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Balancing the Future Ep. 19 - A Wholistic Approach to Building Success with Kimberly Ellison Taylor & Sandra Patterson
199 Plays8 days ago
Sandra Patterson, ALPFA National Board Member, and Kimberly Ellison Taylor, Founder & CEO of KET Solutions, join our host Christ Mitchell to discuss the key factors to personal and professional success. Sharing the importance of a supportive network in both these arenas, our guests underline pillars to their success that include community and giving back, receiving mentorship and leading others, and a personal responsibility to continuous learning that drives your career forward.
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Transcript
Introduction of Special Guests
00:00:05
Speaker
You know, today is a good day because I'm here with some good people. I'm excited that we have Sandra Patterson.
00:00:16
Speaker
And we also have a very good friend of mine, Kimberly Ellison Taylor. You know, i'll give Kimberly all kinds of props. And reason I give her props because I use ah one of the phrases, um you know, seat at the table, bigger table, room at the table.
00:00:34
Speaker
I got that from her. And I just want this audience to understand that first and foremost. But that's what we're talking about today. What does that mean? okay because it means a lot of different things to a lot of different people at various levels of their careers.
00:00:49
Speaker
So today we will explore that and it will be a really good conversation.
Sandra's Journey and Contributions
00:00:54
Speaker
And before we get started, I'm going to ask that you share something about yourself, something I don't know. I've read your LinkedIn profiles. Kimberly, I've heard your list before, which is a list of accomplishments, which is very, very impressive.
00:01:10
Speaker
ah So I joke about that. But let's start with you, Sandra. what what What do we need to know about you? What's interesting about you? other Now, let me put this out there. Other than you're plugged into the community in an awesome way, and I haven't known you all that long, but you seem to be a person that really cares about what's going on in the profession.
00:01:29
Speaker
Well, first of all, thank you so much for the opportunity to be here with you. um Probably one of the things that is interesting about me is that I am the very first college graduate in my extended family.
00:01:42
Speaker
ah There wasn't anybody in my community, in the community that I was growing up, that had a professional background. And so to me, education was the way to enhance my family's a future, but also a way to get to health equity, which is another topic that is very ah near and dear to my heart.
00:02:06
Speaker
um I do ah want to make sure that i say that I am here because of all those mentors, coach coaches, sponsors that helped me along the way because I came from a background where there wasn't anybody there who could guide me.
00:02:23
Speaker
um And so at this stage in my career, i am very proud of being national board member of ALFA, the Association of Latino Professionals, because that is the way that I give back. That is how I want to help and contribute to my community.
00:02:37
Speaker
to ensure that they have access, access to a network of ah professionals that can guide them, ah just like other people were there for me, access to jobs, access to training, growth and development.
00:02:52
Speaker
Awesome. that's that's That's really good. Kimberly, know you've got a list, but tell us something. don I mean, you're it seems like nowadays and probably for the last four or five years, you're always in the press doing something.
00:03:06
Speaker
I look out on LinkedIn and I see you doing a lot of great things within the community. So what's going on? What's going on with you?
Kimberly's Roots and Values
00:03:13
Speaker
Fundamentally, i think it goes back to growing up in the inner city of Baltimore, where i had parents who said education levels the playing field. They said, you've got to work twice as hard to get half the credit.
00:03:27
Speaker
And they said, it's just not only about you, make sure you bring other people. And i have really, really, really tried to do that every step of the way. And so for me, it is also about volunteerism.
00:03:41
Speaker
and recognizing that everyone doesn't have the same influence. My parents didn't go to college. They graduated from high school, but they couldn't help me do something. So I had to have, like Sandra, mentors, coaches, and sponsors because my parents had reached a point where I was surpassing what they could help me with.
00:04:01
Speaker
And so today i am an immediate past chair of the National Commission on Diversity and Inclusion. that AICPA basically sponsors.
00:04:11
Speaker
I am a past chairman or past president of Beta Alpha Psi. It's really important to help students and the next generation of leaders. I am also on the board of trustees for where I got my MBA from, because I think that's also important.
00:04:28
Speaker
And it's every step of the way helping students. I'm also the chair of foundation for the Maryland Association of CPAs and a past chairman of the American Institute of CPAs.
00:04:39
Speaker
But it's also critical to my learning. So when people say, Kimberly, how could you have done all this volunteerism and you do this for work and you do that? Because I've accelerated the things that have taken me years to learn in a work environment by volunteering.
