Jill Spohn

I think you have to do more with the time you have, and I would never say compromise extra time in order to get there. I don't think that's the answer. I think it's more about developing confidence and influence and making every second that you are working count. In this industry, you're in meetings all day if you're doing it right, collaborating with your stakeholders and leaders to make sure the decisions being made around talent are the right ones for the betterment of the future of the organization. So when you're working, you have to be on and ready to be on, but you also have to know when to set your boundaries. For instance, I didn't have email on my phone, I didn't work after hours, I just worked really, really hard during the time I had and was on for every meeting. I think just being your best self in these meetings, being prepared for them, following up afterwards, showing up incredibly well, listening and asking really thoughtful and curious questions is key. A lot of times people don't leverage meetings and collaboration the way that they should because they're kind of waiting for the next one or they're multitasking, and it's easy to get caught up in that. But if you're really listening and paying attention, you're going to get a lot out of that that you didn't realize.

Specifically for the talent field, I would say learn more about how to organizationally navigate and politically navigate the environment that you're in to become influential and a person that has a seat at the table. It takes a lot of time and effort, but really knowing the game, knowing who the players are, and being a bit of a chameleon in a way so that you can navigate the needs and wants of individuals and navigate the needs and wants of the organization as a whole, because sometimes those are not the same. Also, I would say timing is everything. I know a lot of people say that, but I remember coming into ODW like guns a-blazin', had so many great ideas, and it just wasn't the right time for some of them, and that could be frustrating at first, definitely early on in your career. But the main thing is to be patient and still have those ideas in your back pocket for when the time comes and the timing is right, because it will come. It will come for a lot of your great ideas, it just needs to be backed or supported by the right leaders and happening at the right time, and so then you can be there to support it when the time comes. And if you're working in a male-dominated environment like I was at ODW Logistics and Cardinal Health in the warehousing and logistics industry, which is incredibly male-dominated, it's all about trying to have a seat at the table and not being afraid to share your opinions, but also having them backed up by data. You can't go off of gut and intuition, but it is about not being afraid to push the needle, give yourself space in the room, and do it in a way that is diplomatic and for the betterment of them and the organization rather than pushing your own agenda. People will start to appreciate that and will start to respect that as long as you do it in the right way, and then you'll really start to find a seat at the table.