Recalibrate Your Individual Purpose

Bring on 2018! To help you welcome the new year with arms and minds wide open, this issue of Community Connection offers practical tips for recalibrating your career direction and reviving your career ownership. Our focus on recalibration was inspired by the advice of DLE faculty all-star Ken Pouliot in his recent interview with Community Connection. It requires an honest examination of career hits and misses, says Ken, Vice President of the Americas Solutions for Gigya, a SAP company, with the critical focus on evaluating the value that you bring to a company. By examining your impact, your individual purpose becomes clearer — which, in turn, helps you hone your brand and tell your story with greater clarity in your résumé, interviews and networking exchanges. Individual purpose is a breakthrough topic that will be addressed at DLE 2018, scheduled for Nov. 2-4. Research shows that it is a leadership essential in short supply. According to Harvard Business Review (HBR), fewer than 20% of leaders have a strong sense of their individual purpose. Even fewer can communicate it or execute it with a concrete plan. To truly own your career, you need to know your purpose. Make it visual by writing it down in a sentence. The HBR article cited above will guide you to get started. When you have a purpose statement in hand, use Ken’s recalibration exercise to verify and validate your purpose. Identify a specific initiative that you introduced or an account that you took on. Examine how your decisions and actions improved customer relations, business performance or team collaboration. Do your findings align with your purpose? As the HBR authors point out, “It’s not what you do, it’s how you do your job and why — the strengths and passions you bring to the table no matter where you’re seated. Although you may express your purpose in

different ways in different contexts, it’s what everyone close to you recognizes as uniquely you and would miss most if you were gone.” Embrace career ownership in 2018. Our newsmakers in this month’s Community Connection offer numerous practical tips to help you recalibrate. Cheers and keep soaring.

Linda and Adele wish all a Happy New Year.

Coaches Corner with John Ryall: Seek Opportunities By Charles Lerner, DLE ’14 and ’17, Correspondent

John Ryall is the Senior Manager of Specialty Glazing at SABIC in Pittsfield, MA. SABIC is one of the world’s largest petrochemicals manufacturers. John received an Honors Bachelor of Science degree in education from Brunel University London. After graduating, he worked at KB Toys as a Creative Director and advanced to Director of Marketing and Advertising and finally the Vice President of Marketing. John’s next career move was to OSV as a Marketing Consultant before landing at SABIC. A close friend of Linda Dulye, he makes his home in the Berkshires. Welcome to the DLE community, John. Q: What did you learn in your college career and internships that helped prepare you to enter the “real world”?

A: My college career and internships provided opportunities to become involved in projects at a deeper level outside of classwork. It is very important to understand your area of study or work — even if it isn’t your life goal. Seek out opportunities to educate, assist, or share information. You will improve your own understanding as well as discover new opportunities. Opportunities are presented to engaging and proactive people. Give each opportunity your best effort as this will contribute to your personal brand. Q: What leadership skills have enabled you to encourage innovation from your teams? A: Understand an individual’s area of interest in order to identify development opportunities that will help them achieve their career goals. Innovation comes from motivated and challenged employees who feel valued and rewarded. Don’t use financial rewards as a crutch or avoid investing your time in the success of the individual or team. Respect and relationships go a long way.

John Ryall

Q: What strengths do you value when interviewing and/or working with young professionals? A: I value clear and concise communication. Listen, understand the subject, clarify if needed, then respond with honesty while not veering off topic. Be forthright on what you have to add to the role and ask questions that demonstrate your eagerness to learn what else is needed. Communicate that you are ready to contribute, no matter how big or small the task may be. Q: What weakness, in general, do you believe the millennial generation must work on correcting?

A: Millennials may be in a position of being managed by people without management skills needed for their or even other generations. Don’t expect that every manager is going to drive your career or know how to manage to your needs. Be prepared to take a lateral move within a business as this may present new opportunities. Q: What is one piece of advice that you would tell your 25-year-old self? A. I would say that careers can change at any time and some changes may be out of your control, yet that change will benefit you in time. Don’t get caught up in the disappointment. Instead, focus on appreciating what was learned or achieved along the way and allow that experience to propel you forward.

