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Repost Series: Navigating Corporate Leadership with Janis Hoyt
15 Plays2 months ago
In this episode, Janis and Shannara will deep dive into corporate leadership with Jans Hoyt, Chief Human Resource Officer at Primal Pet Group. Janice shares her journey from retail to healthcare to consumer product goods (CPG), including her impactful role at The Honest Company. Discover the importance of diversity and inclusion (D&I) in corporate culture, especially during times of crisis like the pandemic and social upheaval. Learn how leaders can embrace vulnerability and authenticity to foster meaningful connections and drive positive change in the workplace.
00:00 - 04:37 Introduction
Introducing Jans Hoyt, Chief Human Resource Officer at Primal Pet Group.
Reflecting on the journey from retail to CPG and the pivotal role at The Honest Company.
Emphasizing the value of relationships forged during challenging times.
04:37 - 12:25 The Importance of Authentic Leadership
Exploring the significance of authenticity and vulnerability in leadership.
Navigating corporate spaces as women and women of color.
Overcoming challenges and embracing individuality in the workplace.
12:25 - 20:17 Evolution of Work Culture Amidst the Pandemic
Adapting to remote work dynamics and redefining the concept of the workplace.
Prioritizing safety and purpose in shaping the future of work.
Challenges and opportunities in managing diverse, multi-generational teams.
20:17 - 43:48 Fostering Inclusive Conversations
Addressing sensitive topics, including racial injustice and diversity.
Promoting open dialogue and active listening to support employees.
Embracing authenticity as a catalyst for positive organizational change.
Stay tuned for more insightful conversations on navigating the corporate landscape and fostering inclusive workplaces. Don't forget to subscribe and share your feedback with us!
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Transcript
Introduction to The Good Guide
00:00:00
Speaker
Hey there, welcome to The Good Guide, your ultimate career companion. I'm Shannara Good, and I've been on quite the career roller coaster. From the trenches of entry-level positions to the boardrooms as a now more seasoned professional.
00:00:15
Speaker
Believe me when I say i have been there and know that I've acquired some wisdom over the years that I cannot wait to share with you. Ever felt like you're on your career journey solo?
00:00:26
Speaker
Or maybe you're curious about conquering career plateaus, overcoming imposter syndrome, or leading with unwavering confidence. Well, I promise you are in the right place.
00:00:38
Speaker
Every week, my guests and I will share our own challenges and successes. We'll talk about everything from career development to leadership to even work-life balance. Expect a healthy dose of authenticity and of course, our tips and tricks that will have you navigating your career with a newfound confidence.
00:00:58
Speaker
Don't miss out on the knowledge drop, y'all. Hit that like, subscribe, and follow button on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. Trust me, you won't want to miss an episode.
00:01:12
Speaker
Because this is the good guide, where we're not just chasing success, we're defining it. Are you ready to elevate your career game? Let's dive in.
Shannara's Career Beginnings in LA
00:01:26
Speaker
When I first moved to LA and after I decided I was going to leave behind corporate, I actually started at a company called The Honest Company. You probably know it.
00:01:38
Speaker
You've probably heard about it. You've probably either shopped their baby products or their beauty products, but The Honest Company was founded by Jessica Alba. And it started off just selling baby products. So in the CPG, so the consumer product good industry, selling baby products. So we're talking wipes, diapers, baby shampoo and bubble bath and and all of that.
Introducing Janice Hoyt
00:02:00
Speaker
Over the years, she then expanded her portfolio and got into the beauty space, which is right around, it's probably about a year or two after that is when I joined the organization.
00:02:11
Speaker
And it was the first corporate job that I had in LA and it really was the catalyst of me getting into the CPG space and really learning a lot about the world that is consumer product goods. So I really cherish that experience.
00:02:27
Speaker
Now, one of the relationships that I gained from that experience was today's guest. And on today's episode, I sit down with Janice Hoyt. And Janice is now the chief human resource officer at Primal Pet Group.
00:02:44
Speaker
But before that, she was the chief people officer at the Honest Company. And that's how her and i got the chance to work together. What I loved ah the most about working with Janice is just her level of vulnerability.
00:02:56
Speaker
When it comes to HR, I'm not saying that I'm a skeptic, I'm not trusting of HR, but I feel like when you're at larger corporations, you never quite know whose HR is on.
