Job Title: CEO / Principal Consultant
Current Employer: Employee Development Strategies,Inc.
Why did you become involved with SHRM SAV Chapter?
I have been a member for over 16 years! I was still relatively new to Savannah and really enjoyed connecting with the membership. I also served on the board for a brief time. As HR professionals, it is so important to continue to learn from each other and share ideas and resources. The email list is a great way to share information and validate our approach to the variety of HR issues we face. I love that we work in an evolving industry where we never know what each day will bring. The chapter connections help us support each other and remind us (especially those of us that work for ourselves), that we are not alone in our ever-changing landscape.
What is some of the best career advice you have been given?
Sometimes you have to slow down to go fast. As a Myers Briggs ENTJ, I try to remain self aware of my tendency to plow through issues, check them off, and look for the next challenge. Learning to slow down, seek and consider possibilities and take a breath once in a while results in much better outcomes and readiness for what's coming around the bend.
What are the words you work by (or what is your motto when it comes to the way you live your career)?
My HR philosophy is rooted in the concept that our profession exists to serve and support the organization and its people - not to create barriers, be the policy police, or reprimand. I strive to guide and counsel clients with strategies that support their unique businesses and company cultures and achieve business objectives by empowering their people. If we're not balancing "the three legged stool" as I call it, (employment law / HR best practices, what's best for the company, and what's best for the individual employees), we're not doing our jobs.
Where do you find the most inspiration?
One of the things I love about being a consultant is that I get to work with clients from all different industries, of various sizes, and organizations that are for-profit and not-for-profit. Getting to learn about different businesses is fascinating, especially when I uncover a type of business that I didn't know existed - the designer of high-end goods like cashmere blankets for outfitting luxury jets, or how CBD oil is extracted, or the fumigation of shipping containers, or the food-grade bulk sweetener producer, or heavy industrial equipment manufacturer. It's amazing! It's inspiring to meet so many interesting employees at various companies and really listen and learn from them.
What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment to date?
I took a leap in 2011 to go out on my own as a consultant and have never looked back. There have been many ups and downs and I have learned so much. I am proud to have an amazing roster of clients and a consulting practice that has survived for nearly 10 years now! I have learned to delegate tasks to professionals and not try and do everything myself (hello taxes), say no to clients and projects that are not aligned with my philosophy, partner with other subject matter experts when needed, and ENJOY the flexibility that this business allows me as a wife, mom, volunteer, and all those other hats we wear.
Who has been the most influential person in your career?
I worked for an HR leader many years ago that planted the seed in my head that I could be successful as a consultant if I was willing to take the risk and put in the work (because I hustled big time for the fist couple of years). He hired me for my first project and we are still in touch today. He's an exemplary leader and that manages from the heart while earning the respect of the entire C suite.
What do you love most about HR?
To quote Forrest Gump, every day in HR is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get!
Job Title: Owner & Managing Principal
Current Employer: The Adivsory Alliance
It’s a great community of people who have a shared concern and passion for people and the workplace. It’s also a great resource network to be able to tap into. Lots of experience and knowledge.
My father and mother, just by who they were and are, showed the value of dedication and hard work. My father had his own business and my mother raised a family of five boys. Both not easy tasks. Later in my career I had the good fortune to be taught at business school by Mike Feiner, the former head of HR for Pepsi worldwide. He subsequently became an invaluable mentor. Among the many comments I remember were the value of “shipping”. Above all else, leaders “ship”, i.e., they have impact, they get results, they get it done. And similarly important, leaders “show the blood in their veins”. You can’t live behind a desk, and just because you work hard and get results doesn’t mean you can assume people know you care. You have to live it and show it daily.
At The Advisory Alliance, we have a set of Core Values and a Core Purpose: Our Core Values • Deliver quality custom work. • Pursue and provide knowledge, truth, and impact. • Be trustworthy and reliable. • No fluff, buzzwords, BS, or jargon. No ego. No excuses. Our Core Purpose • To help both leaders and their organizations fulfill their potential
I’m greatly inspired by Dana, my wife of 32 years. She’s been a nurse who, throughout her whole career, has literally worked from the alpha (obstetrics and baby) to the omega (oncology). She currently works on the trauma floor at Memorial HCA here in Savannah. She has seen it all and worked through it all. And throughout it all, she has also been a wonderful partner. I tell her I could never do what she does, and she tells me she would likely get physically ill if she had to speak before 5 people. We make a good team.
