Click here to see, More in This Category

Connecting With One Another – An Aha Moment

By Brenda Hall
EVP, Commercial Lines Chief Operating Officer

I was raised in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. I grew up playing football and baseball with the boys in my neighborhood and watching every sport known to man with my dad. I spent my winters ice fishing on Lake Erie and my summers camping in remote areas of Southern Ohio and West Virginia. I was taught to work hard and give 110% in everything I do. I was the first in my family to attend college – a small liberal arts school in Ohio. I’ve lived in Ohio, Indiana, Texas, Maryland, North Carolina, and Amsterdam. My husband and I were married for twelve years before we adopted our son from Kazakhstan. I lost my dad in my early 20’s and my mom in my 40’s.

Hearing from Her is a blog by Selective. An Aha Moment by Brenda Hall is a thought leadership article regarding connecting with others as leaders

Like everyone, my upbringing and life experiences make me who I am today. Over the course of my twenty-seven-year career, one of the things I’ve practiced is very similar to what I learned at home; work hard and give 110%. As I moved into leadership positions, however, I realized that hard work alone isn’t enough. Being authentic and bringing your real self to work every day is equally fundamental to success. Regardless of your role, being genuine, honest, relatable, and real is critically important to your success and, in turn, the organization’s.

Presenting your authentic self at work makes it easier for people to get to know, engage and connect with you. Connecting with one another allows us to have more honest conversations, accomplish more and improve outcomes. Raising challenging issues and facing them head-on is critical to an organization’s success.

Doing so in a manner that encourages dialogue – and doesn’t immediately shut it down – is essential to a leader’s success. When we can have honest conversations, we can tackle the most significant organizational challenges. In doing so, we can remove obstacles and advance the organization.

For so many of us, we pour ourselves into our work. We seek opportunities to develop our business acumen, volunteer for special projects, and take on additional assignments to grow in our discipline. But how often do we take the time to invest in relationships with our colleagues? How much time do we spend building a foundation of trust and honesty with one another? How much time do we spend being transparent with co-workers, discussing who we are, sharing our experiences, asking, listening, and learning? Not nearly enough...

What Are Aha Moments?

As women around the world continue to take on the challenges of virtual learning and juggling at-home childcare or eldercare with remote work, there has never been a better time for women to come together in community and share stories of overcoming their challenges. Creating a community or a squad of women you can trust is, in my opinion, one of the keys to a successful career. While we all have our unique set of challenges, the ability to connect to a community to learn what has and hasn’t worked for others can help guide our own individual journeys as we navigate uncharted waters. With this in mind, I asked some colleagues at Selective to document their “Aha Moments,” with the hope that amplifying their voices and sharing their stories inspires or enlightens someone in our audience. – Emma Corcoran

Getting Unique Perspectives

Are you a publication looking for a unique perspective from one of our contributors? Contact us for further details.