00:03:07
Speaker
And what I loved the most about Janice was that I just always felt like she was on my side. I really felt that I could go to her, that I could be really trusting of her.
00:03:18
Speaker
And particularly, i was at the Honest Company going through the very beginning stages of the pandemic. It wasn't even that we were just going through a pandemic together, but we were also going through the aftermath of George Floyd and the aftermath of just really being fed the F up as people of color with the diversity and inclusion disparities that within organizations. And her and I really bonded. And even with her being a chief people officer, like she was levels and levels above me, but her and I really bonded on the topic of d DNI and the importance of DNI within an organization and how we have a duty to show up for the organization in a way that only we can as women of color
00:04:06
Speaker
So anyway, we get into that a little bit today during our episode, but I thought it was really important to bring her on because I wanted to get ah HR perspective on post-pandemic ways of working and also just learn a little bit more about her because even though we worked in the same organization, i thought
Challenges and Motivations for Women in Corporate
00:04:23
Speaker
about it. I had never really had a full-blown sit down with her to understand her background and kind of how she got started down the path that she is on.
00:04:31
Speaker
So I really hope you guys enjoy this episode and thank you in advance for listening. Hi, Janice. It's so good to finally see you after so long. How are you? Doing great. Thank you. It's so wonderful to see you too.
00:04:45
Speaker
i know. i'm I'm trying to think when we would have last seen each other. It was post-COVID though, right? Like COVID had already happened. Well, yeah, it had already happened. But kind of in that timeframe, it seemed like COVID went on for a such a long period of time. Yeah.
00:05:02
Speaker
Yeah. so I think that throughout that time, you know, there was this back and forth in the office and catching up with people afterwards too. so I know we definitely did that.
00:05:13
Speaker
Yeah. Well, thank you so much for being on the podcast. As you know, I really like to focus on highlighting and just talking to women that are in the corporate space. I think that we do a wonderful job. We, as in just general, the general public community,
00:05:29
Speaker
does a wonderful job of giving women who are entrepreneurs platforms to speak, which is fantastic. But i also wanted to, you know, i felt really strongly in creating this podcast of making sure that we're also highlighting the women who have actively...
00:05:46
Speaker
chosen to stay within the corporate space and wanted to understand a little bit more behind kind of the whys and what what keeps us here, what keeps us kind of thriving in the space. So I wanted to start off by just kind of getting or giving the listeners a bit of an overview of how did Janice get to where you are today? What's your background? Kind of what's your been your journey along the way?
00:06:12
Speaker
Yeah, it's it's really interesting because I look back on it and it's been many, many years, both in business and then mostly in human resources. yeah But I have to say that, you know, some of the parts of my journey actually weren't all that planned. There were opportunities that actually came in front of me.
00:06:35
Speaker
And it started actually when I was in college, when I went to UC Berkeley I had planned to go to law school, actually was prepared to go to to law school, but then decided I just really wanted to take some time, wasn't ready to to really um make that commitment.
00:06:56
Speaker
And I ended up joining a program that was leading to a buyer in retail, which which is really kind of interesting because i I never thought that I would be in this opportunity, but I have to say that starting my career where I could see firsthand business end to end was really interesting to me. And it brought out really the fact that I think that being curious about learning something has always been something that's challenged me. And I would say has kept me on this journey of kind of finding new and interesting paths along the way.
00:07:39
Speaker
And it wasn't anything that I necessarily said, this is what I'm going to do with my career. And so as I went down that journey, and I learned lot about business, because it was very rotational. So I had a rotation advertising, had rotation in marketing, had a rotation in ops, had a rotation actually being a department manager and managing 25 people when I was, know,
00:08:02
Speaker
you know fairly new in my career and young, but at the end of the day, I ended up doing a career stint for a short period of time in human resources.
00:08:12
Speaker
And I really love that because at the end of the day, it was about figuring out what motivated people, number one, but the impacts to the business and how that's an important part of actually executing on all results.
00:08:29
Speaker
So I went into human resources and that's how I started my career. First in retail. And then I jumped over to healthcare care for many, many years. And then from healthcare into CPG and worked for large public companies for the majority of my career.