00:04:54
Speaker
So to whom much is given, much is required. But there's also the principle of sowing and reaping. And so I have sowed seeds and I have received so much more than I've ever given.
00:05:07
Speaker
You know, you asked me a good question this morning because Kimberly and I both love eat. At least I do. I do. But you asked me a question. You said, Chris, did you think you'd be in the in the place and space that you are today in your career with all the success that you had? And I i look back and I'm like, no way.
00:05:24
Speaker
I couldn't have imagined that I'd be here.
Personal Stories and Support Systems
00:05:27
Speaker
So when you rise to this level and I'm including myself in that because I think I'm old enough to be in there, I don't think I am done learning because I don't think you ever hit that that peak.
00:05:38
Speaker
But what is that one thing? I'm to go first and I normally never do this, but I'm going go first. yeah There's no way um that I would be here without. And I know my family and the role that they played in my life.
00:05:50
Speaker
And it's a little different for me. But what I've realized is that they've had to tolerate quite a bit as I've navigated up that ah success ladder.
00:06:01
Speaker
And I'm so thankful that they've been there for me because there's no way I'd have success. My wife just sent me an email this morning and said, how are you doing? You're a really good husband. And I'm like, what do you want? What are you doing?
00:06:14
Speaker
It was a just because text. It made me feel good. Absolutely. A just because text. Yeah. So it was fantastic. So I really do appreciate my family. So what's that one thing that that you can think of? Sandra, you go first. That one thing that to which we attribute our success? Yes.
00:06:30
Speaker
Well, in my case, ah I would say is three things. It's faith, family, community. Awesome. That's awesome. I don't think that I would be where I am without all those things.
00:06:42
Speaker
um My faith is ah my source of motivation. It's also where I have a community that supports me, so that lifts me up when I am down, when I am sad, when I ah think that am all the way at the bottom.
00:06:57
Speaker
ah Family is always there with me to support me, for example, in my role. I travel a lot without my mom, who's always there to take care of my daughter and ah help in whatever way she can.
00:07:11
Speaker
I think it would be very difficult to to continue to go up. But also community. Community is like I was telling you. I believe that I am the product of all those individuals who have contributed to my life, my career, the mentors, coaches, the sponsors who have been there for me to support me my life.
00:07:33
Speaker
in my road. Awesome. Wow, that was great, Sandra. I just want to say ditto, ditto, ditto, ditto. ah So I'm going to definitely say faith first.
00:07:44
Speaker
And the reason I say faith first is because, as I've told young people, disappointments are going to happen, but you need something to anchor, something that keeps you grounded and that says, get up.
00:07:58
Speaker
Get up. Just keep going. You're disappointed. Get up. And I will share with people that I failed the CPA exam. And he said, you failed and you became the chairman of all the CPAs? I can't believe you failed. That's what they said. It's like, how does that happen?
00:08:15
Speaker
I could have given up, but I didn't. and And I think it's it's humbling. And it also gives me an appreciation that you can still have amazing career ah aspirations, but know that everything's not going to turn out the way that you want.
00:08:32
Speaker
And i would say with all the traveling that I've done as well, when you're flying, you get real close with your faith.
00:08:41
Speaker
Especially these days. Yes, you just, that is true. There's only been a couple of times where we dropped and you're like, God, please let me get off this flight. But and then I would say family. And for the major things that I've done, we've had kitchen table conversations where my son's beat could not even reach the floor.
00:08:59
Speaker
But we would have a kitchen table conversation and I would say, listen, I have this opportunity.
Overcoming Challenges and Inclusivity in Leadership
00:09:05
Speaker
What do you think? And so my one son, this was about being a chair and of AICPA, and I knew I was going to traveling even more than because I was at Oracle traveling, but this was going to be more traveling.
00:09:16
Speaker
And my one son said, well, mom, this is who you are. You should do it because this is what's going to make you happy. And we'll figure it out. This is what my my my son, i was like, he was probably like 11.
00:09:29
Speaker
eleven My other son said, well, my friends know who you are. And I said, well, not Beyonce. So I don't know if they're going know who I am, but I'm to try to make you proud.
00:09:42
Speaker
And I'm going to try to make the things that are important. So we did this whole thing about moments that matter. And I have messed up, as most parents do. I mean, I have been on two wheels, halftime, on Crocs, trying to get to this game.