Charles Lerner

In Her Words: Jenna Parezo’s Career Path to Becoming a Manager

By Charles Lerner, DLE ’14 and ’17, Correspondent

Less than four years after graduating from Syracuse University, I had never imagined that I would be where I am today. I have been with Otis Elevator Company since July of 2014. Since then I have held four different roles and lived in three different cities. Starting out my career in Boston was excellent exposure to the industry. Shortly thereafter I moved to Stamford, CT where I managed a $3.2M portfolio with annual revenue growth of $250K for just about 2.5 years. Last March, I started a new adventure in Chicago, IL. As I began to develop roots in Chicago and explore my new role, I came to the determination that my position as a Business Development Manager was not the best fit. Geographically, I was thrilled, but the lack of satisfaction from my career was crushing me, I knew I had to change something. So, what did I do? I spoke up. I had an honest conversation with my managers and expressed my interest in a Sales Manager role that had just posted. I interviewed for the Sales Manager position and was one of three candidates. Both of which had three more years of experience than I did, and both had MBAs. But, with all that said, I was confident. I knew I had the emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills to manage a young team of nine. They need guidance, and they need someone who they can relate to.

Jenna Parezo

I already know this was the second best career move I have made to date. I could not be happier with where I am personally and professionally and I am excited to see what my future holds with Otis Elevator. What keeps me around this age-old American made company — the fact that I feel like I can make a difference. Companies need change influencers. The DLE has instilled confidence in me and my ability to keep climbing that ladder. I am teaming up with Linda Dulye and others working on DLE 2018 plans and curriculum. I hope to instill the value and importance of emotional intelligence in this year’s program, as well as learn more to expand my managerial skills and handle difficult situations.

Q&A with Jenna and Charles Q: How has your DLE experience and network helped you own your career? A. During big life transitions/decisions, Linda Dulye is the first person I call. Since participating in the DLE as a student in 2014, I have had four instances when I turned to Linda and my DLE network for insight and advice. It is not to have them make a decision for me, but rather help me ask myself the questions I might not be aware of, while providing me with wisdom from their life and work experiences. Most recently, I reached out when considering my move from the Northeast after 6 years to the friendly midwest city of Chicago, IL. I weighed the pros and cons on my own, then discussed them with Linda, and the best sales person I know — our longtime faculty member, Ken Pouliot, Vice President of the Americas Solutions for Gigya, a SAP company. I had already made a decision in my head, but I needed reinforcement from my mentors. Since moving to Chicago last March, I was promoted again in November and I now manage a team of 8 sales people. I got my dream job and my dream city. The DLE has given me the strength to go beyond my comfort zone, and that is where life begins. Q: Did you know about the internal growth opportunities when originally interviewing with Otis? A: During my junior and senior years I went to almost every career fair that SU had to offer — both at Whitman School of Management and college-wide career fairs. I really wanted to explore all options. I walked up to talk to Otis at a career fair, not knowing much about the company; however, I really liked the conversation I had with the HR recruiters. I felt wanted by Otis, and that’s a great feeling for a college student who felt somewhat lost in the job search process. I did not know much beyond the fact that I was interviewing for a sales trainee position and that I would be located anywhere in the Northeast. I never imaged I would have gone through my third promotion by age 25. Q: In only 3 years, you moved from Needham, MA to Stamford, CT, and are now in Chicago in a management position. How did you navigate this process, and what advice would you give to someone in your shoes 1 and 2 years ago? A: After my first year with Otis, my manager in Stamford started to discuss other opportunities within the company with me, and I’m glad he did because this is what opened my eyes to the endless possibilities at Otis. After the 2-year mark I started to itch to try something new, so I spoke up about wanting to take on a new position and that I was willing to move. Otis took a liking to this and started to offer different positions in the east and the Midwest. When I got to Chicago in March, I liked doing business development for the first months, but I quickly realized this was not a good fit for me. So, I talked to my boss and explained that I wanted to switch roles. When the Sales Manager role opened, I jumped at the opportunity and they welcomed me with open arms. The best piece of advice I would give is to SPEAK UP — not only about your goals, but also whether or not you are happy or unhappy with your current role. If you’re bored, say something. If you’re overwhelmed, say something. Management will not know unless you tell them. Also, networking within your company is so important if you’re looking to progress in your company. I attribute much of my success to the people I have built relationships with over the years and those people know me as a person and as an employee. They are able to speak highly of me when another manager calls and says “what do you think?”

