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There are people in the world that can change the trajectory of your life or your career in just one conversation. Jolynda Ash is one of those people for me.
I am just one of the many people whose lives she has impacted with her professional mentorship and career coaching over the years, and I am truly excited to be able to share some of that wisdom with People Warriors.
From 1st grade teach to HR Executive, Jolynda Ash shares her advice on being a great mentor, reinventing yourself, how to stand out as top talent to senior leadership, what great leaders do that average leaders don't, tips for climbing the corporate ladder...and more!
#1. You started your career as a 1st grade teacher and climbed your way up the corporate ladder to Senior VP of HR, first at Pillar Hotels & Resorts and most recently of Gold’s Gym. Looking back, did being a 1st grade teacher prepared you in any ways for leading at an executive level?
#2. On LinkedIn, you have “Professional Mentor” listed as an area of expertise along with HR Executive/Trainer/Employee Relations Specialist. What does it mean to be a "professional mentor?"
#3. I have it on good authority that on more than one occasion you actually had people thank you after terminating them. What is the best way to approach difficult conversations whether you are one the giving or the receiving end?
#4. According to the 2021-2022 State of Gen Z Report, which is produced by The Center for Generational Kinetics, Gen Z was the #1 generation to lose their job at the beginning of the pandemic, face a reduction in pay, or a reduction in hours. What would your advice be to anyone who may be still struggling to either find a job or just struggling to get their life back in order from 2 years of chaos…how does someone come out of an experience like this better?
5. When looking at a fresh talent pool, what qualities, skills or traits make someone stand out to where you think “that is someone special right there, that’s top talent, that is someone to keep our eye on and invest in”?
6. What do you think is one thing all great leaders do, and what is one big mistake leaders make?
7. You were with Pillar Hotels & Resorts when it was acquired by Aimbridge Hospitality in 2016, and in 2020 you were SVP of HR at Gold’s Gym when it was purchased by German company RSG Group. Mergers and acquisitions are a painful reality for a lot of people. What is your advice for thriving through a merger or acquisition and making it as positive of an experience as you can?
8. Many people refer to the glass ceiling as the limiting factor keeping women out of executive levels of leadership. But a five-year study by McKinsey & Company and Sheryl Sandberg through LeanIn.Org showed that women in entry-level jobs were less likely to be promoted to the first level of managerial positions. Which, in turn, limits the number of women available for promotion into higher levels of management and dramatically shrinks the available talent pool...a problem they coined as “the broken rung”. From 1st grade teacher to SVP of HR, which would you say was the most difficult rung of the corporate ladder for you to climb up? What advice would you give to someone looking to or trying to make that step into first level leadership?
9. What would you say are the truths or myths about the journey of becoming a female executive?
10. My goal with People Warrior is to inspire people to take ownership of their leadership journey and become the leader they want to be, ideally years before they ever step into a leadership position. What would your advice be for someone who may be ready to start a personal leadership journey but not sure where to start?
11. Anyone who has worked with you or knows you knows the famous Jolynda motto. Can you share with the world the famous Jolynda motto, what it means to you and how everyone listening can apply it to their life?
12. Every child is asked at some point in their life “what do you want to be when you grow up?”. But if you have a growth mindset and truly believe there isn’t a finish line when it comes to personal growth, then this is a question we should never stop asking ourselves. What do you Jolynda want to be when you grow up? What does the next chapter look like for you?
FULL LENGTH VIDEO:
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