In this episode, we are having a very exciting in-person conversation with the Chief People Officer of Velocity Global, Sarah Fern. You’ll hear all about Sarah’s career, her first time as a Chief People Officer, what it’s like when HR and talent teams work together, and how you can wind up on the wrong side of the business. Under no circumstances can you be passive in your pursuits, and today, Sarah shares how you can shape your life and be the CEO of your own career! We also discuss how to challenge excessive meetings and protect your time (even in a less senior position), and empowering yourself to take care of your mental health. Sarah tells us about the incredible scaling of her company before breaking down her team and what their roles are. Finally, she leaves us with some incredible pearls of wisdom on how to advance your career. 

Key Points From This Episode:

• Introducing today’s guest, in the flesh, Sarah Fern. 
• Sarah tells us what she is doing in Denver.
• What Sarah plans to do when she meets team members who joined Velocity during COVID.
• The challenges that come with remote work. 
• An overview of Sarah’s background and how she landed her current role. 
• Sarah’s experience with talent teams and HR teams working together. 
• How you wind up on the wrong side of business.
• Why she believes that you can shape your life and your future and why you can’t be passive.
• Sarah’s experience of being a first-time Chief People Officer for Velocity Global.
• The unforeseen challenges of working with Velocity Global. 
• Why Sarah challenges the need for constant video call meetings. 
• How you can protect your time at work if you’re in a less senior position. 
• Why having more meetings makes you less productive. 
• The company’s role in mental health and why you ultimately need to empower yourself. 
• The scale of Velocity Global and how that’s impacting Sarah and her team. 
• Sarah explains the different roles in the talent team. 
• Why a startup mentality can be scrappy when you’re expanding. 
• How Velocity approaches outgrowing systems. 
• Sarah shares some advice for people looking to advance their careers. 

 

Tweetables:

 

“You should take the best of the best and you should put it together.” — Sarah Fern [0:07:37]

 

What I have learned over the years is that you can shape your life. You can shape the future.” — Sarah Fern [0:09:13]

 

“There isn't a playbook for this remote ‘work anywhere’ world. You've got to continuously challenge yourself and go, is this sustainable? Mental health, work-life balance, boundaries, being at your best game.” — Sarah Fern [0:17:30]

 

“The days are gone when there's a linear career ladder. Those days are truly behind us.” — Sarah Fern [0:33:16]

 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

 

Sarah Fern on LinkedIn

Velocity Global

Hired