Q: How do you deal with, at the age of 25, managing people older than you? What challenges have been presented, and how did you deal with them? A: Working at such a large company, there are many employees who have many years under their belt. With that comes people who don’t like change. It’s 2017 — change in an organization is inevitable. Resistance to change is the biggest challenge. So far, the best way to go about managing that is to welcome their ideas and opinion and show the tenured employees that I care about their insight and will use that to guide the changes being made. Also, being patient and teaching them about new tools and methods is just as important. Q: What is your favorite part about managing; and, conversely, what is the biggest challenge? How do you think you will turn that challenge into a strength as you grow in your leadership role? A: My favorite part about managing people is knowing that I have an impact on their success and teaching them anything they don’t know. Even when they have simple questions that I can answer, it makes me feel good. The biggest challenge I have is making the implemented changes come to life and getting the team to take things seriously. There were never any consequences amongst this team, so I constantly stress to them that I need to see changes be in effect next year and I am here to help you be successful. This challenge will become a strength of having patience and the strength to take a firm stance on new process improvements and implementations while trying to do all this without micromanaging. Learning to delegate and give responsibility to the team is very important — make them feel like they play a key role.

Charles Lerner

From Ending a Successful Year to Starting From Scratch By Jenna Bieri, DLE ‘10, Correspondent

Editor’s Note: Welcome new DLE community members — Michael DePerro and Thomas Woody, who are featured in the next two articles. Michael is Jenna’s fiancé and Thomas is Jenna’s personal friend. Michael DePerro is no stranger to the link between preparation and success. As an ENT Consultant for Johnson & Johnson’s ear, nose and throat division, Acclarent in Des Moines, IA, Michael is responsible for increasing medical device sales with ENT doctors in the state of Iowa by building lasting relationships and separating his products clinically from the competition. With such a large territory, success is only an outcome of proper planning, strategy development and time management. As a result of his efforts, Michael ended 2017 as the top salesman with Acclarent’s Clinical Account representatives based on sales and growth. This is quite the accomplishment from a small market territory such as Iowa. On the heels of his most successful year in medical equipment sales, Michael realizes that starting 2018 means his sales numbers start at zero and he is embarking on a new year of challenges. Q. How do you maintain momentum after such a successful year of sales? A. Being in sales, it’s mentally challenging to end a successful year and know that all of your hard work paid off, but you are essentially starting from scratch at the turn of the calendar. What I try to remember is that the relationships I’ve worked hard to build will propel me into the new year. For me, sales is all about gaining trust and having quality discussions with doctors.

Michael DePerro

Q. How do you take what you learned last year and redirect it into the new year? A. The start of the new year is always a great opportunity to sit down and reflect on what worked and what didn’t. What tactics do we want to replicate? What wasn’t as effective as we had hoped? I cover a lot of ground with a large territory like the state of Iowa. Some days I have a three-hour drive, one way! This means I have to be very efficient with my time and honestly determine what my best opportunities are to grow sales while still serving the doctors we currently work with. This can be a tough balance, which only highlights the importance of having a proper strategy in place. Q. How important is a positive perspective and attitude when it comes to making plans? A. I was recently humbled to have my mentor supply this quote about me: “Beyond his interpersonal skills is his consistently positive attitude. It’s contagious. Actually, sometimes it’s incredibly annoying when ‘captain sunshine’ always has a song.” This accurately reflects my attitude towards life in general. I think having a positive outlook is everything! In my business, it is very easy to have a “ho-hum” attitude, but I know people buy, listen, and want to be around people they like. If I can put a smile on someone’s face as well as clinically share how my product will help patients and their hospital, there’s no reason they don’t hand over a purchase order!

Jenna Bieri

Use Questions to Recalibrate Focus and Goals By Jenna Bieri, DLE ’10, Correspondent

For Thomas Woody, the start of a new year is just as much about refining focus as setting big, lofty goals. As the Senior Production Sales Specialist for a successful Midwestern video production company called Screenscape Studios, Tom is charged with more than simply growing sales. He is tasked with being the face of the company and strengthening their reputation. While his personal sales goals keep him motivated, Tom knows that his efforts are holistically important to the company as well. The start of a new year provides the chance to hone focus on where the biggest impact opportunities are for the company. How does he start the process? With questions, like these:

Where can I make possible sales connections and friendships?

What organizations am I passionate about that can benefit from my skill set?

Where can I take on more of a leadership role? Ensuring client happiness and quality services are at the root of Tom’s and his company’s success. He adds that looking forward and being smart about client prospecting, networking opportunities and professional development is what sets himself apart from the competition.

Thomas Woody

Jenna Bieri

Alumni Spotlight

Joonas Niiholm

Chance Encounter Turns Into Perfect Career Fit By Ginger Kuenzel, DLE ’09 and ’10, Correspondent

Joonas Niiholm, DLE ’10, is responsible for economic research and software adoption as Enterpriseman at HiddenLevers, a company that provides Web-based tools for financial professionals to assess macro risks and stress test portfolios. It’s not a job he landed right out of college. It took some soul-searching and a few false starts before he found this niche. But now he’s right where he wants to be.

