Her Story
About Seela
I started my career as a journalism major in college, but discovered quickly that I needed to earn money to survive, and journalism wasn't providing the path. This was back in the day when newspapers were folding and journalism was experiencing a major upheaval with the onset of the worldwide web. I decided to enter the corporate world very reluctantly because I was interested in the people's side and afraid of just sitting behind a desk crunching numbers. But from the very beginning of my first corporate job, I fell in love with the work that my new hire trainer was doing. I found such value in the way that she connected with me and every other person in that classroom, and I knew immediately that that was going to be my path. If I was going to do anything in the corporate setting, my space would be one where I could help people really realize their potential and find their confidence in their jobs. I worked my way into a new hire trainer position, and the rest is history. I have been in my field for 25 years, and in 2024, I branched out on my own into HR and leadership consulting. I work with mid-sized to larger organizations and with individuals on executive coaching and organizational HR programs. My typical day involves meeting with executive coaching clients, CHROs, or CEOs in smaller organizations, helping with things like change management and talent management. For example, today I mapped out the talent review process for a mid-sized dental organization with offices across the United States. I help with talent review, organizational performance, and advising on specific HR issues like ER issues that might be happening at an organization.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Seela
01What do you attribute your success to?
I was a child refugee, originally from Afghanistan. My family and I left Afghanistan in 1981 when I was 6, and we lived across the globe - in Asia for a while, in Germany for 7 years, and then my family moved to Omaha, Nebraska when I started high school. I think that background has been really helpful in helping me to understand two things: nothing really is permanent, the good and the bad, and nothing is really impossible, the good and the bad. So you have to really keep focused on what it is that you want and how you can contribute, and on the positive, and then just really stay focused on that. Things generally are not as hopeless as they seem, and also don't rest on your laurels when things go your way. It's about finding that middle ground of staying humble, staying connected, understanding the importance of human connection, because at the end of the day, it's other people who will be there when you need it. So also being a helping hand, so you can receive a helping hand when you need it. In the business world, I think that's very important in terms of referrals and building each other up, and building each other's businesses up, and then just knowing truly the temporary nature of everything. And I think once you come to terms with that, there's a lot of power in that.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice that I've received, and something I truly try to live by, is be of value in what you do to someone. So every day and everything that you do should truly be valuable and needed to someone in some way. So you should be helping people, and no matter what you do, whether your job is to be behind a spreadsheet, or crunch numbers, or deal with people, at the end of the day, there has to be true value in the way that you offer your work to someone.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say learn the rules of the trade. Understand the trade - understand HR, understand HR policies, understand psychology. I think we don't put enough emphasis on understanding the nature of being human, and how important that is in our line of work when we're dealing with people. And then I would say make your own rules. So, understand the rules well enough to know where you can break it, and forge your own path. You have to know the rules well enough to know which rules you can break. And then it's really important to just not do what everyone else has done and figure out your path, figure out your own role. But you have to know enough of the rules to not misadvise, or misguide, or create problems for somebody or for an organization.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think the biggest challenge in the field of HR right now is two things. One, I noticed that HR professionals, we have to redefine who we are and how we fit in this evolving business world. The nature of work is changing, and the relationship that people have with work is changing. So all of these things are changing all at once, and I think there's great pressure, as well as a need for HR professionals to step in and help organizations and people figure out how to navigate the next 10 to 15 years as things continue to change and evolve with AI technology, and as we try to find the new normal.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
God first, family, and being true to your word in all things.
Keep Exploring
More Influential Women · Arizona
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.