00:08:49
Speaker
When I was the vice president of human resources at Blue Shield California, I got an opportunity to go work at the Honest Company, which was at that time, i was only six years old. Yeah.
00:09:00
Speaker
startup. You remember oh yeah building of this company that, you know, as you know, we took it public in May of 2021.
00:09:12
Speaker
And, you know, all along the way, what really resonated with me were the people impacts and actually how the leaders led people together as a community and a network that could be very inspiring Or, you know, i i always saw the the good and the bad of what would happen with people. And i think that because I'm a sociologist, I have a degree in sociology and also a master's in organization design and human resources, that my curiosity around what makes people tick, what are the things that are unique to us as human beings, first and foremost, I think have a tremendous impact
00:09:56
Speaker
on what we choose to do with the majority of our time every day, which in many cases, it's, it's our work life yeah and people we associate with and and choose to associate with.
00:10:09
Speaker
And so my journey, i would say has been very much, I feel fortunate that opportunities have come to me. And as I look back on my career, i wish I was more courageous yeah to make those things happen for me yeah and speak up for myself.
Navigating Identity and Diversity in the Workplace
00:10:27
Speaker
I started, you know, the workforce where there weren't a lot of women that would even think about coming back from maternity leave. It was kind of like, you know, oh you're going to, you know, stay home and raise your, your, your children. i have four children and i always worked.
00:10:45
Speaker
And so I had to navigate through that kind of era of what's it like for a working mother that wasn't necessarily the norm during that time.
00:10:57
Speaker
But also as a umm a Native American woman who had to navigate through some ups and downs of my career. And I know it was number one because I was a woman.
00:11:09
Speaker
But also i think people kind of always wanted to figure out ah little bit about, you know, who I was because of what I looked like. Yeah. And so that was always interesting because i always felt different, number one. And I always felt like, you know, how do i make this work?
00:11:27
Speaker
for myself. I had a boss really early in my career in retail who basically asked me, he goes, I know you're Indian Janice, but are you a woo woo Indian or are you a red dot?
00:11:43
Speaker
oh no And it took me really back to at that time I was in my early twenties and I thought, wow,
00:11:55
Speaker
I have to really explain who I am in this world going forward. And it taught me a lot about, i think, really the fact that being an individual and having a choice of who I want to show up in the workplace to be as my own authentic self, that those types of things just make you stronger.
00:12:18
Speaker
oh absolutely. I think resilience is what I know will definitely get you to where you are today. Yeah, no, absolutely. i'm I'm very curious and there's so much to unpack there. So we'll definitely break it up. But I think the thing that is most surprising to me, or I guess that I'm most curious about is, so you leave Berkeley, which actually had no idea that you were a Berkeley gal.
00:12:43
Speaker
So, but so you leave Berkeley, you're ready to enter the work or like you decide that you weren't going to go to law school. Then you ultimately are like, all right, I'm going to enter the workforce. if You were to think back to how many women, like your actual coworkers, how many of them were women? Like, can you give a rough estimate?
00:13:01
Speaker
Say that the industry that I went into right away, retail, I had an entire percentage of of women. Mm-hmm. But that was an indicator to me a little bit as I looked at the levels in the organization.
00:13:16
Speaker
Certainly at top jobs, yeah you would see one or two women. But that was not the norm at the majority of you know the CFO, certainly the the CEO.
00:13:28
Speaker
At that time, any of the general managers, um divisional managers, But I do think it was an industry in which women had an opportunity to accelerate and elevate.
00:13:40
Speaker
And so i think that definitely the ratio was greater there. When I stepped into healthcare, care it was significantly fewer women and very different. And I would say the same CPG. I think that every industry has progressed at different rates. rate Yeah.
00:14:01
Speaker
And cases, and I think that you can see that in just how the evolution of different companies have really learned build in diversity and inclusion and how that is as true drivers.
00:14:15
Speaker
And that's definitely, I think, has been impacted based on the industry. Yeah. Yeah, I definitely feel relief because I also started my career in retail and obviously I'm still in retail.
00:14:27
Speaker
And funnily enough, when I had interned at Target at the store first, and we all had to do like a project at the very end of the internship. And the project that I actually ended up doing was in the HR space.
