Editor's note: The four women honored this year by the YWCA have each contributed a personal essay regarding their path to achievement. Awardee Connie Chun's essay ran April 27; Gwen Pacarro's appears today; Donnis Thompson's runs Thursday, and we'll hear from Jenai Sullivan Wall on Sunday.

Relationships, knowing what you love to do, empathy, embracing change and trust in yourself — these are the things that have helped me as I've moved through my career. They are excellent guidelines for anyone who wishes to be a leader.

My family has been the foundation of my success and happiness. Two very strong parents shaped me: my father, a German immigrant, and my mother, first a full-time mom and volunteer, and later a social worker. I learned drive and ambition, sprinkled with the need for all of us to help each other.

Through my 32-year marriage, I have been part of my husband's family as well; a strong, proud, Filipino family guided by a dream and ambition. His family's unconditional love taught me to respect all cultures and provided me courage to take on new challenges. My children taught me humility and the power of love.

I cannot overstate the importance of their support. Taking on the leadership role at Morgan Stanley was not an easy decision. I was in a very comfortable position in my life and was poised to go happily on to retirement. But I chose instead to go into the unknown, give up some financial security and sublimate some of my own passions and concerns to nurture others.

The decision wasn't easy on a marriage either. Our lives changed — we had to reassess our priorities, change some future plans and compromise on many things. The decision required my husband's support.

My whole family is jumping in. My father picks up my dry-cleaning. My daughter asks daily what she can take off my plate. My husband makes my physical training appointments and prods me to go. I fight him on it, but he knows me well and knows that I need the exercise for stamina and mood. I don't possess superhuman powers. I couldn't survive — emotionally, physically or mentally — without the support of my family.

I am a take-charge person and have always been this way. This is a fault, as well as a strength. I am invigorated by change and challenge, and that is why I chose the industry I am in, and worked with seedling nonprofits.

I realized after I turned 50 a few years ago that I had met my goals for my business, having achieved what I needed to for our family and myself, and it was time to become a coach and a mentor. I have migrated toward this role as I have lived my life, but now I get to live it every waking hour. I am learning every day, about myself, about the fragility of the human spirit and the power of conviction and commitment. I am invigorated by all of the energy around me each day and love what I do. I tell people I have been training for this new position my whole life.

Research backs up what we have known since the beginning of time; women and men possess particular attributes that make them unique. Much of what we bring to the table as women is suddenly "in vogue." We tend to be more empathetic, allowing us to see issues from all sides, and more nurturing, helping us through tough business decisions by understanding how these decisions impact personal lives. Knowing that, we have an obligation as leaders to provide solutions that allow women the flexibility they need for their families, whether it be to stay home with a sick child, attend a school play or provide elder care.

We must be advocates for our sisters, our associates, our daughters and our mothers! Women and men alike can be intuitive, but we are more likely to trust our gut, to help us with decisions, and this often provides balance. We also are community builders, fostering collaboration, a key to leadership.

It is our job as leaders to provide the venue for people to identify their passions, feel appreciated, work in jobs that utilize their unique gifts that bring them satisfaction. This in turn will allow them to display the brilliance that is unique in each person.

Morgan Stanley executive director and complex manager Gwen Pacarro is being honored by the YWCA for her leadership role for women.