After graduating from Syracuse University in 2010 with degrees in public relations and economics he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do. He returned to his hometown of Tulsa, OK, to think about his options. He considered a stint with Teach for America as an interim plan. When that fell through, his next idea was to work on a goat farm in Estonia. A goat farm? In Estonia? It’s not actually as far-fetched as it sounds.

Joonas was born in Estonia and lived there for the first two years of his life. Returning to his roots would give him a chance to get to know his extended family better and learn about his heritage, he thought. But before embarking on this journey, he went to Florida to visit his mother. Upon arrival, he realized that his mother had some health issues and needed him around for longer than he expected. His brief visit turned into a year-long visit.

During that year, Joonas got a job selling life insurance. “I viewed it as exposure therapy,” he says. Being in sales, he told himself, might help him overcome his anxiety about interacting with people. But the job wasn’t a good fit. “I was 22 years old and giving people advice on how to manage their money,” he says with a laugh. Add to that the fact that he really wanted to tell customers that they could sign up for the life insurance directly and avoid his commission. That, of course, would have made it particularly difficult for him to make any money. In other words, not a good money management strategy for himself. He finally threw in the towel, sold his belongings and got serious about the goat farm idea once again.

But first he needed to visit his sister in Miami, FL. While there, he got into a discussion about economics one evening with a guy sitting next to him at a bar. It turned out that the guy was an employee of HiddenLevers and was very impressed with Joonas. They exchanged contact info and Joonas received a call from him the next day. It turns out that his flight had been cancelled, he was staying in Miami for another day and he wanted to know if they could meet up again. Their discussions continued, and he ended up offering Joonas a temporary position managing a project for HiddenLevers. When that project wrapped up after two or three months, Joonas was offered a full-time job with the company in Atlanta, GAA which he promptly accepted. Sometimes a career path is simply not a straight line!

Joonas is still with HiddenLevers, after his convoluted but interesting journey from SU to Tulsa to Miami to Atlanta — with no detours to Estonia. When asked about recalibrating for the new year, he says he is very happy with where he is and that 2017 was a really good year — both professionally and personally. Because HiddenLevers is a very small company, he has been responsible for several different aspects of the business, including business development, product development and customer service. This has given him incredible institutional knowledge, he explains, perhaps more than anyone else in the company since the others are focused just on their specific area. The result is a sense of confidence and the ability to create meaning for himself as colleagues rely on him for information.

Living a meaningful life is extremely important to Joonas. Outside of work, he’s engaged in a host of activities — like piano lessons, meditation and learning zouk dance, which is a combination of Latin ballroom dancing and contact improvisation. Joonas explains that his work and outside activities have enabled him to develop deeper, more meaningful contacts. The result is that he has people and groups in his life now that he’s accountable to, that expect things from him. Without these expectations from the outside, he admits, he would have no motivation.

Compared to 2016, this past year was far better for him, he says. And it appears that he’s on track to continue that trend in 2018. His advice for anyone trying to improve things in their life: “You have to always keep trying,” he says. “Sometimes it’s just one little thing that changes you.” Or opens up a slew of new opportunities.

Ginger Kuenzel

Quick Takes

Tóm Buchanan, DLE ’15, ’16, ‘17 and girlfriend, Abby Fordham visited the Berkshires early this month

to discuss career plans and have lunch with Linda Dulye and Nathan Haddad, DLE ‘13 and ‘17

Tóm is the Chief of Product for his own company, Contact Control Interfaces, and is based in Cincinnati, OH.

Abby is a communications major in her final year at the University of Cincinnati.

Nathan is the Special Projects Associate at 1Berkshire.

Allison Grimes, DLE ’11 and ’17, donned her Minnie Mouse ears while on vacation

with her son, Ricky, at Disneyworld earlier this month.

Jenna Bieri, DLE ’10 and Community Connection correspondent, said “YES!” to boyfriend Michael DePerro’s proposal on the Bow Bridge in Manhattan’s Central Park during a recent holiday getaway.

The couple, who met and live in Des Moines, IA, are planning a spring 2019 wedding. Jenna is currently employed at the National Pork Board as a Social Strategy Manager, overseeing

social media and digital marketing efforts for the pork industry. Michael, an ENT Consultant at Johnson & Johnson’s Acclarent division, is featured in this issue of Community Connection.