00:14:42
Speaker
Because I really, I think like even what you were saying earlier, I think for me, what was astounding was the fact that I was working. i was a manager for lack of a better phrase or to use a more general term.
00:14:55
Speaker
I was a manager of the store and I was managing kind of the front ah front of of store space. And there were people there that had been at that one individual store in Atlanta, Georgia for like 20 years.
00:15:08
Speaker
But then on the flip side, there were individuals that were 16 years old working for the very first time. And I just found it so unique that like... Only in the retail store space specifically are you going to get such a diverse like group of people working together.
00:15:29
Speaker
And that's not even just then, that's now too. And I think that's one thing that I would say like the corporate side, like working at a desk, you tend to have very similar demographic in terms of individuals, whereas like store side, you definitely don't.
00:15:47
Speaker
So it's it's interesting that you even, that you kind of you started out in a rotational because I sort of did too. And then I ultimately decided like, I'm better behind the desk because walking on my feet all day just sounds awful.
00:15:58
Speaker
horrible. It was very, very difficult for me. But yeah, I think it was retail has such an interesting way of kind of like allowing you to stumble upon diverse groups, depending on where you work. So how long into working did you start having kids?
00:16:16
Speaker
It was probably five years ah into my career that I had my first son. And i think what you said was really important about just in retail, you have the different generation, you have a couple of generations right there. There's a dynamic there.
Impact of the Pandemic on Work Culture
00:16:32
Speaker
But in the workplace, from a corporate standpoint, it still had not really truly evolved, at least when I was, you know, at that particular time. In my life and career.
00:16:44
Speaker
I think that for me, it was something that I desired to do. But also, it was something that I needed to do as well is to continue working.
00:16:54
Speaker
And so it just was an interesting time because it was something that I had to navigate through. And there was one other person that was kind of going through the same or similar, you know, having a baby. And I remember that network was so incredibly important. It literally, we had our own little ERG. Yeah. The OG ERG. Yes.
00:17:19
Speaker
ah But, you know, just really having experiential things that you can share, you know, with somebody in the workplace was really important. But navigating that, you know, just The dynamics of you think about it being in the office. I mean, now, you know, there's been so much change with the pandemic and, you know, really, where is the workplace? I think about if the conditions have been different back there, it would have been a different experience for me.
00:17:50
Speaker
Yeah, I think about pre and post pandemic at least once a day, especially now that I'm managing a team and managing a relatively younger team or at least a team that's in a different generation than me.
00:18:03
Speaker
It's just something that I'm like constantly having to think about because at the end of the day, I started out my career in an office wearing business professional, like, you know, being a expected to be in my seat at eight o'clock, not taking my laptop home to finish work, like you having to use a toggle VPN to log into, you know, if I ever did want to work remotely.
00:18:24
Speaker
now they it's like the thought of even going to the office, they're like, wait, what does that even look like? So how has that even been for you, especially being in human resources, having to help even like heard in a sense, heard the us all from being used to working in corporate or like in the office to now not working in the office.
00:18:47
Speaker
Plus there's that demographic of individuals that are younger and have never worked in the office. So like, what has it been like even just seeing that kind of progression over the years? It was the most asked question I remember having. And I had a network of HR professionals that were meeting. we' We're all trying to figure out. And this was two weeks after we had left the office back in that morning time for...
00:19:14
Speaker
Yeah. and And it was like, when are we going to all be going back into the office, you know on a regular basis? So that question went on for probably six months to a year of asking, when is everybody going to be returning back into the office?
00:19:31
Speaker
And then it started to shift to will everyone come back to a a office and And during that time, there's all this talent transition that's happening, people leaving, people getting multiple hustles ah going, people onboarding never having been in the office.
00:19:52
Speaker
But yet the companies are still kind of working towards that. When is it going to go back to this norm? yeah And it took us such a long period of time To really realize that it's not necessarily about where you're doing the work. The work, yeah. We spent so much time on the date going back into a physical office that I think at the end of the day, what happened is we finally realized that it was the reason why people chose to continue to work for companies, no matter where the work was going to be for them.
00:20:29
Speaker
Yeah. And that there was this openness. And I really started to realize that it was really more about the purpose of the why a person was willing to work.
