Resiliency with Renee Beauford

This quarter we are talking about resiliency with one of our panelists and long-time sponsors of MI ATHENA, Hastings Mutual Insurance Company. Hastings’ President and CEO, Renee Beauford, sat down to provide us a look into her life, experiences and journey to the top — which undoubtedly included resiliency. Learn about her fascinating journey and tune in May 24 to hear more of her perspective and take-aways on emotional intelligence.

What is a professional event or experience that pushed you the hardest in your career?

• When interviewing for my very first supervisor role, I was asked how many children I had. At the time, I had an 18-month-old son. The interviewer, a departmental Vice President, asked “don’t you think you should be focused on being home with your son.” Not only is this an exceptionally inappropriate question, but it also spoke a lot about the company culture, overall. A person of leadership, within the company, felt that they were empowered to ask this question. It made me take a step back and evaluate what I wanted out of a career, company, and my leadership/peers. I learned a lot about myself – I learned that I had to make the best decisions for me, focused on what brought joy to my life – and working for this company no longer fulfilled that role. While I am grateful for the time I did spend at that company, I grew to learn that it was no longer the right, supportive fit, and knew I needed to make a change. I chose to leave that organization. It was a pivotal setback that pushed me in a new direction, ultimately leading to where I am now. I knew I needed to work to find a company and culture that supported me. It fueled me to be the professional I am today – I can be a leader and good mother – it is possible to do both. This was one of those turning points in my career that helped me understand how important that was.

What point in your career or even before that did you realize resilience was an integral part of success?

• I lost my father at a young age, and it forced me to learn how necessary it is to adapt to and recover from the loss. It was imperative that I work through my emotions – I had to understand the impact and decide to let it hold me back or allow it to teach me a lesson and move forward. I chose to move forward, to persevere, and that was my first cognizance of the importance of resiliency.

What does resilience look like in the workplace?

• In the workplace, resilience in a professional is demarcated by adaptability in response to shifting client needs, demonstrating a positive attitude, and the ability to make strong connections with high-communication relationships. This fosters a culture of viewing challenges as learning opportunities, teams trusting each other and expressing feelings in healthy appropriate ways.

Any additional comments on resilience?

• Resilience is important on both a corporate and individual level, and they support one another. There is a cyclical nature to resiliency, especially in this ever-changing industry. Companies have a responsibility to create an environment of growth and adaptability, and one wherein mentorships and teamwork are key. Giving employees the tools to learn how to effectively communicate, work through difficult situations, ask questions, and face adversity with positivity helps foster that culture. Again, it’s cyclical, so resilient employees create resilient companies, and companies well-versed in resiliency attract and retain resilient employees. Leaders must be willing to fail fast, but learn faster. Operate with the highest ethical standards, embody the core values of the company, and communicate. That, to me, is the recipe for true resiliency.

If you have questions or would like more information on MI ATHENA, please contact Leah Robinson at lrobinson@michamber.com.