00:09:55
Speaker
And my son is like, Mom, why are you here? He was like, we knew we were going to beat them. They were scrubs. We want you to come next week. I'm like, oh, my goodness. I went to the game. I struggled to get here. And he didn't care about this game. So I knew you got to ask, which what matters really to you?
00:10:15
Speaker
Because it can't be what I think because I screwed it up. So we have moments that matter. What matters to you? So family, I wouldn't have been able to do it without my husband. Would not, I mean, my husband, when I was studying for the exam, untied my shoelaces and would pull the covers over me because I would just fall asleep exhausted. So anchored right there. I met him as a sophomore when I was at UMBC. So we were college sweethearts.
00:10:41
Speaker
And then the third thing I would say is that I genuinely, to my soul, want us all to do well. I do not, do not want to succeed at the expense of someone else.
00:10:55
Speaker
And that is when I said, listen, we can build a bigger table. You don't have to get up and leave your seat. Just make room for the next person to sit next to you. Pull up a chair so that everyone can have an opportunity. You bring the nails, I'll bring the wood. Somebody else would bring the hammer. But let's not divide ourselves thinking that,
00:11:16
Speaker
Oh, if it's only one seat. It's the woman's seat. I refuse. I'm not competing with another woman. I'm not competing with anyone else. We will succeed or we will fail, but I'm not going to do it. And once you make that decision, then people start gravitating across every community.
00:11:33
Speaker
Every community I am in, people see my heart. So you don't have to be black to feel that same energy and excitement for me because I care about every community. I want us all to do well.
00:11:44
Speaker
White, black, brown, green, purple. We can all do well. an amazing concept. So when you when you say when we say seated table, because there's room here, you know, it's just perfect.
00:11:56
Speaker
When we start thinking about what we're trying to create, when I think about that, what what does that opportunity look like for someone else? That's the first thing that comes to mind. What does that mean to you when I say seated table, bigger table?
00:12:08
Speaker
ah Because I think it comes into play no matter where you are in your career. There are things you need to do in order to be successful. And you need help to get to that next phase or next ah take that next step. So what does it mean to you when I say sit at table?
00:12:23
Speaker
That's right. Well, to me, sit at table is... making sure that ah we can participate in whatever it is, whatever decision-making process or problem-solving process.
00:12:38
Speaker
Now, the important thing for me is that ah sometimes the concept or the idea of seat at the table kidsds um becomes very mundane. We think that it's just having somebody in the room, when to me, having a seat at the table is When we actually listen, when we actually are willing to pay attention to the insights that other people who have a diverse perspective are bringing to us as we have are having the conversation.
00:13:04
Speaker
Because one thing is to have the person in the room or at the table. And another thing is to listen to what they're saying. That's a good point. Mm-hmm. So because I'm going to pause here for a minute and say, so who's invited?
00:13:18
Speaker
Because it seems like there's a lot of folks that are at the table and it doesn't matter your background, your origin and all these other good things, youre and your gender and so forth and so on.
00:13:29
Speaker
And I think in today's world, maybe it does. So does it really matter? Are we just looking to make room to make sure someone's successful to the point you just made? It doesn't matter.
00:13:40
Speaker
Does it matter? I mean, like maybe you I will say this because part of the work I do is also an inclusion. It may not matter to a corporate, let's say a CEO of why people aren't getting in.
00:13:57
Speaker
But he should be concerned about who's missing and why can't they get in. And I only say that because if your systems keep people from applying, that's a leadership concern.
00:14:09
Speaker
If your systems have bias, meaning that your your HR professionals have said no to Kimberly, no to Kimberly, no to Kimberly, I apply, it's machine learning, it learned to say no to Kimberly.
00:14:22
Speaker
That is a leadership challenge. And so you can have and want inclusion without thinking it's your role to fix the wrongs of the world, the wrongs of the school system, the wrongs of redlining, the wrongs of, you know, why people, if they walk into a retail store, they don't get waited on.
00:14:39
Speaker
Maybe corporations are pushing back saying, you know what, that's not our charter. We're going to stand on our business. We're going to stand on our now values. But if you're a leader, if you have an environment of talent talent scarcity,
00:14:54
Speaker
And people can't apply. They can't get in. They don't do well. They leave early. That's a leadership concern. So when people are chucking it all up to, oh, that's a diversity issue.