00:20:40
Speaker
It was what the managers and the company was doing help. We had to be really vulnerable. There was a point in which I remember thinking, oh my God, i have zero answers to all the people that are asking me what's going to happen next and what are jobs going to evolve to? When will our managers be able to tell us where things are what to do, all of that? And I just remember thinking,
00:21:08
Speaker
you know, we're going to all ride this wave together and we're going to do the best we can with data that's unfolding. Number one, being safety as a core pillar, but also having purpose be another guiding factor in how we do everything. yeah Because the meaning behind the why we work, I think, transcends really the willingness of where you're going to do it.
00:21:40
Speaker
Yeah. And who you're going to do it for matters. That person who's going to make meaning for you about what you're going to be doing, what it's going to feel like, how things are going to be different and start to craft that new world for you and be open enough to say that, you know, we need to do it together.
00:22:00
Speaker
So I think that this collaborative spirit of what feels right, And it's not the same. And it's so hard for people to, for even myself to get away from the mental model of what the workforce looked like. like Yeah.
00:22:17
Speaker
Yeah. Here's a question. And it just kind of popped into my head just now, because i I'm going to be honest, like, It is really hard for me as an individual. And I say this is one, whenever I'm interviewing or anything like that, I always say this is one of my, as one of my strengths of like, who I am at home is the same person as who I am at work. I always say there might be a few less F-bombs, but for the most part, I'm the same exact person.
00:22:42
Speaker
Where I always get curious about is for individuals in HR, especially high level, I mean, you're at the VP level. There is a kind of requirement that you have to, in a way, kind of have that face of things are going to be okay, right? Like we're a united front. Things are going to work out.
00:23:04
Speaker
So I'm curious, like throughout the pandemic, throughout all of the kind of like diversity conversations, all of the racial injustice, like all of that, how do you still kind of do your self-service by like not necessarily suffering in silence, but also still be that face to an organization that might be in need of support?
Authenticity and Leadership in Crisis
00:23:27
Speaker
Yeah, I think that's one of the things that I continue to learn as a leader is that being your authentic self takes courage. And for so many years of my career, there was always this kind of have to wear the corporate hat. yeah So you do show up with, hey, everything's going to be great. Everything's going to be fine.
00:23:49
Speaker
But I think that there's a point in which, again, it's that vulnerability. that can be shown to show authenticity, which I think is truth that things may not always be great and perfect, but if there's a willingness to allow for choice of how we can make things better, that's something that I've learned in a leadership is that you always have a choice of how you're going to approach, yeah you know, an issue or something that may be uncomfortable and
00:24:24
Speaker
I think you can also back and when we were really challenged at the Honest Company about needing to bring forth some very, very serious, sensitive conversations and have them ah forthright and in the workspace as opposed to just really making it more sterile and saying, know, we're not going to really talk about this because that's something outside. But So I think take it and hit it head on is the way to do it in a more authentic manner. And I think that corporate companies, sometimes that may not be as comfortable to do but at the end of the day, you can never separate out what people are dealing with at home or outside. And then they kind of step into the doors of ah their workspace
00:25:22
Speaker
or if they're working remotely, you know, you're in their home. You're in their home. You're actually living those things. And I appreciate the people like you who really helped the organization come step forward with those conversations that we need to have because people need to be heard. yeah People need to understand and get educated through other people.
00:25:51
Speaker
yep That's the only way we're going to learn. So for me, there was a lot of learning about how do you show up as an authentic leader, yeah which is stepping into the space of caring enough to pull down the walls of, yeah you know, please, you're right. And we got to stay in this box, but take on some very challenging things.
00:26:17
Speaker
sensitive dialogue. Yeah. And i just deserve listening. listening Yeah. I still remember it was, I don't know what meeting it would have been. And I don't know if it was a, like a public meeting or if it was just when we were kind of meeting as a smaller ERG, but I remember something you said, and it's not verbatim, but it was just the tone and the conversation that that we were all having.
00:26:38
Speaker
Cause we were specifically speaking something about, you know, being black in the workspace or, or kind of the, I think it's the more of the perception of like, I am obviously a black woman.
00:26:49
Speaker
I cannot pass for anything else. And I think conversation kind of, you raised your hand and you were like, you know, I'm constantly having to basically defend who I am.
