Jennifer Dick

I would have to say the people that I've been exposed to and interacted with over the years. That goes from my parents, my brothers growing up, I took piano lessons so my piano teacher, the influential women like my Sunday school teacher, my coaches from after-school programs where I was involved in soccer and basketball and softball. I think all of those little memories and what I like to say is aha moments start to click and kind of paint that picture along the way. Jobs that I've had over the years - I used to work at a country club and I ran the dining room for a couple of years, and there were some members of the country club that I was able to build relationships with them and their families, and some of them really were able to either suggest particular items for me to work on or compliment me on something that I was doing really well. The opportunity to be exposed to that is not something that everybody has, so having the group of individuals that I've been able to just be blessed to be a part of in my life, all the way through college and my master's degree - the professors and adjunct faculty members and my peers. I played soccer in college so certainly my teammates, and then as you progress into your career and your job, your peers and your co-workers are really influential in being a part of a successful project or task. Just being able to build those relationships, whether it's asking to be a part of something or being asked to be a part of something, it's just built kind of one layer on top of the next. Exposure to certain projects at Aflac that I would never have the opportunity to be exposed to if I wasn't on a particular team. Being a part of the Junior League - I was actually asked by one of my accounts when I was selling Aflac, the HR manager said to me, Jennifer, I think you would be really a great fit for the Junior League, and she's like why don't you go and read a little bit more about it. Those little aha moments and people suggesting, like, hey have you ever thought about this, or I think you'd be really great at that, and being willing to listen. Being able to listen to the good, bad, and indifferent and responding to that in a way that is meaningful for what I'm looking to do or what I think is the best decision for me and my family.

I think that for young women, particularly because in the insurance industry and furthermore in the sales and technology industries, women are generally not seen more often in the room - it's generally male-dominated spaces. I would encourage folks that maybe do have a counseling background to understand the importance and significance of communication and really being open if they're looking for opportunities or growth. Really being open to hearing and understanding where their skill set from counseling might plug into those other areas, whether it's insurance or otherwise. Really trying to understand and see that there's so much overlap, just being able to communicate effectively, to understand how to listen, because that's a skill set in itself as well, and how that applies to either group dynamics today within teamwork or how one is working on a project or how one might be selling a particular product or system. I would encourage folks to speak up more quickly in some instances, and then in others use your discretion of where you're at in the room. I think it's important that women in particular continue to look at that to say, am I speaking up here because I just want to be heard, or am I speaking up here because there's a particular topic or representation that hasn't yet been addressed that is really significant and important in the overall value of this project? And somebody needs to speak to that.

I've been not only given but I think reinforced just throughout my life that I need to be very deliberate and purposeful on when I'm spending my time and energy and with what. I feel that I have continued to really create the ability to section off certain pieces of my life, really be able to focus in and spend the time where I am with whatever that topic is or that person is or that subject is, versus trying to multitask. I try to remain very deliberate and focused. For example, I have a corporate phone and I also have a personal phone - there are several that I work with that don't want to separate them, but I have to for my own emotions and for my own level of organization and planning and structure in my life. I need to keep these things separate because my life with my husband and my family and my hobbies and my interests, while there are correlations certainly with what work means to me, I will choose to operate them differently because they mean something different in my life. Yes, work is important to me, yes my career is important to me, but there are things like volunteering and spending time in the community and giving back to the community and helping my family and my parents and spending time with my friends that I need to ensure that stays outside of my working day duties and responsibilities. That for me has been helpful - trying to remain very deliberate and focused on okay that is done, I need to kind of take a switch and focus in and leave work at work.