The Gift of a New Perspective
Have you ever had an experience that woke you up in a way you didn’t even know you needed?
I’m going to share with you today a recent experience that woke me up.
We’ve been expanding our team. We're hiring program facilitators and coaches to support program participants. This expansion has shifted how I hold our work. We've moved beyond offering a service and into running a business.
Running a business and hiring feels serious.
My initial perspective on hiring
My thoughts associated with hiring are rooted in my experience of running and building teams in tech, and they’re about:
Selecting the most telling interview questions.
Enrolling the appropriate panel of interviewers.
Creating clarity on what to look for in a role.
How to be as discerning and unbiased as possible.
Establishing a fair and even assessment of candidates.
Those thoughts evaporated when I saw how one of our new facilitators approached the interview process.
The gift of the new perspective
Prior to our call, we’d had a few brief email exchanges outlining the role and gauging her initial interest. The first few moments of our call were awkward for me. I didn’t feel grounded in how to interview and hire for this kind of role. I needed a moment to orient myself toward hiring in this capacity. I’d seen her facilitate and knew she could do the job. The call was to gauge fit for our team and for the women we serve.
After we tentatively navigated those awkward waters, she jumped in:
“Why don’t I start by telling you all the things I love about me?”
Her approach shocked me. It cut through all the norms of interviewing I’d inherited in my previous roles.
Once I let go of my former hiring experience, I felt delighted. She reminded me interviewing with my company could look different. It didn't have to mirror my historical reference point.
With that, I knew she was a fit. She embodied what we desire to instill in the women who join our programs.
What we offer women
We design our programs to help women cut through the noise of their historical reference points. Together, we question what the patriarchy has taught us is appropriate and necessary to be a leader.
Most of what leaders have modeled expired long ago. It doesn’t transfer to the women who enroll in our programs. Most of what we see only applies to white men.
Women discover a new leadership style in our programs. One that's personal and honors the woman they are. One that evokes delight in them as they step into leading their worlds.
Call for reflection:
What's something you love about yourself? How can you honor that today in how you lead?
Shine On,
Alicia