00:27:02
Speaker
Like everyone just assumes that I walk around, I'm a white woman and made a really, I feel like it was a moment where I saw you it kind of like clicked for me. This like, this is a woman of color that like her entire life, right?
00:27:17
Speaker
You have had to defend your race because outwardly you may not look a certain way or may not be perceived to look a certain way. And so like, I think that was a moment for me where I was like, wow, I'm a leader of a company.
00:27:32
Speaker
is but really honest about the struggle that you've had even within your life. And I think that was like a really strong moment of like connection that I had, whether you knew it or not, right. But that I had with you of like, we have that same struggle of like trying to fit in a place that like, doesn't always have, want to save space for us on top of being a woman. Right.
00:27:55
Speaker
yeah. so You know, throughout my life, my skin color, my eye color and everything has been the same. My hair color changes. Yeah. ah so And that's where I think a lot of people, i always get comments where people are, wow, you just get back from such and such because you're tanned on like this all year round. And, you know, it's interesting, though, how people do just the visual piece of it is,
00:28:25
Speaker
I think that experientially though, there are different degrees of how people are judged. yeah I understand that completely. And I just think that if we gave ourselves the chance to get to know people one-on-one beyond what is first the perceived judgment of who they are,
00:28:52
Speaker
we would have just an understanding of the fact that we are all just, we're just humans. yeah First and foremost, we're feelings and heart and same aspirations.
00:29:05
Speaker
And I think that's so important. Yeah.
The Future of Work and Remote Dynamics
00:29:07
Speaker
No, I couldn't agree more. Where do you think corporations are going with remote versus hybrid? The percentage, like, do you feel like we will ever, ever be a hundred percent back in the office?
00:29:20
Speaker
I don't think that we will be a hundred percent back in the office. Although I have to tell you, it seems like there is a trend for companies to actually have more work take place in the office.
00:29:38
Speaker
ye A lot of companies that were a hundred percent remote are now having, you know, one or two days in the office. And I think that it's going to take ah companies a little bit longer to figure out what the rhythm is because companies will always put it to the bottom line results.
00:29:59
Speaker
I mean, that's just yeah factually how it will be seen is everything has changed from how we are measuring the metrics around performance.
00:30:11
Speaker
And if you think about it for so many years of just the workforce, It's been about observation. Someone's seeing someone else do work and therefore has the results. Getting your butt in the seat means you're working.
00:30:26
Speaker
Yep. Yeah. saying it's It's like, okay, I can see, or I can tell them, or I can more immediately get that item or task that's needed.
00:30:38
Speaker
done at the pace that I can actually see it happen. yeah So I think that until there is more comfortability of what are the metrics yeah to show performance yep and also tools.
00:30:54
Speaker
If you think about it, we just up and left and went to working on kitchen tables and dining rooms and all that. yep and it wasn't as tooled what it took for such a long time to evolve. What is the workspace? Yeah.
00:31:14
Speaker
Economically and things that more at your fingertips that help you get the work done, let alone disruptions and stuff. I come into the office couple of days a week and I and feel like I just have this space.
00:31:30
Speaker
Yeah. exactly to Connect with. And, you know, I think I've heard a lot of people was like, well, You know, sometimes I get certain things done at home, but it's just a different level. So you're managing really multiple work spaces.
00:31:44
Speaker
Yep. Yeah, no, i say that a lot. I'm like, I could move back to Minneapolis and I'd have the option but to work in the office, but I do not want to do that. So i don't have the option to go into the office.
00:31:55
Speaker
And yet I also, whenever like next week I'll be in Minneapolis for work and it's like, I never get any work done because it's so, I i haven't exercised the muscle of getting work done at my computer desk in an office with a ton of distractions around me four, going on five years, you know?
00:32:15
Speaker
And so it's just like, it's very strange how quickly though that happened because like there wasn't a learning how to get work done in the office when I first started working at 22 years old, but now I'm like, man,
00:32:28
Speaker
like I don't know that I would be able to like go back and be as efficient because now not only can I get my work done on my three screens, but I could also do laundry and feed the dog and go on a walk. Like there's just so many other things that I'm like, God, I feel like I'm more productive.
