TheEdge Podcast

In this third installment of the Allyship in Action series, Mark Nussbaum, Chief Administrative Officer for DISYS and Signature Consultants joins host Leslie Vickrey, CEO and Founder of ClearEdge Marketing. The pair embark on a conversation about allyship and the importance of switching from a power stance to a learning stance, they share stories of putting that belief into practice, discuss the DEI efforts Mark has put in place at his own companies, and to wrap it up they dive into where our industry stands today and how we can move it forward with an eye toward diversity. 

After a powerful introduction to the episode from one of Mark’s mentees, Mark shares about his journey to the staffing industry, starting as a lawyer in the healthcare industry. The pair then dive into the conversation of allyship. Leslie often mentions the importance of a learning stance if you want to be an ally, and Mark shares that the way he often positions that is to think about connecting with people in a way that is mutually beneficial instead of putting yourself in a position of power. Being aware of your power and your privilege allows you to move from that power stance to a learning stance and bring curiosity and allyship to the conversation. Mark illuminates this idea with a story about a male colleague that joined a conversation with him and a female colleague, but was dismissive to their female colleague. While he didn’t say anything in the moment, Mark engaged in conversation with them separately and he goes on to share the outcomes of those conversations with Leslie. 

Building in opportunities for teams to learn together about diversity, equity, and inclusion is important to Mark and he shares some of the ways they have been doing that at DISYS and Signature Consultants. First, Mark shares about an unconscious bias training that the team at Signature took part in. The training fostered conversations within the team and built awareness of how unaware you are of yourself and your beliefs. Mark also remarked on the importance of revisiting this training and making sure that it is an ongoing conversation within your team. He also shared about monthly roundtable discussions called “Women and Allies” where they gather to discuss varied topics, from the tactical to the strategic. Along with these conversations, they also have a leadership development program, open to all, but with a focus on providing mentoring and coaching to a diverse set of leaders. This program will support these leaders in advancing in their careers. Lastly, the pair remark on an organization, Grand Circus, which the companies are partnering with. Grand Circus gives technical training through bootcamps to underserved groups in areas to provide skill training to groups that may not otherwise have access. 

Leslie then shares some stats with Mark about women in leadership, and how the percentages of women drop from 50% in entry level roles and closer to 20% representation in the C-suite. The pair then discuss different ways that we can work together to change those stats in our industry. Mark shares the importance of opening up the conversation, realizing that just talking about it won’t make the change, but without the conversation happening action won’t begin. He also encourages other males to get into mentoring and coaching, to pick people in their organizations and give them time monthly to provide insights to their career. The level of gratitude you receive and the accomplishment you feel from those conversations is disproportionate to the effort it takes, he says. 

This episode is full of so many take-aways, insights on how to have those courageous conversations we often shy away from, and ways to bring this home to your company to begin making small changes. 

On the latest episode of TheEdge, our host, Leslie Vickrey, ClearEdge Marketing CEO and Founder, is joined by Leonie Tyler, President of S.i. Systems. The episode opens with a  story about how Leonie started her career at just 16 and goes on to discuss how the intersection of allyship and friendship, Leonie’s personal meditation practice and how that has expanded to her professional realm, and the process of working with private equity firms along with advice for other women working with them now or in the future. 

Leonie, unlike many in the Staffing Industry, started her career outside of the industry. She moved to Canada from the UK at the age of 16, due to differing school systems, she decided to look for a job until she could register for university. Along with her mother, she stepped into the tallest building in downtown and applied for a job at the Bank of Montreal (BMO). She was offered a position the next day, and so began her career. Through on the job training programs, she continued to move through the ranks and stayed at BMO for 25 years.

After a sabbatical, which really allowed her to focus on her values, she took a courageous leap and left BMO to take a position at Canadian Pacific Rail. During her time there, she was introduced to S.i. Systems as one of their vendors. She grew to know the team, including Derek Bullen, the CEO. Leonie and Derek started a friendship between not only them, but their families, and Derek began to encourage Leonie to join his team. Leonie recounts times how that friendship really solidified the allyship that Derek provided for her when she did eventually join S.i. Systems. Derek stands beside her and allows her to do what she is passionate about, developing people, and their friendship has been a catalyst for that. 

Leonie is also very passionate about wellness- she has her own daily meditation practice, that as you will hear in the episode, has really been transformative for her. It is through that practice that she become grounded in her values and decided to start taking steps towards a life and career that gave to her what she needed. She has brought this practice into her professional life and to her team with great success. Creating grounded spaces in the office, during meetings, and beyond has opened up new opportunities of growth for her team. Leonie and Leslie talk about the importance of this and share a few different ways that you can bring these practices to your team. 

