Speaker 1: 0:01

Even when you expect there will be stability and security, staying agile is important. Change isn't consistent. Sometimes it shares signs it's coming and other times it drops in unexpectedly. My first position after Yale felt so significant the proof that I'd found a role that would challenge me and support me financially. Proof that I'd found a role that would challenge me and support me financially. That role asked me to take a big leap forward professionally and I truly had to learn how to ride the wave. I just hadn't fully recognized how big that wave would be.

Speaker 1: 0:42

Hi, I'm Becky Fraser, an award-winning coach, author and entrepreneur. I'm also a leader shaped by decades of experience inviting others on a journey towards adaptable leadership and fulfilled potential. Welcome to Short Story Long. Today is a novella. These episodes share the journeys between the inflection points. They still have growth, a little drama and insights just in a smaller package. A little drama and insights just in a smaller package.

Speaker 1: 1:06

Phew, I'd interviewed, I'd landed the job. I had joined a team where I can learn Yay, ready to do the work, and I even make enough money to pay rent, other bills and those pesky student loans. The role I'd accepted was a rotational program where every six months, I would move to a new set of responsibilities. One rotation would take me internationally and it was a great opportunity to launch into my professional career within HR. And then things shifted a little bit. Shortly after I started, one colleague resigned Soon after another one did, and no, I don't think it was my presence that prompted them to leave. I do think it was different reasons. I was an inexperienced HR person who stood petrified that she was not enough to fill the gap. In fairness, I didn't stand completely alone. Still, I was questioning many things. Since my colleagues had left, there were open full-time positions available in that location. My director had invited me to accept one of those roles long-term. My director had invited me to accept one of those roles long term. Naturally, I still had the option to stay in the rotational program, but I needed to figure out where I was going to go. If I was going to stay in that program, the question was do I stay or do I go? Given my history, you might think I'd take the leap forward, but I actually decided to stay.

Speaker 1: 2:48

Professionally and personally, I was overwhelmed by all the changes in my life at that time. I had finished my MBA program. I had moved into a different location. I was moving forward into this big change professionally where I was starting in an entirely new function, didn't really know anything at that point in time and had to sort it all out. It was all I could do to keep it together without introducing more uncertainty and ambiguity into my life. It was time to stay in place and figure out where I was and maybe to some extent, who I was.

Speaker 1: 3:29

For a short time I was the only HR manager or generalist on that 1,100-employee site. I had my director and other team members to guide me, but frankly, I was way over my head in this. Eventually the team was restaffed and it was more of a shared responsibility. Again, light appeared at the end of the tunnel and I continued to progress and continued to learn. But there were times I wondered if staying was the right decision. What would have been down that road not taken to do that international rotation, to do a generalist rotation in a different space, or even test out being a specialist within HR?

Speaker 1: 4:14

I learned some things based on the path that I did take. One of those big things was how important it is to recognize when you really just don't know what you are doing. The first employee termination I conducted was never reviewed by the legal department. Not every organization requires that, but this one did. It did turn out to be a cut-and-dried choice and there were no ill effects. Still, I learned to appreciate that there are protocols and processes to follow.

Speaker 1: 4:51

Later in my career, I started talking about decision-making hierarchy in the context of there are laws, there are policies and there are guidelines. The importance is understanding the difference. Knowing which is your choice versus something to run by others is a key skill to develop. It did take me a little time to learn that in the core of my heart, but it was an important lesson to learn. If you know, you don't know. I also encourage taking a stab at finding a solution. I'm a critical thinker, which means I find where things don't work very quickly. Pointing that out isn't always appreciated Okay, almost never appreciated.

Speaker 1: 5:37

During this time, I learned that coming up with a solution to an issue was received much better. I see that we are manually calculating all these things. I've set up a spreadsheet to help us do that faster. What do you think of this? That was another lesson. I had to keep relearning, but we're all a work in progress, aren't we? I had to keep relearning, but we're all a work in progress, aren't we? It was also the first time that I had ever sought help from the outside, and by that I mean that was the first time I sought out a therapist to help me. Honestly, wasn't the best therapist I've ever had. That said, it did help me talk out what I was going through and hear myself say it. It was hard for me to ask for help, yet I'm grateful that I did. Her meditation tapes weren't my jam, but holding up a mirror and helping me see how I was contributing to my own suffering was powerful. Now, as I look back at the stress and overwhelm of that time, I see a different side of it.

Speaker 1: 6:44

This role was significant in me learning to be an effective hr. Professional success was about learning the business I was supporting, understanding the needs of the people I supported and weaving in the hr deliverables as needed. It's where I became the business person who happened to do HR, and I wouldn't trade that opportunity for anything. Those times I wondered if I'd made the right decision to stay versus rotate out In so many ways. What if is a futile question. There is no way to go back and change the choice. What you have in hand is where you are and that's the only place you can start. Also, if I had chosen differently, I would not have met someone who is a powerfully influential person in my life, but that's another story. Thank you for listening to my story. My hope is that you will get insights for leading as you. If you know someone who would benefit from this episode, be sure to share it. Interested in connecting with me on LinkedIn, drop me a note telling me where you found me. The link will be in the show notes. Okay, bye.