00:32:46
Speaker
So, yeah no, it's interesting. It's a like I said, it's we're getting far as we get farther and farther away from the pandemic. It's still interesting to see all of the ways that it's bled into our life.
00:33:00
Speaker
Even just a second ago when you were talking, like I think about it now, if I were to buy a house today, i would have to buy a house with an extra bedroom for my office. Pre-pandemic, I wouldn't have cared about an office. I would have been like, oh, ah but one bedroom, that's fine.
00:33:16
Speaker
It's just me. But now I'm like, no, but now I need an office space. So it like has literally changed the way in which we live. So it's just, it's kind of crazy. yeah It's really interesting to say that because I also think about is what we do with our time.
00:33:31
Speaker
I would remember thinking that, gee, it'll be great because I'll have more time to do X, Y, Z. yeah If i'm working, i don't have that commutes. I had that, but then I look at the end of the day when I'm at home sometimes and I'm thinking I'm like my pajama bottoms are so right. I'm still in my, but where has the time go? yes And we just kind of pack everything and fill it up. And it's just how we look at time yeah what we do when we think that we have more time. And I'm reading this really kind of interesting book I picked up. It's called 4,000 Hmm.
00:34:10
Speaker
which is the kind of estimated amount of time that a person's lifespan would be. huh If you look at it in that way, like what would you do yeah in those weeks? But it's interesting how we fill up time. And I think that's another thing that pandemic did put in front of us was time spent in spaces that we didn't necessarily have a choice of,
00:34:38
Speaker
to be yeah or not to be. ye yeah And that whole kind of mindset, I think will really, kind of unpacked a few things. think it changed our but brain chemistry for sure. Like our entire makeup buildup, how we react to things, how we experience things.
00:34:56
Speaker
Yeah. Okay. So when you think about being back to this hybrid versus remote kind of conversation, especially you already in a leadership position, like how have you recommended those who are looking to continue to progress in their career and like continue to kind of go up that corporate ladder.
00:35:14
Speaker
Like what are some of the conversations that you've had around how someone still showcases, right, their ability to show up, do the job, be productive, et cetera, et cetera, even if they may not be in person all the time?
00:35:29
Speaker
You know, that's one of the things that I'm having to watch for as the chief human resource officer in my company now is How is visibility looked at when we have rising talent? Yeah. yeah I'm mentoring a couple of VP women in our organization that are both remote and they have to take some extra steps to make sure that their voices are being heard. And so my advice is that, you know, it is important to show up.
00:36:09
Speaker
And you can show up in multiple ways. I'm finding that and we've had some conversations about how they have learned different parts of the business in which they can actually invite themselves to actually step in and actually have an opinion and or a point of view, which is really important based on where they're leading. One is in communications and the other one is there in a VP sales role. Those roles both have great impact in terms of the information that they can bring yeah that can inform other areas. So I would say looking for opportunities that can allow you to have a point of view that can be helpful and cross-functional.
00:36:52
Speaker
It's always a great way to show up and be visible and to be brave about the fact that you do have data and information that not everybody would have.
00:37:05
Speaker
So I think it just takes a little bit of those connections and collaborations to really find that. Yeah, no, it does take, I mean, as someone who is 100% remote, it definitely takes a little bit more effort than it would if I were in person.
Mentorship and Career Growth
00:37:22
Speaker
Maybe it's not necessarily saying that it would take more effort and more so just that the effort is in a different place than it would be if I was in person, right? If I was in person, I'd probably be meeting with people one-on-one all throughout the week. Whereas here, I'm like, it's maybe not necessarily meeting with people one-on-one, but it's kind of to your point, like,
00:37:40
Speaker
I'm specifically on a project where like me being in LA is actually super beneficial because we're talking about how the consumer varies from an LA market to a Minnesota market.
00:37:53
Speaker
So it's like, how do I show up with like that level of kind of, Hey, guess what I can talk about and provide you with because I'm here versus my counterpart that isn't here.
00:38:03
Speaker
And so just finding those pockets of like, Hey, I'm still an asset, which I feel differently on different days. It depends on the topic or kind of if it's a good week or a bad week.
00:38:15
Speaker
But I think for the most part, it's like, yeah, having to figure out where's your competitive advantage, so to speak, in the fact that you are either remaining remote fully or kind of split your time, depending.