00:15:05
Speaker
No, it's a leadership challenge. And it's a business imperative that leaders care about all of their people. Not the black ones, not the white ones, not the brown ones, not the ones who have an orientation of being heterosexual.
00:15:18
Speaker
All of your people. Be the leader for all of us. Don't just be the leader for one group. And that, I think, many leaders have not taken to leadership to the extent that I'm saying it.
00:15:30
Speaker
So they they are just willing to try to treat us all like widgets. We are not widgets. We have context, backgrounds, and experiences that define how we engage and interact, and especially with clients.
00:15:45
Speaker
And so even if they didn't care about their own employees, you so you only have one set of clients? So what happens when you have a non-trained individual about microaggressions or how to engage with others, and you put them in front of a client that is different than they are?
00:16:04
Speaker
I give it five years, and unfortunately, i say this, there will be hostile work environments, and there will be relationships and trust breaking because we're dropping the ball on just caring about the people who work with you and for you.
00:16:20
Speaker
And it has nothing to do with the catchphrase of DEI. Okay. You know, when I think about success and I think about being the first, and I reference this quite a bit when I'm talking about my own case.
00:16:34
Speaker
say, man, I was the first one at the accounting firm. i was the first one to be in a certain role.
Mentorship and Career Progression
00:16:40
Speaker
And I and sometimes I don't give credit to the to how I arrived there. OK, you know, was the first, but I had help.
00:16:47
Speaker
How important is it when you think about because I look at your career and I look at your career and I i mean, I don't know many chief accounting officers. really don't. I mean, I don't know many executive level individuals that are on boards and high level boards, if you will.
00:17:02
Speaker
How did you get there? And what did that support system look like? I mean, I hear I got a coach and I got a mentor and I got a sponsor and they helped me along. But I wasn't the first because I did it.
00:17:15
Speaker
That was the first because there were some folks behind me telling me what to do, what what meetings to be a part in, how to put on a suit, how to comb my hair, shave my beard, whatever it is. It was a lot of stuff. Were you not going to shave your beard? Well, yeah it it doesn't look very good. So, yes, I do shave. yeah but um But what does that look like? what did that What did that support system look like, Sandra?
00:17:37
Speaker
Well, for me, it was, um i was very privileged that I connected pretty early on with the Association of Acting Professionals because, like I mentioned to you earlier, i had no professionals in my family.
00:17:49
Speaker
and Most of my family had a blue-collar background. Nobody knew how to guide me. My parents did not finish high school at all. And so it was very difficult for me to find.
00:18:01
Speaker
But ah when I connected with this group, ah they were willing to help me in ways that I didn't even know I needed the help. They did mock interviews with me. They helped me write my resume.
00:18:13
Speaker
ah They told me what to wear when I was going to go to interviews. It was everything, everything that i had not heard about or been exposed to. um They opened doors for me. There was a senior manager, for example, when got out of college, a senior manager in the tax department of Arthur Anderson um made it a point to go to HR and say, hey, I know somebody. I know there are thousands of resumes that have been received, but Could you interview this person?
00:18:42
Speaker
And um I believe that opened the door then for me to go through the interview process. I don't think my resume would have even been ah picked up ah so if because there were thousands of people applying for a very, very limited number of positions.
00:18:57
Speaker
And every single time along my career, i um like I said, the product of those people who were willing to help and reach out help guide me all throughout.
00:19:08
Speaker
And sometimes I have to tell you, sometimes that looks very good. Sometimes that is, you're amazing. Here's an opportunity for you. Come join us. And sometimes it was, can we show? think there's something you need to work on. Awesome. ah about you That is really good.
00:19:24
Speaker
I would definitely say mentors, coaches, and sponsors. But I also have a diversity dimension that is socioeconomic. And so that means that in our family, we did all the silverware.
00:19:39
Speaker
We did not differentiate between a salad fork or dinner fork. It was just a fork sitting there and getting me a fork. And so I had to learn that. Mm-hmm. I thought all vegetables had to be squishable with a fork.
00:19:52
Speaker
I did not eat crunchy vegetables until I went to college. And I thought something was wrong with the vegetables. was like, what is going on with these vegetables? So some of that I had to learn and then look at the people who were in leadership and look at what they were wearing.
00:20:08
Speaker
And so they were my mentors and they never even knew because I was watching them so that I could mimic what they were doing so that I could do it for myself. And so I tell people that the bulk of my career, I was a Caucasian man.
