I was fortunate enough to have had amazing teachers my whole life. My 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Rounce is one that stands out as one of my favorites. Mrs. Rounce was married to a commercial pilot who worked for FedEx. They lived all around the world. She would tell us stories about her life and I would imagine what it would be like to have a nomadic life and be a student of the world. She wore this gold necklace from the time she spent in Egypt, which she would describe as the best time of her life.

Mrs. Rounce would reward the top students in her class with special activities or experiences of their choice. I found her stories so fascinating that for a while, I had my heart set on becoming a pilot. The idea of being a modern day Amelia Earhardt was what I had my 6th grade heart set on.

I remember being “rewarded” for some academic achievement and I just “wanted to fly a plane”. As it turned out, Mrs. Rounce’s husband had a small plane, a piper cub. So there I was, in 6th grade, flying a plane with my teacher’s husband. I’ll never forget that day.

Even after I moved on from Elementary School, I did drop back in to see Mrs. Rounce. I was sad to hear that her husband was diagnosed with cancer and passed away after a short battle with the disease. I often think of her and have tried to find out where she is now, how she is doing, and would love nothing more than to tell her what an impact her and her husband have had on my life.

Journaling in the morning. Only last year, did I start my writing practice every morning. After I finished the altMBA, I felt inspired to write again, every day. My journaling practice is a way for me to ease into my day, clear my thoughts, and set intentions for the day. I find that actually writing down how I intend on feeling, allows for me to remind myself throughout the day when things start to go awry, to pause, check my intentions and get my shit back on track.

Growth, change, evolution as it relates to your own personal journey. The more I grow, evolve, and learn about myself, the more I want to continue that path. I was always told, (I think most of us are told), that as adults, we just are the way we are. We can’t change, and whatever bad habits exist, cannot change. Recognizing my own growth this past year has changed my mind. Last summer, I completed Seth Godin’s altMBA and was forever changed. This one month learning experience with a cohort of 150 people around the world, left me feeling seen. For nearly 20 years, I believed I could not be changed and all the baggage I carried from my life, I just had to keep trudging through. That is absolutely not true. If you want to change, you can. If you’re willing to put in the work, and face the things you might have buried for a while, you can change. Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t because you’re an adult.

“If you want to change, you can”

That I’m “intense” because I’m direct. I communicate directly. To some that may be interpreted as “intense”. I’ve been working on softening my communication to come across as intended. Part of me wonders if me entering the corporate world at such a young age has led to me communicating directly. I remember when I was never taken seriously in my corporate role. I was always viewed as the “kid” in the room. Because I quite literally was from 17-21. I had to do a lot of development to articulate my point of view and communicate clearly with clients, candidates, executives. I often felt like I had to work overtime to be heard, respected, and treated as a partner.

EQ. I have a strong EQ and tend to connect with people deeply and understand the unspoken.

Most cause for alarm – a reorganization at a client of mine that left me feeling very unsettled and recognizing that even when things feel permanent they really aren’t. Business is business and nothing lasts forever. Most cause of celebration – my business growing into a “company”, and a “brand”. Beyond just myself. I was solopreuneuring for nearly 18 years, before I had a wild idea to grow a team, show them my approach to recruiting, and hope that someday it would become something. Since 2019, I’ve been riding the waves that one does when growing an idea into something more. Now I am at a point where I am feeling aligned with my higher purpose. My higher purpose is to teach. That is why I’m here. Leaving my zone of performance (recruiting) with my team, and elevating into my next phase of life and career. Trusting my team to continue to show up for each other, our clients, and our candidates, allowing me to focus on the next phase of our growth as a company and my personal growth as a human.

My son Baxter with a cardboard space helmet he made this morning. He’s been really into creating things lately. Note to parents, don’t buy toys! Just use cardboard boxes. Best toys for kids are boxes!

I am often the first one to talk, the lead. I like to keep things moving forward. I am generally a quick study and have a rolodex of anecdotes to draw from, so I often get to “current state→ ideal state” pretty quickly in my head. Now having a leadership team, I am learning to ask more questions vs. telling the solutions. It’s hard to stay quiet but it’s necessary when leading leaders.

Shadowing and reverse shadowing. When I started recruiting, I sat next to 10 senior level recruiters for 5 years. I shadowed everything they did and they shadowed me back.
Ensure you clearly articulate the good, the bad and the ugly of any role.

That people are people. We are complex. No training can truly solve the fact that people have layers, things are complicated, humans have emotions (lots of them), and we are all just trying to do the best we can. One thing that’s really helped ground me is the idea of sonder.

The thought that “anyone can be a recruiter”. Sure, that is true. Just like anyone can be anything they want, but to be effective in our industry, you have to want to show up, learn, and truly care about people. If you don’t care about the humans you serve, you won’t be happy in our industry.

Winners will be companies that stay true and lead with their values. The companies that understand the trauma that this pandemic has brought. The companies that invest in understanding their employees psychologically and emotionally. This pandemic has pushed everyone to their breaking points. The companies who are trying to operate, “business as usual” will be the losers.

My big tip: give a shit. I care about my work. I care about the people I connect with. I care about my clients, my candidates, my team, how it all ties together. I care. The process I follow is thorough and intentional by design. I don’t have to care as much as I do, but I choose to. That choice is felt by others. People know that I care. They know they can depend on me, or my team, and that we aren’t just telling them we care, we are showing them by living our values.

Diana Pritchard- One of my first bosses. She believed in me, she trusted me, she poured into me. I learned politics and polish from Di.

What keeps you going even when things are challenging and you don’t feel like showing up?

For questions 20, I nominate my friend Michael Case.

Thank you to Dom Farnan for taking 20 Questions for The Brainfood Tribune.