Sharing it with my wife, I’m proud of our family and the children we’ve raised. It’s been wonderful to see them grow up, find their passion, and make their own way. We all enjoy getting together as a family when we can, and that’s one of life’s greatest rewards and pleasures. I’m also proud of The Advisory Alliance, the firm I cited earlier, which I started 17 years ago here in Savannah. We are the oldest leadership development and consulting firm in Coastal Georgia, the Lowcountry, and quite likely east of Atlanta. We work with international, national, regional, and local companies and organizations. I feel so fortunate to be able to do work I love each and every day.
There have been too many to name individually. I’ve mentioned my parents, my wife, and my children. There have been past bosses, good and bad, that I’ve learned a lot from. Teachers in high school, university, and grad school. Friends along the way. Mentors like Mike Feiner. Great consultants I’ve collaborated with. And wonderful clients I’ve had the privilege of working for and with. They’ve all made me who I am today. What do you love most about HR?
It’s never boring. It’s always interesting. People are complex. They’re not machines. They have rich and varied pasts that, in part, make them who they are today and contribute to why they do what they do. And they all want to be successful in their own unique way. If I can be a part of that and help out along the way, that’s reward enough.
Job Title: Human Resources Director
Current Employer: Southern Motors of Savannah
I have long been a SHRM National Member. I joined my local Savannah Chapter to meet other professionals in my area and increase my knowledge and education in all matters of business in our community. Our local chapter provides excellent tools and resources for HR Professionals to network and do their jobs.
"Felicia, listen more than you speak." This is advice that carries well in all situations, but especially in Human Resources. In HR we have to be an "ear" for all employees and managers. It's a delicate balance to keep everything going and everyone happy; and listening is the key. When you truly stop and listen, often you "hear" what has been unspoken and get down to the heart of the matter so you can become a resource for those involved.
“Today is only one day in all the days that will ever be. But what will happen in all the other days that ever come can depend on what you do today. It's been that way all this year. It's been that way so many times. All of war is that way.” Ernest Hemingway No, life and work are not a war, but every day counts. What happens tomorrow will always depend on today. We have to remember this now more than ever before.
I get inspiration everywhere; from my co-workers, supervisors, friends, family and peers. I am most inspired by those who forge ahead when the way is difficult.
Human Resources is not an easy career choice, especially in these very trying times. Seeing people who continue to be optimistic about the days ahead inspires me to follow that same path.
I've been very lucky and have gotten to do a lot of very special things in my professional life. But I believe my greatest accomplishment is what I have been able to give to others. When I dropped out of college I was told I would not be able to get anywhere in life without that piece of paper. College is great, but it's not for everyone. I knew what I wanted, but for me a classroom was not the best way to get it, I just couldn't wait to get to work!
I worked and self-educated into the place I am now by sheer force of will! Because of this, I think I am able to see potential in some that others may miss. Helping others grow to their full potential and watching some of the careers I have helped to create has been wonderfully satisfyingly over the years.
My mother has been the most influential person in my career and my life. She worked hard to break her glass ceiling and rise far above where others told her she could go. She became a successful business woman, mother and wife, never letting any one of those areas in her life overshadow the others. After achieving much private sector success and running her own businesses, she went on to teach college courses in Management Skills and HR Management among other topics.
Seeing her succeed and surpass even her own career expectations when I was growing up made me sure I could do anything I set my mind to if I persisted with honesty and integrity. To this day, I always seek her advice in professional matters.
What do you love most about HR? People, People and People!!
Job Title: Hiring and Recruiting Manager
Current Employer: Sullivan Group HR
Why did you become involved with SHRM SAV Chapter? For professional development, growth, and networking with other HR professionals.
Fire fast and hire slow Always hire someone smarter than you Catch an employee doing something right Your job title will not be on your headstone
What are the words you work by (or what is your motto when it comes to the way you live your career)? Assumption is the lowest form of knowledge.
My smile file. It is where I keep thank you notes, words of encouragement, etc. from various individuals from my professional past. Whenever I ger frustrated I will pull my file out and remind myself why I do what I do.
What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment to date? My family and faith
Two former managers, Lisa Nucci and Kim Dobson. They are complete opposites and they both coached me differently. Both ladies taught me about excuses, accountability, and how to lead with empathy.
What do you love most about HR? Helping my organization while also helping my people.