"Someday a woman should run this company."

When Andrea Jung — long before she became the CEO of the beauty products giant Avon — heard the company's then-CEO utter those words during her mid-level job interview, she was looking at a plaque on the wall in front of her.

It depicted four footprints, starting with a barefoot ape's and ending with that of a high-heel pump, and it read "The Evolution of Leadership."

Addressing a crowd of about 1,000 women at the 17th annual United Way Women United Breakfast at the University of Miami, Jung shared her secrets for success, and marveled at the progress in recent months in raising awareness about workplace gender inequality.

Her best advice, she told the crowd:

"Fail forward." (compliments of Steve Jobs): Making mistakes is important and necessary. But you don’t want to make the same mistake twice.

"Follow your compass, not your clock." Stay true to your passions; don’t let titles and expectations get in the way. (This, after she initially was passed over for Avon CEO and had the option of going to another company. She stayed at Avon.)

Read the full article about Avon CEO Andrea Jung at miamiherald.com.