00:20:23
Speaker
I spent a long time being a Caucasian man in my career and because I was mimicking who was in charge. right And so I, you know, really appreciate their guidance and their support and all the things until I could learn and be confident to be me.
00:20:40
Speaker
But it does take someone who cares, but it also took a lot of work for me because they can get you in the door. They can't keep you in the door. right You have to be smart enough to do the work, to stay up all night, to be coachable, to take the feedback, to be willing to course correct if needed.
00:20:59
Speaker
And not everybody can do that. And I just remember my mom saying, you know, don't get beside yourself. I don't know if other communities have a don't get beside yourself. But it basically just means don't get a big head. No matter where I've been, I could easily, just as easily, walk into a place and have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich as I could with the best, you know, 75-day-age steak.
00:21:27
Speaker
But it's just a matter of understanding that I did not get here by myself, that there were lots of people that decided that they were going to help a little girl from the inner city of Baltimore.
00:21:40
Speaker
Because it's of just a matter of people recognizing that you need help, but you have to be willing to ask the help and you have to be willing to receive the help. Yes. And that those things have been critical.
00:21:52
Speaker
You know, got a question for you. Sure. Because I know this audience wants to know this. Well, I want to know. How'd you make those boards happen? but How'd you make those boards happen? And I'm serious about that because they think it just happens. No, it doesn't happen. But you have a unique skill and you've worked very hard. And I want you to add to that.
00:22:11
Speaker
What does that look like when you package yourself and you present yourself in a way where others are like, this is a person that we want to sit atop our organization and help us. Get better.
00:22:22
Speaker
Be successful. Continue with what we're doing. How does that look? Boards for me, I think, are no one's ever asked me that question. That's right. It's the first time. those force for me are like the ultimate sponsorship and sponsorship, meaning that people are talking about you that you don't know are talking about you.
00:22:42
Speaker
ah And so someone who was a search recruiter and in this particular case said to me, by the time we call you, we've already done the initial vetting. We've checked you out.
00:22:54
Speaker
We've looked at you online. We've Googled you we We know a pretty good amount about you by the time we call you. Now, in some of those cases, they were asked to call me.
00:23:07
Speaker
They were saying, hey, check her out, see if she is eligible, listed, whatever, put her on the list. And they had to go do the research to see if I met the criteria to be on the list.
00:23:18
Speaker
And that person who said, hey, talk to Kimberly is also a sponsor because they were thinking that I could be someone that would be a great cultural fit, that my diverse point of view, the places I've been would contribute meaningfully to the board discussion.
00:23:35
Speaker
And so it's like an iceberg because if people don't see what's under the water. All the years of hard work, all the years of doing the right thing for the right reasons and building relationships with people.
00:23:51
Speaker
But here's the other factor that I think many of us might be missing if we're interested in being on boards. I think it comes down to visibility too. Visibility and brand management. I have a colleague, Tom Hood, who is amazing, and he works now for the AICPA, but he was the CEO of the Maryland Association of CPAs.
00:24:12
Speaker
I don't think I was going to be getting way down the road with social media. I thought it was the devil before. You know, i was just like, I'm not doing it. Who cares? is this This is, you know, I'm not, this is crazy. I'm not doing it.
00:24:25
Speaker
And then I realized, how will people know? ah You know many amazing people I know that no one else knows? Just them and their community, their company. They're awesome. We have to be more visible.
00:24:37
Speaker
We have to get out in front. I meet people who say, oh, Kimberly, I didn't know that there were, you know, people who were qualified. course there are, but you got to leave your comfort zones. Got to be here at a conference and with professionals that may not look like what you are traditionally familiar with.
00:24:56
Speaker
But I think also it comes down to putting yourself out there, being visible, being respected, building relationships and managing your brand. Awesome. Awesome.
00:25:08
Speaker
So back to seat at the table.
Executive Responsibility and Inclusivity
00:25:10
Speaker
When I think about who's early on in my career, I went to my boss and i'll let them dead ih and I said, you know what? i i want to be successful at this organization. He says, I got a bit of advice for you. Then he says, you're responsible for your career.
00:25:25
Speaker
And I'm like, okay, and that's it's all on me. That's a lot of work. But when I think about others that are responsible, is there anyone responsible for your seat at table for helping you get there?
00:25:37
Speaker
I think you mentioned something earlier. Are others responsible? No. In a way? Okay. No. I would go to Sandra. Let me let Sandra with that. I think that and this is where our motivation, our perseverance comes on.
