了新家，跟同许多承包商以及其他服务提供商打过交道。我意识到，人们仍然很难获取可靠的评级和美誉度指标。我惊讶地发现，要找到关于有线电视、管道工程等公司未经过滤的、真实的评论相当困难。

    你如何平衡工作与生活？

    在这方面，我学到的最大教训是，你必须自己设定界线。没人会来叫你及时下班回家，与家人共进晚餐。设定适合自己的时间表，别人才会尊重你的选择。

    每个领导者都应当具备的特征是什么？

    换位思考。伟大的服务源自了解他人的需求。伟大的管理来自以身作则、激励他人。以上两点缺乏换位思考能力的人都做不到。（财富中文网）

    译者：项航