Ben Hinton’s Post

Today marks 16 years of working at RS!! I know it’s sometimes frowned upon to work at one company for that long, especially when you start so early in your career, so why have I stayed? Firstly, the people, RS has sooo many amazing people that I have had the privilege of working with over the years, I have learnt so much from them, and I am honoured to call many of them my friends. Secondly, the opportunities, my role at RS has never stayed the same, I have had so many opportunities to build on my skillset, move into new roles, define my own roles and build a career I hadn’t imagined I would have. And lastly, I get to work at a global, ever evolving company, that has transitioned over the years, building its reputation and global footprint and it’s been amazing to watch. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not always been easy, with any large global company there will always be friction points to overcome but experiencing those has helped build my resilience and shown me how to become a better leader.

How do you feel when people who worked with you get promoted... into that role that was once yours? Welcome to my story with... Anthony McGrath And if you are waiting for some... ↳ tension ↳ anxiety ↳ controversy ↳ frustration ↳ and any other negative downturn Then this story is not for you. Or, it is. Because you don't want to feel any of that! I didn't hire him. I'd wish to say I had those eagle eyes who spotted the talent. But that was someone else. But when the most senior project manager in our team was about to retire and I was hunting internally for a replacement this guy crossed paths with us. "Ahhhh then you were wise and selected him" I'd wish I could say that, too. But no, we were truly in a rush and needed the help. He was already hired and, for - in my opinion - incredibly impossible reasons to understand, available. Worst that could happen was that it wouldn't work. Best that could happen... Was to have Anthony in that role!! Much more than through any conversations, Anthony quickly demonstrated his value through actions. Results. I believe anyone who ever worked with him will praise him as an excellent project manager. For this diligence. Planning ability. Risk awareness. Coordination ability. Quick understanding. Analytical skills. Ability to deliver. Commitment. But honestly, I was enchanted with him for a completely different reason. His potential. Anyone asked me, he was was ready. To move forward in the career, to challenge himself into the next level, to develop new skills. I guess the hint was how good he was with people. The ability to positively influence. To hear, to understand, to question himself. Then to adapt, change approaches, and remain open. In face of the most challenging partners and stakeholders he would still figure out ways to get them all to work together. And with him. We push fast forward, and recently he got promoted into a role that once was mine. How did I feel? Fulfilled. Work with people, and in their favor. Find their strengths, and do what you can to develop them. Allow time to play it's magic. And you will compound the benefits of your personal experiences with theirs.

🎉 Celebrating a Year of New Beginnings! One year ago, I made the bold decision to leave my previous position. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t achieve the progress I wanted. I lacked the support to lead effectively, faced dishonesty, and often felt undermined. This journey taught me five invaluable lessons: 𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: A supportive company culture is crucial for success. Leading a team and achieving goals without the necessary support and resources is challenging. 𝟮. 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘆: Experiencing dishonesty from various organizational levels taught me the importance of integrity. Trust and transparency are fundamental to a healthy work environment. 𝟯. 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗢𝗻: Understanding when a situation is no longer beneficial is vital. Recognizing when to move on for personal and professional growth is also important. 𝟰. 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺: Despite the toxic environment, I had a fantastic team. Their dedication and talent were highlights of my time there. I miss them and the good moments we shared. 𝟱. 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: This experience made me stronger and more resilient. It reminded me that there’s an opportunity to learn and grow even in challenging times. In one year, I have created a much healthier and more productive environment for myself. Plus, I can travel more. 😀 Here’s to new beginnings and striving for a positive and impactful career! 🚀

📢 PSA to all job seekers 📢 If you're having a tough time in your job search, it is not a reflection of your abilities or talent. It simply means you're not an expert at job search (and that's probably a good thing!). Take Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan, a Job Joy grad who successfully made the pivot from full-time entrepreneur into a new leadership role in product management. As she says: "𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘫𝘰𝘣 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦. 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘒𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯’𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘐 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘫𝘰𝘣 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘦." You can learn more about Karen and her story here: https://lnkd.in/esR63CyG (fun fact: when we first started working together, she was a bit of a cynic!) I hope this inspires you to both see what is possible, and also get the support from an expert who is in the job search world day in and day out. Think you might be ready? Send me a message with the words NEW JOB and I'll share a few options to work together, so you can land the job faster and get back to doing work you love. In the meantime, please join me in celebrating Karen in this new chapter in her career!

One of the reasons why I've decided to move on from my business is lack of impact, or not as much impact as I wanted. As a small business, I could only work with a handful of clients in a year. I'd measure their carbon footprint and if part of the project, provide a roadmap to reduce emissions. But nothing would be more disheartening than following up in 6 months- 1 year, only to find out, they didn't implement any of the recommendations. Even with with the cost savings opportunities. For various reasons. Leadership changed. No longer a priority, etc. etc. Boo! I get that this is the reality in many corporate settings. Unless some regulator is walking in handing out deadlines or fines, change isn't happening. But this doesn't have to be MY reality. I can choose the kind of work to pursue. I can choose to do work that does move the needle. The one that can have tangible results. Because why else am I trading my life for work? As a new mom, I get that time is precious. Otherwise, I might as well be at home with kiddo. So, I'm not here to collect a paycheck. I want to do something that matters. I know I'm privileged just to be in this position. I'm grateful for that. And so, I'm going to be VERY picky about my next role. What are you being picky about these days?

After 25 years I’m moving on to new and more adventures.

Starting a new role

THE POWER OF SAYING NO ✋🏻 Embracing the power of saying "no" has been a transformative journey for me, both personally and professionally. As I get older, I’ve become bolder in setting boundaries around what I do and don’t want to do. But we have also adopted this approach in business. Staying true to who we are and our long-term goals is incredibly important to us. Therefore, if an opportunity doesn’t align with our vision, we graciously decline. What this has led to is Pop Up Global positioning itself exactly where we want to be in the industry – attracting the right clients, the right talent, and the right opportunities. This doesn’t mean we aren’t grateful for every opportunity that comes our way. It means we are strategic in selecting the opportunities that will ultimately lead us to our goals. Saying “no” (respectfully) can often be the best decision you make.

I was guilty of this during my corporate career. And it's a huge regret. Saying I wanted something different. Yet my actions said otherwise. I said to myself: 🗣️ I want more from my career. 🗣️ I'm ready for the next challenge. 🗣️ When will someone notice me? Yet, I: ❌ Continued doing the same things. ❌ Got really good at the role I had. ❌ Didn't speak up. Didn't advocate for myself. Until I had a light-bulb moment. No-one was coming to rescue me. I knew I had to take the wheel if I wanted career progression. I started: ✔️ Giving myself time to work on my next move. ✔️ Getting more visible. Leveraging my network. ✔️ Improving my personal brand. Doing my own PR. ✔️ Asking questions. Positively impacting other other work streams. ✔️ Having open conversations. What would it take for me to progress? ✔️ Who do I need to become? and how do I get there? I strategically positioned myself and landed my new, exciting role within weeks. More responsibility, more visibility, more opportunity. You'll never have the job you want next, if you are too busy with the one you have now.

starting New position