Michelle Leonard’s Post

This year will mark my 40th year in the workforce. My first job was working in a Circuit City warehouse, pulling orders, from things as small as Radar Detectors to giant television sets (back when TVs were big and heavy!) I was 15 and an athlete, so I saw the whole affair as a workout opportunity, running to pull orders and carrying the heaviest load possible. Pondering my work life from those early days, to college jobs, to entry-level, to leadership, to starting a company or two, a few things, a few things I have found to be indisputable: Competency and expertise in the given work deliverables and the knowledge to be able to implement and manage those tasks are of the highest order. Practicality is an essential attribute. Positive people with an optimistic outlook win, attract winners, and offset the presence of negativity. Creating drama solves nothing. There is already enough real drama in the world. Relax. Not everyone is entrepreneurial and not everyone has initiative. When you find such people do everything you can to keep them on the team and happy. This next one is a hard one…some people, not many in my experience, are just miserable, so do all you can to avoid this constituency in your work and life. They will poison the whole pond. Lastly…Have fun doing what you do and surround yourself with people you enjoy being around. My two cents. Have a great day.

Last week I passed my 3 month probation at Carswell Gould and it’s genuinely just made me feel super duper grateful for the opportunity to work for such an incredible agency💜Being relatively new to the industry I thought I’d share some of the things I’ve been up to and learned over the past 3 months.. •ADS! The mix of art, science, and strategy in crafting messages is SO interesting to me I love it! Will definitely be something I’ll explore in more depth in the future. •Launched my first campaign with CG, the "use it or lose it" end of FY campaign. This taught me a lot about the importance of good process. •Meeting our lovely clients. If you know me then you’ll know I’m such a people person so it’s always a joy to get to do this. •Vamping up our online presence across socials. Giving our agency a voice and showing the world how bloody great we are! (I’m not biased, honest) •Writing loads of interesting blog posts. It's been amazing to explore and share thoughts on topics we're passionate about and educate people whilst doing so. •Helping to put on a super successful event which welcomed over 50 business leaders from the South. It was so fun meeting our guests, watching our vision come to life andddd seeing it pay off afterwards too! Marketing is not for the weak BUT I couldn’t imagine doing anything else anywhere else and can’t wait to learn more and more as the months go on. Maybe I’ll do another one of these when I hit the 6-month mark to compare and see how far I have come 🤔

If you are unhappy with where you landed when transitioning out of the military, contact the many veteran service organizations for career counseling. Use the military network to move to the position or organization where you can thrive. When anyone is ready to transition, please do the research and base your decisions on good information. Unsure where to look? Everyone is welcome to visit the VETS2INDUSTRY Resource Library. https://lnkd.in/gSvtSFr6 For help researching employment/career changes, don't hesitate to contact your local public library and speak with the reference librarian. They will help you articulate what you need one-on-one and show you where to find credible sources to help you make decisions based on knowledge/ intelligence. Veterans, consider using Veterati to help you on your journey. Register for VETS2INDUSTRY events to network with our community, meet recruiters, and learn about the services provided by veteran service organizations. If you need a place to talk, receive encouragement, or make a connection, join us virtually at Alfredo's Coffee House every Sunday at noon. The link is below in the comments. NOthing will change if you do NOTHING. Check out Dietrek's posts to see his journey through transition. #veterans #militaryspouses #militarytransition #networking #militaryveterans #veteranshelpingveterans

More variety than a family size Walker's Multipack. This week marks my 20th year working. I've recently jotted down my wide ranging job roles, I'm not that far off 1 role / year ratio. Nearly 20 jobs. Some promotions, some job stacking when required, some quick changes. What I've learnt; - I'm a curious creature. - I've had an uncontrollable need to please - this has meant I've worked INSANELY hard to prove myself and seek external validation. This is a biggy, I'm working on it. - When you don't know what you want to do it doesn't mean you can't still be a valuable asset where you are. - I'm at my best when I'm working for myself. It was the first thing I did post-school. If only I knew myself then like I do now. Low career point - ripping my arm open on a windscreen wiper blade whilst washing 7.5 tonne vans on a Friday morning in Eccles come rain or shine, summer through winter, with cold water. Character building. I've still got the scar to prove it too. What's your job ratio? And fave crisps obvs.