00:25:52
Speaker
I think we are responsible for figuring out where do we need to be and how do we get there. if it If we don't do that, then we're rarely going to have a seat at the table. And not only when we when we actually get invited, it's up to us to make sure that we have spent enough time preparing.
00:26:10
Speaker
And i heard um the concept that ah Kimberly was mentioning about and working twice as hard to get half of the recognition. And I think sometimes that's the way it is. And we need to be willing to do that extra preparation.
00:26:23
Speaker
so that we can earn that seat at the table. um If we don't do that, if we just sit back waiting for somebody to invite us, somebody to tell us to come, the opportunities will be much more limited.
00:26:36
Speaker
It's up to us, I believe, to figure out where can we contribute, ah how do we contribute, and where do I need to be? That's my opinion. how i That's how I address seat at the table. Awesome.
00:26:48
Speaker
Ken? So I totally agree with that. 100%. I would say also some of that is a lot of it. Most of it is on us, but it's also learning.
00:27:00
Speaker
In today's environment, learning is easier because we've got the internet. Well, we got AI too, so. and Well, we got Gen AI. But think about, we went to the library and we knew the Dewey Decimal Card System. That's what we knew.
00:27:16
Speaker
how don't think any of our today's future bosses are in the library as much as we were because what other choice that we have? the The world's information is at our fingertips.
00:27:28
Speaker
So if someone really wanted to be an expert in Gen AI, a good portion on that journey, they can get on their own. They can go and research it. you you Back then, you had to go through a lot to change careers and decide you were going to be an expert in this area, to go through a formal educational process.
00:27:46
Speaker
In today's environment, there's so much information, to so many credentials, there's so many certifications. If you decided that you were going to change your career and go down this different path,
00:27:59
Speaker
You absolutely could. But i also think we have to be prepared. Now, there are any number of paths. So I don't think there's any one path. I really embraced education and certifications.
00:28:12
Speaker
And so for me, I think that's an important part. And if that's what you need, regardless of the path, get the highest credential that you can get.
00:28:23
Speaker
And that will serve you well because it's something that people can't take from you. So being a CPA or being a certified internal auditor, which you encouraged me to also do. And I was shocked that you went down that path. but Well, I was listening to you and I was like, I'm going to be a CIA because Chris is CIA. I can do this and Chris is doing it.
00:28:42
Speaker
But I think that that path of competence and credibility with certifications is a path that has worked for me.
00:28:54
Speaker
And I think that's really important and people can get there without it. I mean, I don't want to say that's the only path forward. Lots of paths forward, but that's the one that I used. Yeah, now, if I can add, so when we, think that Kimberly and I have shared the, from our perspective, the personal side of seat at the table. I think that as executives, we also have to be responsible for making sure that the right people are at the table when we have a problem, solv especially as it relates to our teams or cross-functional teams.
00:29:28
Speaker
solutions that we need to develop. um ah It has to be. ah I don't believe that we can be as successful as we could be until we make sure that we have an inclusive table that's going to provide all of the insights and perspectives and points of view so that we can all together come up with the best solution to whatever problem we are trying to address.
00:29:47
Speaker
but And that's something that to me is my giving back. i When it comes to me personally, need to forge my path. But when it comes to others, I believe I have responsibility to my company, to my team, to make sure that I'm paying attention as to whether I have enough inclusion at the table and whether we're missing somebody that we need to add.
00:30:14
Speaker
Awesome. You know, I hear from... individuals entering the profession and everybody wants to be the managing partner, CEO, you know, the executive leader overnight.
00:30:27
Speaker
And it goes back to what I mentioned earlier. And I said at every phase, there's a seat. There's a phase that there's a seat as as a staff, there's a seat as a senior, seat as manager, so forth and so on.
00:30:41
Speaker
How important is it that the audience understand that at various levels, you need to be successful? You need to step up. You need to understand what that opportunity looks like. Because a seat at the table might be that you need to focus on Toastmasters, which I was told yes early in my career.
00:30:58
Speaker
Focus on Toastmasters, Chris. I'm like, why? You need focus on Toastmasters. I'm like, okay, well, I get it. But every at every phase, there's a stop, pause, take inventory.
