Andrea Floyd-Seals, PhD

I attribute my success to a combination of strategic thinking and knowing when and how to execute with discipline. I've always been that person that really understands the why behind an initiative, and not just the what, which gives us that connection from the day-to-day work to a larger scale organizational outcomes. That shift really came for me when I moved away from that day-to-day work and looked at how this impacts the overall organization and the business outcomes and initiatives as a whole. I've prioritized continuous education, whether it's staying current on workforce trends, federal contract strategies, or instructional design innovations and things that are happening in the classroom. I've been intentional about building strong relationships and maintaining reputations that are reliable, whether that's with customers or clients. My dissertation focused on understanding which is more important: social capital or human capital, what you know versus who you know. I found that in both cases, continuing to educate yourself as well as building those relationships, one doesn't truly supersede the other, but it's the idea of understanding which is most important in the situation that is specific to you at that time. It's about finding the biggest challenges of how you can be consistent and understand when to deliver on each of those nuggets of success.

The best career advice I've probably ever received is don't just do your job, but do something that positions you for the one that you want in the future. That really shifted my perspective. I know a lot of times, specifically for women, we focus in on the work that we're doing that day, or at that time, and not really focusing on the advancement of our career long terms, whereas others may have a different perspective of already being focused in on what the next life cycle or the next span of work will look like for them in the future. That forward thinking mindset is very important and has been very influential in me looking at opportunities to, while I'm in the current position, look for things that are forward-thinking and different perspectives that can expand my career thought process or mindset. It helped me move from more of an execution focus to more of a strategic leader as a whole.

Be intentional about building both competence and confidence. Early in your career, it’s easy to over-index on doing great work but under-invest in visibility. You need both. Learn how to communicate your impact clearly, advocate for yourself, and ask for opportunities that stretch you. Also, don’t wait until you feel “100% ready” to pursue leadership roles growth happens in the stretch. Also, build a strong network. Relationships open doors, provide mentorship, and create opportunities that skills alone sometimes can’t.

I think it's universal across all fields: AI. Understanding how to navigate AI and how it's rapidly evolving, and looking at workforce expectations and how they can shift to more flexible spaces. A lot of spaces now are looking at how gig work is a major leading industry across all facets. People enjoy environments where they can go in and get a couple of hours of work and walk away from that and continue out their day focusing on the things that are important to them. As we continue to reshape those entry-level positions, we have to reshape how an entry position is actually marketed, because a lot of the things that we're looking at as entry level are also things that are driven by AI or can be done by AI solutions. It's about finding that balance between what is important to the current generations that are going into the workforce now, which is more driven toward autonomy and that flexibility, and then looking at ways in which we can expand or capture the AI aspects of removing those bottom percentages of work that we can do within those industries. I think AI is very helpful. It's building a more robust industry as a whole because it removes a lot of that bottom 10% to 20% of work that could be automated or removed from the workforce. It gives others the opportunity to focus on things that are more rewarding or more important to advance in their careers as they move forward. You never want to be that person that is stuck in a job where you're doing checkbox work, and I think AI is helping us remove a lot of that checkbox mentality as well.

I think operating with integrity is always going to be the most valuable asset to the work that I do. Operating with a sense that people know when you are bringing things to the table, they truly are valuable and meaningful, and people truly believe that what you're doing and what you're saying is something that they can stand on with pride and go forth with that information that you've given them as the bread and butter of what they believe. That's most important. A big part of the process is also lifting as you climb, always remembering that you will truly get the biggest bang out of your career by the people that you carry with you. I value my integrity, being a person that can be trusted and operates with integrity, as well as someone that is bringing others along and looking for ways and opportunities to continue to build the next generation and to prepare for whatever that looks like in their career trajectory.