Her Story
About Grace
I came up through the ranks, working jobs in high school and college - being on the front lines in customer service jobs taught me a great deal. You learn a lot from those experiences, both things to do and how not to be a leader, and how to be a leader. That was great training before I started studying this field. Now I work with clients regionally, traveling as needed depending on the client, though I'm plenty busy in the area. My work is rooted in applied behavioral science, which has a lot to do with humans, their backgrounds, their filters, and all those things. I have to be incredibly careful to not take on anybody else's assumptions in this work, including my own for that matter - we're human beings, even though we try to be unbiased. I'm also an advocate for awareness on traumatic brain injury and put a lot of volunteer hours into that, though I'm mindful that it can be both a positive and a stigma for people.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Grace
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Be curious and listen. Listening is fundamental to organization development, training, and any human intervention. It's too little of that anymore - it's a gift, it's a skill, and it is an incredibly important and positive investment. We need to be able to stay really curious in this field because applied behavioral science has a lot to do with humans, their backgrounds, their filters, and all those things. We have to be incredibly careful to not take on anybody else's assumptions in this work, including my own. Reach out to colleagues - we all leave a legacy anywhere we touch any other person, and we definitely want to create a legacy of learning, of curiosity, of collaboration. Share what wisdom and insights you have, even if they're hard-earned - that's sometimes where we learn the most, in the difficult times and challenges. I encourage women particularly to take on a collaborative mindset, as opposed to competitive. I've seen in my interactions and work - in medical units, deep into hospital units and companies and nonprofits - that females are often hardest on each other. We don't have to trample somebody else down to climb up. There are ways to help support each other, and everybody wins. We can really strip away a whole layer of angst and needless expenditure of energy and time and focus. Don't make this harder - it's not necessary.
02What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Creating a culture of candor, learning, curiosity, collaboration, and excellence - not perfection - is fundamental to my work. I believe in leaving a legacy of learning, curiosity, and collaboration anywhere we touch any other person, professionally or personally. I value listening as a gift and a skill, and staying curious because we have to be incredibly careful to not take on anybody else's assumptions, including our own. I believe in collaboration over competition, and that everybody rises with the tide - we all have to meet our needs and achieve our goals, but there are ways to help support each other where everybody wins. We can be more actualized human beings when we work together rather than making things harder than necessary.
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