About Me

An experienced, Texas-feisty, caring, make-it-happen specialist. Looking for a position where I can push the world forward with innovation and radical support! 

Could you tell me about yourself? Why are you looking for a job at this time?

My professional career has commonly been a series of Office Manager titles, but I was the wearer-of-all-hats administrator for small and mid-sized businesses. I’ve done everything from negotiating vendor contracts, to managing renovation projects, creating and adhering to budgetary controls, ‘managing up’ and plunging toilets. I actually had to work on the toilet issue when I was working for a plumbing company. Isn’t that always the way?

Because I have worked in very specialized industries, like forensic accounting, petroleum engineering, 401(k) administration etc., there was no position for me to move up into in the company. So historically every 5 years or so I would need to find challenges in a new position. This has given me a deep toolbox to use in my endeavors- I’ve been everywhere and seen quite a lot of problems, personalities, and organizational cultures and have learned how to thrive in almost any situation. I’m currently looking for a position because rising interest rates dried up my work stream as a loan processor, around the same time my grandmother broke her back. I’ve been focusing on getting her (quite literally) back on her feet, while also finishing my master’s degree in strategic communication. Life has settled down and I’m once again in need of fresh challenges!

How do you deal with pressure or stressful situations?

I enjoy pressure, and thrive in fast-paced environments. They are just puzzles to solve, and I love solving puzzles! If somehow things pile up and I expect to miss a deadline, I will communicate that with the relevant parties, and check with a superior to see if priorities need to be adjusted. If a situation has me frazzled and frustrated, a quick 10 minute walk with my dogs does wonders to not only calm me down, but it often sparks an idea to approach the situation differently. A good strong cup of tea can do magic as well.

How do you keep yourself focused with competing needs and projects?

I am the queen of the checklist and sultan of the spreadsheet! “Plan the plan, work the plan, and plan for the plan to change!” is my motto, and that starts with documentation. I also deploy a high level of curation to my email inbox to assure that nothing falls through the cracks, and relevant information can be quickly accessed. I developed a standard checklist in a master spreadsheet for loan processing, and it was so successful it was adopted by several other colleagues in their companies.

Tell me about a challenge or conflict you faced at work, and how you dealt with it.

Several years ago my company was the 8th and largest of 13 companies acquired by the parent company in that calendar year. This parent company suffered from inadequate change management and training strategies largely due to the scale and speed of these acquisitions. They sent us a VP of a company acquired only 6 weeks earlier to train us in the new company systems, even though he had extremely limited knowledge of how to use them himself. After deep google dives and networking with other people who were in the same predicament, I trained myself in the new programs, developed and disseminated training manuals which were adopted by the parent company. I also developed 11 other ideas to improve internal communications which were also adopted by the company, including new SOP’s, a standardized email format to help clarify important information in internal communications, coordinating the heads of all acquired companies within their service branches to discuss and set standards to ensure uniform reports across the company, a check-in plan for new hires and acquisitions, and a contact list of people who ‘owned’ certain policies or software programs who could be reached for questions.

What motivates you?

Personally I’m motivated by puzzles. I have an almost pathological need to put the pieces together. Sometimes it’s a literal jigsaw puzzle, other times it’s a recipe that didn’t turn out like it should, bizarre behavior from a close friend, why my dog walks with only two legs, but ONLY when he’s walking BACK to the couch from getting a drink of water. I’ve concluded he’s just a weirdo, his vet heartily concurs. My dogs motivate me in a lot of ways. Professionally, I’m motivated by progress. By my work bringing something into the world that makes it better than it was before. I feel like I’ve paid my dues in jobs that mainly just provided a paycheck, and I’m looking for ways to use what I learned in my earlier years to grow more meaningful efforts now.

What software programs have you worked with?

Oh, so many. I have done 95% of my bookkeeping with Quickbooks, both desktop or online. I also have experience with Concur, Daltek Maconomy, Service Titan, ADP, Trello, Microsoft Office Suite, G-Suite, some AI, and a handful of programs that were designed in-house or for extremely specific industries. I’ve never met a program I couldn’t get a handle on within a week or two. It’s a puzzle! I love puzzles.

What is your leadership style?

I’m road-tested enough to know that trying to take the reins at all times is a quick way to burn out. It’s part of the reason I’ve really thrived as a facilitator- I enjoy materializing other people’s visions. However if a task is going far off-track, a lead is unavailable, I’ve been tasked with leadership, or if the missing piece is motivation, I love stepping up and getting things done. I once lead the line at our local food bank to break a production record that was set by an elite Amazon team that trains their warehouse workers. On an average day we would produce 4 pallets with boxes of shelf-stable food. Amazon did a little over 5. My team did 6 and half. This feat required a pre-game pep-talk to get buy-in from everyone who would need to hustle to make it happen, using my water break to restock the line while our stockers took a much needed breath, keeping everyone locked-in and excited about breaking the record, and a really good songs on the radio. It was a fun day, and I believe that record still stands years later.

When I have direct reports, I draw a lot from Resource Theory to identify what motivates people. Most people think that the only carrot a job can offer is money, and while that is a vital part of an employee’s relationship with the company or organization, there are other resources that can be offered that will help keep the relationship relevant and valued to that employee. It can vary wildly from person to person, and it takes serious effort to learn your team. Building a trusted environment allows for communication and (non-creepy) observation that reveals strengths and interests that can be utilized to make the team cohesive, happy, and extremely productive.

Let's talk about any other questions you may have!