00:31:11
Speaker
of where you are and understand what you should be doing. So if, am I reading that correctly? Yes. okay No, absolutely. I think that, um, I'm,
00:31:22
Speaker
um I have observed the same thing that you have observed, especially in the younger generations. um They want to arrive at the CFO level now, and in they want almost automatic promotions, time-based promotions, and that's something that has been in the past. the conversations that we've been having in regard to development and um how do we develop people, especially these days when a lot of people want to work remote. They don't want to connect. They don't want to go to the office. They want to do it all and remote.
00:31:56
Speaker
And um i think it's important that we convey that, that we teach that, that we share that with the young ones, that it's every step of our career has a purpose. We're learning different things and then we're building on top of that.
00:32:11
Speaker
level by level by level. ah There are accelerators. There's ways to learn faster. And one of the ways is having people who have already been there, who have been down that path, they can give us their advice and help us to make sure we don't go into the big potholes.
00:32:27
Speaker
ah But we have to go through it. It's part of the growth that each of us has to go through. yeah As we get down and we're wrapping this conversation up and I'm thinking about that recipe and I'm thinking and I always go back to recipe. I love to cook, by the way, if you don't know that I love to cook.
00:32:43
Speaker
But I always think about what are those five or six steps? And I don't know why I put six in there, but five. What are those five things? And I'm thinking about seat at the table and I'm thinking about my strategy.
00:32:54
Speaker
And from both of you, I want to hear this. What does it look like that are critical for me to take in order to have a seat at the table? I'll let Kimberly start. So I would think for me, it's always come down to a ah couple of things.
00:33:10
Speaker
One, we have to expect. um ah like... Expecting, because when we have expectations and people know what they are, they can meet and live up to them.
00:33:21
Speaker
And I think sometimes when you say, I expect you to do well, but I also expect x Y, and Z, ah think it's very helpful. I would say encourage. People need encouragement.
00:33:31
Speaker
i I am a speaker, but it always makes me feel great when someone says she did a good job up there. I'm like, oh, thank you. And I'm not, ah listen, I'm the person that if my name was on a poster, my face is on a poster, I get the poster and I take it home. They're like, why are you taking this poster home? Because my face is on it.
00:33:49
Speaker
I can't believe my face what is on this poster. and And so encouragement, I think is really good. I think it's also really important to think about excelling. How do you excel to your point at every level?
00:34:02
Speaker
If you're the person at the door, you're the person cleaning the rooms, you can excel and it shows. Because I've met people in restaurants that I was like, wow, you just blew me away with your personality and your energy.
00:34:15
Speaker
And I know you're going to do well no matter what you do. And I think that, you know, when you think about those things, that's what people connect to. Because in today's environment, we do have Gen AI. A lot of the things that we should know and do know will be automated over time. yeah But you can't automate the energy of a personal relationship.
00:34:37
Speaker
And that's where we have an advantage. And so for me, if they do, you know, the things that I've said we expect, they tell us what they expect. We tell them what we expect. We encourage them and people excel.
00:34:50
Speaker
Those things will repeat and repeat and then pay a forward. I think that's the success because you will reap what you sow. Awesome. and So I'll add to that.
00:35:02
Speaker
before I don't know that I can imagine, but ah what if I had to advise, and know I would say ah in order for for you to have a seat at the table, it's important that you focus on the following things.
00:35:14
Speaker
Preparation. Prepare yourself ahead. I love that about Kimberly when she was sharing her background and the things that she's done and how she prepares. She's preparing her ahead. So preparation, preparing ahead of being called to be at the table.
00:35:28
Speaker
Networking. Networking is not just in external. It's also internal. Network with your colleagues, with ah people from other groups, from other functions, so that they know who you are and what you're capable of, so that when there is a situation, an opening, they can think of you.
00:35:46
Speaker
So networking. Delivery. Because once they call you up, then you need to deliver. You need to ah do what they are expecting you to do. Consistency, so that they know they can trust you. And at the end,
00:35:59
Speaker
Humility. Stay humble. Just because you've got a place at the table. with the mean you that That chair can be moved. Exactly. You can still be asked to no longer be at the table. Right. That's true. That's a great point.
00:36:11
Speaker
You know, thank you both. It's been an absolute pleasure. I've learned a lot today. And I know how important it is to have leaders like you be a part of conversations like this because there are a lot of question marks out there.
00:36:24
Speaker
I was confused coming up and through the ranks, and it would have been awesome for me to turn on podcast and be able hear the two of you share based on your experiences. So I do thank you. Thank you for the opportunity. Thank you for the opportunity.