00:38:28
Speaker
So, okay, well, I, oh, sorry, go for it. Finish up. And I think also there's a way to actually develop and lead the team that can actually help a person kind of elevate where they are. i mean, development of people is always a great way to help elevate, you know, a developer of people.
00:38:48
Speaker
a hundred percent. I'm showing. Yeah, I definitely feel like I'm a better leader because I'm having to lead both remotely. I'm remote for all of my people, but having to lead differently for someone who's fully remote versus someone who is hybrid. Yeah.
00:39:06
Speaker
It's a different dynamic than you would, I think we would have had to face again, had we been in the office. So, all right. Well, I like to end all of my interviews with this final question. So the question is, what piece of advice would you give yourself? I'm talking like 22, 23 years old, kind of, if you know, if you knew then what you know now, what is that one piece of advice that you would give?
00:39:32
Speaker
there's actually two things that I think are really important. yeah One is know yourself and be courageous to know that everyone has blind spots, but your blind spots shouldn't overshadow the things that are so great and positive about yourself.
00:39:54
Speaker
And I believe there's there so much greatness that everyone has. But one of the things that i really wish I had had and early in my career is really leaned in on a mentorship.
00:40:08
Speaker
I think that having, again, whether it's one or two people that can really be there for you as an advocate and a champion, not just someone who's going to like say, yeah, this is a career path or whatever, but really to know and understand you deeply also can help you get there with what are the great things about you? And what are the things that you may need to help navigate through your career?
00:40:37
Speaker
yeah And there's, there's something that i had learned from a colleague that I thought was really great. And it was really their personal, they called it their personal board um directors. Oh yeah. I feel like I've heard people use that term before. Yeah. yeah And it's like, pick a few people in your life that you trust and,
00:40:58
Speaker
and you know, know you yeah that can give you advice. And it's different, done that exercise. There are different people that know different things yeah that I know I can go and get the right advice from. yeah And it's not all the same.
00:41:13
Speaker
And I think that that's something that I think would have been really helpful just to give me courage and encouragement to raise my hand, you know, more quickly or to just have a network that can be shared too. It's amazing how many mentorships can lead to having great opportunity to meet other people and have career opportunities. So yeah that's what I would think would be what I would like to go back to. them so
00:41:45
Speaker
Yeah, I love that. I think that earlier, 100% agree. I think earlier on in my career, not that I didn't have mentors, I didn't want mentors, but I thought of mentorship as asking for help. And I didn't like the idea of having to ask for help.
00:42:01
Speaker
And I think if you can understand that no one gets to where they are alone, I think that that's kind of that message of like, you have to have people in your corner to progress.
00:42:14
Speaker
That's just the way somehow, somewhere along the way, that's how corporate- Was that had kind of, you know, has morphed into, but i definitely agree. I think that ability to have those board of directors and I always even take it a step further and say, I need a board of directors that are going to think like have a very, like they think one person that thinks like me, one person that like I disagree with a majority of the time, like, you know what i mean? Just so that you could have that also variety and well-rounded,
00:42:47
Speaker
thought process, whether it be, you know, shoot, I did something wrong. Like, can you help me figure out where I went wrong or, or something that's like more of a supportive conversation, but yeah, definitely agree. but but And if you look at it from the board of director lens, you're really the one employing that as opposed to, you know, asking for help because yeah you're putting ah group of people with different skillsets. Mm-hmm.
00:43:17
Speaker
in your space. And there's so many people are wanting to to do that for others as well. Yeah. Love that. Well, Janice, thank you so much for chatting with me today. And it's just been so nice to like, like I said, even get to know you a little bit more in terms of like where you started your career off and and all of that. And just been really nice to see your face. It's been so long.
00:43:38
Speaker
It's so good to see you too. I really appreciate you taking the time. Absolutely. Such a pleasure to see you. Thank you. Yes, absolutely.
00:43:49
Speaker
Thank you so much for tuning in to this episode of The Good Guide, the podcast dedicated to guiding you through every twist and turn in your career journey. If you loved this episode, make sure to leave those five-star reviews and share this podcast with a friend, loved one, or hey, even a colleague.
00:44:08
Speaker
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00:44:19
Speaker
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