Elvia Jablinski

I attribute all of my success to my father. I was very blessed with having the absolute best father in the world. I recently lost him 2 years ago - it was very sudden, he was young, he had a heart attack at work. My father was my cheerleader, he was my best friend, and he was the hardest-working man I have ever met in my life. He loved his family with all that he had, and he was the best example of what it is to give back to the community, to give back to the people that you love, and to give your all to whatever you do. I definitely would say that he is my biggest source of motivation, even now. I think, well, what would Dad do? Dad would definitely keep pushing forward and working through this. I was just so blessed to have the best father in the world.

The best career advice I've ever received is to make sure that there is always time for something that you are passionate about. Whether it be finding a company that aligns with your values and fills your cup, or finding an organization that gives back to the community, always find some time for something that brings you joy. Because at the end of the day, we're human beings, and what we do matters, and the difference that we make matters, and so finding something that brings you joy and that gives back to the community is just as important as being a productive member of society.

I would say to be very clear on what it is that you want to accomplish. There are lots of jobs out there that will offer a big salary, there are lots of jobs out there that will offer a luxurious life, but be very clear on your intentions and what it is that you want to do in your career. What is the impact that you want to have on the world, and trust your gut. Be true to yourself, because that's what's going to lead to longevity, not job hopping. If you're clear on your intention and what kind of impact you want to have, I feel like you can't go wrong. So many people have gone away from trusting themselves and trusting their gut, but there's desperation and all sorts of things happening in the world. If you are genuine and you genuinely want to help people and want to help businesses, they can see that. They can smell a salesperson from a mile away, but if you're coming to them as a human being and saying, no, I'm here to help, I'm here for you and your people, that is truly the benefit of being a good human being and being somebody that wants to give back.

Some of the biggest challenges are just our current marketplace, what's happening every day, the changes that are happening every day with tariffs and with all of these other things that are definitely impacting smaller businesses. There's a lot of fear around what our economy is going to look like in the next couple of years. That's probably our biggest issue right now - getting companies to open up and be vulnerable and let us know what's happening in their organization so that we can create a plan together and move forward. But that also shows opportunity. If you are genuine and you genuinely want to help people and want to help businesses, they can see that. They can smell a salesperson from a mile away, but if you're coming to them as a human being and saying, no, I'm here to help, I'm here for you and your people, that is truly the benefit of being a good human being and being somebody that wants to give back.

For me, it's helping people. It has always been helping people in any way that I can, which is why I became a teacher - I wanted to help students be a part of something greater than themselves. That's why I came into human capital management - helping business owners truly build something that is worth working for for their employees. Helping people has always been, ever since I was a little girl, my number one value. I would give free private lessons to students in need when I was in high school. It's just, what can I do to help other people achieve what they want to achieve, or at least get a little bit closer to what they would like to achieve. I also think that finding a company that aligns with your values, that aligns with giving back to the community and making a difference that way, is the most important career move. Finding a company that truly believes in what you're doing and who you are as a human being - that's priceless and it makes every day feel a little bit better.