As you start your job search after being laid off from a company where you've spent many years, you may quickly realize just how much the job market has changed since you last looked. Maxine faced this challenge firsthand when she was laid off after nine years with her company. Learn more about how City Personnel helped Maxine find a new job in this case study: https://zurl.co/TFw5

Today's #CareerAdvice: DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. Structure your notes by month, quarter and year. Include the date for easy reference later. A few important details to consider 👇 ➡️ key changes in your business including strategy, pricing, product, etc ➡️ accolades and rolling accomplishments, big or small ➡️ positive (& constructive) feedback you've received internally or externally ➡️ times you've went above and beyond in your role Not only is this information generally helpful to have, but the next time you enter a career chat with your boss, update your resume, or (ideally not..) get laid off, you'll be thanking yourself for being diligent. I would have been LOST without documenting my journey over the last three years with my former company. Don't wait until it's too late 🫡 ----- P.S. I'm in Austin, Texas next week. If you know of any worthwhile events to attend or want to grab a beverage (alcoholic or non), send me a DM. #CareerJourney #CareerDevelopment

The first step in growing my career

Do your employees demonstrate career paths on their LinkedIn profiles? Through your individual profiles you can demonstrate to potential new employees not only a similar career path that took them to where they are now BUT the opportunity to grow as one of your employees. Every path is relevant, and every path tells a story that we can relate to. Some are a little more special than others right enough... #careerpath #hiring #employerbranding

My motivation to work started the day I saw a 1993 forest green GT mountain bike. It had 22-inch wheels, knobby tires, and a RockShox front suspension. As soon as my hidden stack of cash added up to $350, my dad took me to JOHN HALL's Bike Tech. The work I did at 12 to buy that bike is not the same work I do today, but it planted the first entrepreneurial seed. Our experiences change us. As we try and do, we grow and learn, and that is especially true professionally. In the important pursuit of discovering our professional calling, there are few things as important as trying different things. Finding your career calling is not a linear path. For most of us, you’ll have to work a handful of jobs you don’t love before you find it. During that journey, choose to learn from the jobs. Choose to view them as opportunities to become a better future employee, even if it’s a humbling, un-inspiring position. I still remember cleaning vomit off the dining room floor of a McDonald’s in Daytona Beach, Florida and restocking feminine hygiene products while wearing a bright red vest at a K-Mart in my hometown of Macon, Georgia. Not my finest moments, but I wouldn’t trade them for anything. How many jobs have you worked over your career? How many before you found your true calling? Here's a look at how each of my 32 jobs helped me discover my true passions: https://lnkd.in/gjRZ7gRz

⭐️Ten Years Ago...⭐️ I was 23 years old, looking for a career that would provide me with stability and opportunities for personal and professional growth. I started a new journey in an industry that I had always had some interest in, but had yet to score an opportunity. I remember my first day, and my boss (at the time) telling me "You are going to go so far in this company, I just know it." Little did I know, she was right. Before the professional growth came the personal growth. I gained skills that better prepared me for the future, while building on the ones I already possessed. When I didn't get a promotion I thought I was prepared for, I didn't quit. I accepted that it wasn't meant to be at that time, and God must have something better in store for me. I was right. Shortly thereafter, I was offered my first promotion that relocated me 250 miles away from my family and friends, in a state that I had no connections with. I was terrified of this idea, but I was more terrified of the inevitable: 'what if I don't?' So I did. A few months later came my next promotion. A few years later, I took my ABO exam and became a Licensed Optician. Then, in 2022, I achieved another promotion, as well as my NCLE license. As I celebrate ten years with this company/industry, I reflect back on every obstacle that I drove myself to push through, and that inevitable thought returns: 'What if I didn't?' #tenyears #workiversary #determination #growth