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Summertime slowdown...where? On the drive home from Costco a few days ago, I was reflecting on all the events and outings I'd been on in the last 3 weeks. I wondered what proportion of those were career-related, and so I figured I'd share a quick summary below. I was surprised to see that the split was relatively equal between my 3 categories of career (networking & development), social (outings with or initiated by friends) and personal (things my partner and I put on the agenda). 📊 If I was more inclined, I might look at assigning 'level of effort' ratings to each, to see which one had the most drain on my relatively introverted brain; and duration, to see where my time was spent the most. Alternatively, I could look at the time series overall to determine where the peaks and valleys of my events were. 🤷♀️ The chart does little to show the nuance within days, the side of desk tasks or the everyday errands; but it was fun to consider how I maintain a work-life balance, and made me proud of all the time I put toward professional development and nurturing relationships. 🗝 What's your split? 🤔

Joel Cuellar joins us for today's Points In My Career spotlight to discuss his journey through TouchPoint from Dishwasher to Assistant Director and offers advice to those looking to grow their career within the industry. Click through his story below: #Pointsinmycareer #iamtouchpoint #careeradvice #professionaldevelopment #careerjourney

Happy New Year from the team at Nielsen Associates. Here's to new ideas, new goals, new opportunities, new relationships and new discoveries. The future starts now! #HappyNewYear, #2024, #NewYearNewYou, #goals, #personalgrowth, #careers, #staffing, #NowHiring, #ExecutiveSearch, #Oprah, #ProfessionalDevelopment, #ExecutiveSearch, #ExecutiveRecruiter, #Motivation, #GrowthMindset, #Changemanagement

Happy New Year from the team at Nielsen Associates. Here's to new ideas, new goals, new opportunities, new relationships and new discoveries. The future starts now! #HappyNewYear, #2024, #NewYearNewYou, #goals, #personalgrowth, #careers, #staffing, #NowHiring, #ExecutiveSearch, #Oprah, #ProfessionalDevelopment, #ExecutiveSearch, #ExecutiveRecruiter, #Motivation, #GrowthMindset, #Changemanagement

As I drove away from Starbucks with my chestnut praline latte in hand, prepared with love by my daughter at her new location, I couldn’t help but think that just a year ago someone had told her she wouldn’t be able to do this job. As she worked in stocking at Target for a seasonal position, she requested cross training at their store’s Starbucks, something that interested her very much. Her supervisor told her she didn’t quite have the right personality. Managers, if you are going to stick someone in the back room by themselves for hours and not give them opportunity for you to observe them interacting with customers, how is that fair to assess those skills? It wasn’t long before my girl quit that seasonal job and actually found an in-store Starbucks which hired her right away. She became one of their best employees, moving up quickly to train others, and eventually moved on to her current position in a standalone Starbucks, which was her original dream job for her high school years. What if she had taken that first supervisor at his word, and believed that she wasn’t the right personality for that position? She would have missed the opportunity to form connections with the regulars, learn to stay calm while productive under pressure (Red Cup Day—need I say more?), and enjoy the added bonus of the perks of working for corporate rather than the in-store locations. I would like to think that once she heard she “couldn’t do it,” it motivated her all the more with the response of “watch me.” How many times have we had voices tell us we can’t, and how many times have we believed them? These can come from those who don’t truly know us, or even from well-meaning family members. The important thing to remember when making those choices or taking those risks is your why. Why do you want to do this? What qualities do YOU know you possess that will contribute to your success? Who can you lean on for support as you move forward with your choice?

When on the hunt for top talent, how often do you look inside your organization?   At GoTo Foods, our mission is to feed people and potential—and promoting from within is one of the strongest ways we’re living out the second half of that statement.   Effective leaders know the importance of having the “right people on the bus” and helping associates (especially those who have a strong cultural fit) find the right “seat” within the organization.   Part of finding the right seat—that role that perfectly aligns with someone’s skillsets, experience and expertise—is having the opportunity to try out different roles along the way.   Take, for example, two recent additions to our Executive Leadership Team: Lindsay Haynes, APR, VP of Strategic Brand Communications, and Marissa Sharpless, VP of Brand Marketing for Carvel.   Lindsay and Marissa both started at GoTo Foods on the exact same day in January 2017, both talented additions to our company’s PR team.   In their seven years here, each of these leaders has served in a total of seven (!) positions.   While most of these promotions were well-earned advances up the proverbial ladder, Marissa and Lindsay each also demonstrated a willingness to make the occasional lateral move in service to the company’s greatest area of need at the time.   That kind of long-term investment in GoTo Foods’ growth and success reflects a level of loyalty, adaptability and collaboration I am honored to serve alongside. It’s also the kind of investment that inspires a greater return from the organization, in the form of career development, professional exposure, expansive institutional knowledge and fast-tracking for future advancement opportunities.   Through their willingness to tackle “stretch” assignments, flex to the areas of greatest need and foster an internal culture of agility, these individuals have earned their seats at the executive table.   And it’s around this table that we’ll be cooking up new ideas and opportunities to keep doing what we do best—feeding people and potential, every chance we get.    #gotofoods #onefocusway #promotingfromwithin #toptalent #internaltalent #loyalty

