The Power Shift
Rosey works tirelessly to promote diversity and inclusion within her workplace, where she leads a team of 30+ people. She believes in “leading with the heart” and says that connecting on a human level is how to retain talent.
What effect has the pandemic had on city life?
We’ve all gone through a very hard almost-two-years together, individually—like in isolation. And I think empathy has become a common theme. For a lot of us who live by ourselves in New York City, it got very cold and it got very lonely. So, when my senior leadership team talks to or about my employees now, they have this level of empathy and understanding of what their challenges might be.
“Candidates hold a lot more power than they once did. It will be interesting to see what they’ll do with that power.”
Where is your company in the post-Covid “talent war”?
We’re hiring for 14 positions right now. You can feel the exhaustion on both ends. It’s taking a lot more effort from our candidates because they go through so many interviews and a lot of them are interviewing at multiple places at the same time, which is, I think, very unique given the sheer number of openings available.
Candidates are demanding a lot more. And that’s going to be a challenge because companies will have to open up their wallets, pay more, offer better benefits, and find creative ways to entice and retain talent. Retention is a big problem that we’re all facing right now. Candidates are starting to realize that they hold a lot more power than they once did. It will be very interesting to see once the dust settles what they’ll do with that power.
How can companies gives themselves a competitive edge?
I honestly think the companies that don’t embrace diversity and inclusion are going to get left behind. It’s not just about race or even gender. It’s about diversity of thought. We don’t need to write job descriptions any more. And once you’ve hired diverse candidates, how do you make them stay? How do you make them feel like they belong? This is an active process that needs to be re-evaluated continuously, things are changing so fast now.
And how can they retain talent?
People don’t want to leave their companies because they have great friends and they have great colleagues and they feel “sticky” because of the people that they work with. How can we keep people “sticky”? That is really about listening to them, connecting with them, knowing when there’s something different about them that only happens with consistent conversation. The more that we connect, the more that we listen, the more that people feel heard, the more that they’ll stay engaged, especially through those days when it’s so hard to feel engaged. The pandemic has underlined to us that we all need some level of human connection. Technology and AI can’t replace that.
“This year it became very evident that if I don’t establish boundaries, I will burn myself out and be no good to anybody.”
“The pandemic underlined that we all need some level of human connection.”
What’s your advice for effective working in a “remote” world?
I encourage anyone struggling with setting boundaries to really talk to people who’ve done it and who maintain their boundaries and keep it up. When the pandemic hit, I never stopped working. That burnout, that extreme fatigue really kicked my butt, really forced me to say “no, I have to take care of myself.” I’d never really struggled with mental health before. But this year it became very evident that if I don’t take care of myself, if I don’t establish boundaries, I will burn myself out and I’ll be no good to myself, my team, or anybody out there.
Any advice for Hult graduates specifically?
My advice for our graduates is to really lean into the Hult alumni network itself. Being inquisitive and getting opinions from as many people as possible is crucial. The only way to know the difference between good advice and bad advice is to keep asking for it—and then make your own decision. Don’t take one person’s opinion or negative view to heart. Give yourself a lot of information and then sift through it. Don’t forget that inquisitive nature that brought you to Hult. That kept you learning about different cultures and classes. Keep that up in your job search. I think that’s really one of the most important parts—that grit that everybody needs to really push through the hard days because it’s worth it. In one year at Hult, you went through a lot. You pushed through so much, so many challenges, and you learned so much. So, take that into the workforce, it’s going to be your greatest strength.
“The only way to know the difference between good advice and bad advice is to keep asking for it—and then make your own decision.”