How long have you been a member of ATDKC, and what keeps you engaged with the community?
I joined ATDKC in 2013 and have been a member ever since. What has kept me engaged is how much I have learned from all the amazing talent and leaders I’ve met, and the network of people who are passionate about developing others.
Tell us about your journey in the Talent Development field. (work history, groups or organizations you are involved with)
I kind of “fell into” Talent Development. I’ve always worked in Financial Services, and when I was working for a financial investment company, I became a registered representative with securities licenses, and did inside sales for a few years, including investment recommendations to clients, mainly for retirement and college savings.
I’m a lifelong learner, so I always want to learn as much as I can about whatever field, company, or discipline I’m in, so eventually I was hired into a role as a knowledge and peer coach, then managed a call center team, then managed a call center resource team, then became a director of training and support. All along, I did “training,” but didn’t have a lot of formal education about adult learning.
That’s when I found ATDKC. I was leading trainers and consultants, and needed to be able to speak their language and advocate for them, so I needed to learn. I remember being very intimidated at the chapter meetings at first. Everyone seemed so experienced!
Eventually, as I have done several times in my career, I went back to school to get even more education, and I have a Master’s degree in Adult Education and Leadership.
If you could instantly master one new skill, what would it be?
I’d say patience, but that wouldn’t be instant, would it? I’d have to be patient to get it. One of the skills I most admire in others is absolute clarity of thinking. There are some people who get to the root of an issue lightning fast. I like to “examine” things from a lot of angles.
What’s one thing people might be surprised to learn about you?
I love a good sparkly item of clothing. You don’t see me often in sparkly shoes or a sparkly blouse or blazer, but I might aspire to that…
What’s a key lesson you’ve learned in your career that you’d like to pass along to others?
Pick your battles. Lean into discomfort. These are things which can be counterintuitive, but often have outsized rewards if you can learn to embrace them.
Do you have any favorite books, tools, or podcasts you’d recommend?
Books- I love “The Next Conversation” by Jefferson Fisher. Helps us to understand how to advocate for ourselves in interactions and really think about effective communication. Also just finished “The Octopus Organization” by Phil Le-Brun and Jana Werner. That one distinguishes from “tin man” organizations and ways organizations need to think about themselves and how they operate from within now- in our current atmosphere of change, ambiguity, agility. It’s a great resource which you don’t need to read cover to cover- you can “diagnose” what challenge you have and read about an “antipattern” which applies.
Audible- Often I both listen to and read the same book, in no particular order. For me, it hits those different ways of taking in new information and thinking – did that for both of the above books.
What’s your go-to coffee order (or favorite workday beverage)?
Skinny vanilla latte. Extra shot if I have a deadline to meet.
How do you like to recharge outside of work?
Talking to people. I talk to my Uber driver wherever I am. I don’t like chatting on planes (hello, we are TOO close together), but I don’t mind chatting in line while we’re waiting. I like meeting new people over coffee. Our coffee chats for ATDKC give me a boost every time- so much fun. I enjoy networking events. Love to hear other people’s stories.
Favorite quote:
Depends on the day. Have a few that are really cliches, but there is real wisdom if you stop to consider them: “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” “Do you want to be right, or do you want to be effective?”
“A leader’s job is not to do the work for others, it’s to help others figure out how to do it themselves, to get things done, and to succeed beyond what they thought was possible.” – Simon Sinek