S.i Systems recently received a private equity investment that wil provide additional opportunity for expansion. Leonie’s background in finance uniquely suited her for her part in this conversation, although traditionally there are not many women involved in these processes. Leonie suggests that it was not necessarily the background in finance that uniquely suited her for this, but the ability to present her successes and how she was able to present and bring that to the table with her. She provides a great framework to think about how to build up these talking points for yourself and package them to present. 

This conversation is not one that you want to miss. It is full of insights, actionable takeaways, and Leonie’s passion for developing people in a grounded and thoughtful way truly shines through. Be sure to take a listen, share with your colleagues who could benefit, and leave a review on the podcast platform of your choice.

On the latest episode of TheEdge, our host, Leslie Vickrey, ClearEdge Marketing CEO and Founder, is joined by Eric Gregg CEO & Founder of ClearlyRated. Eric shares about his allyship journey and the belief that you never really arrive at allyship, the pair recount stories of shared experiences they have had during industry events and the important roles allies played, and discuss ClearlyRated’s DEI initiatives and the impact they have had on the industry. 

While Eric jokes that he started to view himself as an ally when Leslie asked him to be on podcast, he and ClearlyRated are known to shine a light on various areas and opportunities where the industry can improve for employees of all different backgrounds. He shares that in regards to his allyship journey, it’s just that, a journey. He believes you should constantly be trying to improve how you support people who haven’t been afforded the same opportunities as you. His path toward allyship has really been about self awareness and taking action, which is showcased throughout this episode.

Talking about Allyship in Action, Eric shares a lightbulb moment he recalls from a conference he was attending with Leslie. She simply asked Eric to watch her drink as she stepped away from the table, in that moment he realized that was something he never needed to think about in that setting. They discuss the differences of how men and women may approach event attendance and preparing for them, and how we can narrow the gap. They also discuss the importance and share stories of having allies in the room with you during those times. 

Eric started ClearlyRated to build off of his passion for data and telling it’s story, he wanted to translate data in a way that leadership teams could easily take action on, even if they were not a highly analytical team. Eric shares the way that ClearlyRated lives it’s DEI values with its team members and talks about pivot points on the company’s journey. George Floyd’s murder was one of those, as it was for many. One of their employees wrote a letter to leadership challenging them to do more, the letter highlighted the unique place in the industry that the company held, and that was another lightbulb moment for Eric. He realized that while they were living what they believed inside their walls, they could build greater impact by shifting that externally. Since then they have worked to do exactly that, and have more coming on those efforts in this year.

On the latest episode of TheEdge, our host, Leslie Vickrey, ClearEdge Marketing CEO and Founder, is joined by Kara Rogan CEO of Co-Worx Staffing. The pair discuss Kara’s path from VP to CEO, what exactly bone deep self confidence means, and the importance of balancing being a high performer while not being a perfectionist, especially as your children are watching and learning from you.

Kara began her career at Adecco, but has spent the past 17 years at CoWorx Staffing Services. After college, she stumbled on the staffing industry through a friend and began her career. After finding success and a passion for the industry at Adecco, she was approached by CoWorx to join their team. She took the leap and joined them at a pivotal time when the company was going through a re-brand and many internal changes. She began as a Director of Sales and Operations in a small market, but has slowly moved her way up to her role today as newly appointed CEO. As for advice for young women wanting to rise up to the C-suite, Kara says, “always raise your hand” which will open you up to new experiences and opportunities. 

As Kara continued to climb the corporate ladder, she began to engage with an executive coach to support her growth. Through their work together, Kara learned a term ‘bone deep self confidence’ which she shared with Leslie. It is not a term that is about self worth, but rather about being confident in your work because you know you are doing the right thing. This concept along with the idea that you do not have to be an expert in everything, has really helped her build self confidence through the years. 

While both Kara and Leslie are CEOs, they have another important job they discuss in today’s episode, being a mom to their kids. Leslie asks Kara about how you balance the importance of being a high performer, without falling into the perfection trap, especially when it comes to your kids. Kara’s shares that while she has made many mistakes figuring out what works for her family, she has found success in not pushing them in the areas that they are already hard on themselves. Instead, building the kids up in those areas. They share stories and examples of ways they have seen this play out, lessons they have learned, and how they will continue to implement these concepts at home. 

These are just a few of the topics that the pair talk about during their conversation. They talk more about how an executive coach can support you in your role and growth, the importance of health and wellness for your team,  what excites them most about the future of the staffing industry, and more.