MacKenzie Gilmore is the 2012 Chair of the Metro EDGE Regional Action Committee. She recently began a new job and shares below how her experience at last year's Executive Insight event helped her focus on what she wanted in a job and in herself.
At some point in every young professional’s life, there come various points when it’s time to make a change. It could be that we've outgrown our position. It could be that the environment is no longer conducive to our development. It could be that we just need a change of pace. The problem becomes determining just want to do next. That is the position I was in toward the end of 2011. I knew it was time for a change, I knew the parts of my job that I didn't enjoy, and I has a sense of what I might want to do. But I really couldn't clearly articulate any of it, which isn't exactly a strong answer in an interview as to why you want the job, nor is it a great explanation to your spouse why you should make a change.
That changed when I attended the Metro EDGE Executive Insight event last fall. Among the executives I had the opportunity to speak with was Mike Heller. He spoke, as did others, about the need to have passion for what you do each day, work hard but still find balance, and give back to your community. But then it happened. Someone at my table asked Mike about how he chose who he wanted to partner and work with on projects. And he said he wanted to work with savvy, sophisticated partners. He didn't want to have to explain the basics of his business, defend his hard work if things didn't go according to plan, or justify his decision making. That was it – the thing that was missing in my current role: the opportunity to work with the savvy, sophisticated side of my business. Suddenly I could clearly explain to my husband why I wanted to shake things up for our family, articulate in an interview why I wanted to make a change, and clarify in my own mind what had been bothering me in my job.
And it worked. I started my new job last month and eagerly look forward to the next Executive Insight event as an opportunity continue to learn and grow along with other young professionals in Sacramento.