I have been out and about quite a lot recently, at conferences and other events, and one of the things people say is: ‘You guys have been pretty successful but it also seems like you have a lot of fun in the process’. When I was at Asda, I remember one of my bosses (Vanessa Cooke) saying that I was very focused on work/life balance and, in particular, that I would never compromise my pint at the Adelphi on a Friday night. When I was thinking about leaving Asda, to be a partner for a well-known law firm, one of the partners told me in the interview: ‘This is NOT a work/life balance organisation’, which immediately put me off. Likewise, I also had an interview with a famous football club. I just could not get my head around the idea of me commuting approximately two hours each way, every day, and the impact that would have.  When I break it down, being happy makes me so much more effective at work and, secondly, it is infectious. If you try to ensure you have a happy team and, when you are interacting with clients, that they enjoy those interactions then it spreads. People want to work with you because they associate doing business with you with having fun. Being playful is a really helpful attribute and is actually something I look for when I am hiring. Technical capability and hard work, for me, are a given. Anyone who has worked with me would know I’ve got very high standards and I am intolerant of sloppy work. But it IS possible to have fun and to hold high standards. I don't really want to spend all my time with boring people. I don't really want boring customers, I don't want boring suppliers, I don’t want boring colleagues. I don’t mind admitting that I want to have fun. There is nothing wrong with that and it should be encouraged. Having fun means you are happier. And if you are happier you will be more effective.

Today is my one week anniversary in my new role The Culture Club. And thank you to the team for making me feel so welcome! There's been leader forums, client meetings, pitch preparations and much hilarity (and yes, even pancakes!). It’s been a blast. Along with joining I've been reading Give and Get, a book all about the employee value proposition. The simple premise is when recruiting you should talk to adversity in the role as well as the benefits. In the US c.250 people are turned away from every job. Job adverts shouldn't be designed to sell your product to everyone, but to be clear about what it will take to thrive. Or as it says “we all want to know what it takes to become a Jedi in this job”. As part of my interview process I got to grill the team about what it's really like to work here. They were brutally honest, for which I’m thankful. I got to see how my values and aspirations compared to the role and environment - and making the switch from in-house to agency I was conscious this could be a big leap. Instead I've walked in with my eyes open and so far it's been everything I’d hoped for. My one wish, I hope every recruiter can be a bit bolder and talk to the good and the bad, so that candidates can make the right decision for them. As Bryan Adams & Charlotte Marshal say “we owe it to all concerned to tell the whole story.” #employeeexperience #culture #internalcommunications

For all of my connections looking to get into the Social Impact sector, don’t miss this webinar!! #jobs #socialimpact #corporatesocialresponsibility #career #webinar

My first role transitioning from being an educator was with EdSurge. Looking back, I could not have asked for a better first corporate job. I started as a contractor and eventually was brought on full-time. I still keep in touch with so many of the people I worked with including Betsy (Elizabeth) Corcoran. Here are a few things I wish were the norm at every company: 📈 Room for growth. As mentioned, I started out working 10-15 hours a week helping manage EdSurge's social media platforms. I was hungry to learn and hungry for growth and I felt like every single person I worked with at EdSurge leveled me up in some way. Eventually, I was brought on full-time. 🤝 Intentional efforts to break down silos. It's so easy for teams across a company to be so heads down that silos begin to form and communication across teams and the company is minimal. At EdSurge, I never felt that. Everyone knew who I was and the work I contributed to and vice versa. 👩🏫 Face time with leadership. I'll never forget the time that EdSurge flew me out to California (as a contractor) to join the annual company get-together. Another time I was flown out for a company offsite during the summer. I remember walking on the beach and chatting with Betsy (the CEO) about motherhood and careers. This told me that Betsy wasn't just interested in what I was doing at EdSurge but she was interested in who I was in general. 🗣 Clear communication and transparency. I never lost confidence in the leadership at EdSurge because they did an incredible job of communicating clearly and being transparent. I know companies come in all shapes and sizes and some of these things may not be feasible for larger organizations. However, a lot of this can be applied to various levels of leadership. As I continue to hone my leadership skills and think about company culture, I always reflect on my time at EdSurge and how the culture inspired me. Just a little flashback Friday for you all -- is that still a thing? 😅