Fit Tip: How to Stay Committed to Yourself By Tuan Nguyen, DLE Faculty ‘17

Here is some major advice when it comes to getting in shape for, not only the new year, but for the rest of your life. Everyone talks about the New Year and their New Year’s resolutions to better themselves, get healthy, and get in shape! My question for you: How do you plan on sticking with your commitment to yourself? I'm talking about staying motivated and charged up every day. If you are looking for that next move, a gym, a coach, an online program, then please take this advice. What works for one person (that might be your friend, co-worker, family member, testimonial you saw), doesn't work for everyone. What matters most is the enjoyment in the process. The three things that will help you know if a program is right for you is: 1. Culture: Does their philosophy, vibe, attitude and values align with yours? 2. Coaching: What type of guidance, motivation, and education works best for you? 3. Community: When you walk in and see the people working, do you see yourself being inspired by them and working together? Do they have the same qualities and characteristics you aspire to have? These 3 C's can be applied to anything, not just a gym or program, but to all aspects in life. The question isn’t “what exercises are best for me?” That's an easy answer, whatever ones you will enjoy and consistently do. The question you need to ask yourself is “who do I need to surround myself with that will help me elevate and create the habits, characteristics and drive that I ASPIRE to have as well?”

You are who you surround yourself with, plain and simple. So much of your growth in every aspect of your life will be because of who you surround yourself with. If you need a “personnel update” to elevate, then make a move. #noexcuses #riseup

Tuan Nguyen

Communication Tip: Minimizing Distractions By David Bell, DLE ’10 -’15, ’17, Global Business Manager for Wipro

Who else is interested in minimizing interactions (spending time) with minimal benefit (no enjoyment or purpose) in 2018? Here’s a tip that keeps me in check: When checking emails or social media on your phone, ask yourself why you are checking it first. This can help you reduce this distraction from many times per day to several times per day. I often found myself checking emails or looking at apps on my phone early in the morning or late at night with no real reason. Asking myself “why” first has helped me reduce that distraction and be far more productive in my daily routines — both at work and with sports / training. This active management of stressful distractions has also led to better sleep. This is the simplest method that I have found so far. Please share other recommendations that have recently worked for you as I plan to do the same going forward. Editor’s Note: Click here and share a tip. We’ll include them in next month’s Community Connection!

David Bell

Spread the Word!

Share all the amazing tips and insights of the DLE Community Connection with friends and colleagues. Steer them to the DLE Website, where we’ve made it easy for them to sign up to receive every monthly issue. It’s all right here: DLE Website.

Welcome Michelle Green The new year brings new talent to the DLE Community Connection team!

Joining is Michelle Green, who takes on the new role of Strategic Marketing and Communications Specialist. Among her key responsibilities is managing the development and distribution of the monthly newsletter, a valued learning and networking resource for the hundreds of DLE community members. Over the past year, Olivia Schneider served at that helm — steadily guiding improvements with the help of our team of correspondents. Thank you, Olivia, for your commitment and creativity. And welcome, Michelle. Incidentally, Michelle attended the DLE in 2014 and is excited to renew ties. “My values align closely with the DLE, as I am a strong believer in its mission, supporting life-long learning and development.” She believes that this is a great opportunity to interact with people with similar interests and passions.

Michelle is currently a YMCA of the USA Togetherhood® Volunteer Coach, guiding other national YMCAs in the creation of a member-led volunteer programs. Previously, she served as the Mission Advancement Director for the Berkshire Family YMCA in Pittsfield, MA — where she met Linda Dulye, who was on Y Board of Directors. In addition to handling grant writing, financial development and marketing, Michelle took lead roles with the YMCA’s Strategic Plan and YMCA of the USA rebranding campaign. Michelle and her husband, Ned, live in the greater Houston, TX area with their sons, Michael and Andrew.

Michelle Green

It’s Happening: DLE 2018!

Set the stage for your career success by joining an all-star faculty and professional network at this year’s retreat on Nov. 2-4.

Our program setting is the Berkshires’ premiere retreat destination, The Lake House on Pontoosuc Lake

Details are forthcoming on DLE LinkedIn, Facebook and Community Connection.

Dulye Leadership Experience: Coaching next generation leaders to own their career since 2008

Book of the Month

The Fido Factor

By Krissi Barr

Quote of the Month

“Where focus goes, energy flows”

– Tony Robbins

Article of the Month

How to Win Over a Boss Who Just

Doesn’t Seem to Like You

Dulye Leadership Experience: Coaching next generation leaders to own their career since 2008

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