The Buzz with ACT-IAC
The Buzz with ACT-IAC
From Nursing to Business Operations: A Talk with an Associates Graduate from Akiak Holdings
In this episode of The Buzz from ACT IAC, host Yohanna Baez dives into the career journey of Olivia Henry, an early career professional who participated in the ACT-IAC Professional Development Associates Program. Olivia discusses her transition from nursing to a leadership role in business operations, fueled by the support and skills gained from the program. The conversation covers Olivia's day-to-day responsibilities, key learnings from the program, the importance of networking, and her promotion to Director of Business Operations. Olivia also shares the impact of mentorship and the practical skills she implemented immediately.
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Intro/Outro Music: See a Brighter Day/Gloria Tells
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Yohanna: [00:00:00] Hello and welcome back to The Buzz from ACT IAC. I am your host, Yohanna Baez. And today, we are diving into the experiences of early career professionals who have taken part in the ACT IAC Professional Development Associates Program. We will explore their journeys. Before, during, and after the program, what they learned, how they grew, and where they are headed next.
Yohanna: Okay, let's jump right in. Hello everyone, I'm here with Olivia Henry. Welcome to The Buzz, Olivia, how are you feeling?
OLIVIA: I'm feeling good this morning, thank you for having me. Great. So tell our listeners a little bit about yourself. I have a bachelor's of science and health science from St. Louis University.
OLIVIA: Um, and then I went on and got my BSN from a top healthcare organization, Barnes Jewish's Goldfarb School of Nursing. Um, so I went immediately into nursing for the start of my career, um, which began [00:01:00] in acute care medicine with Johns Hopkins Medicine actually over in right past Georgetown at Sibley Memorial.
OLIVIA: Six months into me starting, I, the COVID pandemic hit. I was a brand new nurse. Um, it was scary. I hit my year mark and I started travel nursing actually. And I quickly rose through the ranks of management. Um, and I eventually moved into nursing management where I was leading a team of like eight RNs, five support staff, and then even managing the logistical operations of two units that had a total of like 40 patients per shift.
OLIVIA: So COVID ended up being a lot for me post COVID and was really a turning point as well. Um, the challenging working conditions. It's like the lack of staff and resources, honestly, and the horrid pay for literally saving lives, right, at all these different hospitals I was traveling to led to what I call me having an early life crisis.[00:02:00]
OLIVIA: Um, so after five years, I knew I needed a change, and also a baby kind of popped in there as well. So with all that going on, five years hit, I really knew I needed a change, and I started exploring different opportunities outside of bedside. Um, I was networking on LinkedIn. I was all over. I was like pivoting my resume.
OLIVIA: I was trying to get into pharmaceutical sales. I was looking at medical device sales, insurance, um, but it was actually a connection and a networking connection through LinkedIn that actually inspired me to make the leap and do a career pivot into business operations and industry now.
Yohanna: That's fascinating.
Yohanna: I, I love listening to people's journey, all the twists and turns that your life creates for you that you overcome and that that's amazing. That's really, that's great. So now that you're settled in your current role, can you maybe walk us through what an average day looks like for you?
OLIVIA: Sure. So [00:03:00] currently, um, as the director of business operations at my company, I've been there Um, over a year and a half now, I essentially oversee and optimize our daily operations to ensure efficiency and alignment with all of our strategic goals.
OLIVIA: So, we just hit this new year, um, we just identified all of our goals, and so some of my responsibilities, like coordinating between all the different departments, you know, BD, HR. Um, the executive leadership team, right? We have clients delivery. I'm managing budgets. I'm monitoring our performance metrics, creating policy, ensuring that we're compliant with policies and reporting.
OLIVIA: And then I also Um, always looking for solutions and in turn managing our business platform solutions to help us be more efficient and, uh, better help us create better workflows in my daily day to day. So [00:04:00] interestingly, while My environment and my strategic mission are now different from from nursing, right?
OLIVIA: My current role really isn't that far of a pivot from what I was doing in nursing management and nursing. I led a team of like health care professionals to provide patient care, right? And I manage the logistics of the two units, like I said earlier. Um, and now I'm leading a team to drive business success, right?
OLIVIA: And manage those operational logistics. So in both roles, I'm focusing on managing teams, I'm optimizing workflows. And I'm always ensuring high quality outcomes. The core skills of leadership and communication and problem solving are really much the same, just really applied into a different context now for me.
Yohanna: I definitely see all of the transferable skills there, you know, even motherhood, like, yeah, that's, yeah, time management, patience, like, you know, dealing with difficult toddlers, like, there's something there, you know? Yeah, difficult
OLIVIA: patients, difficult toddlers, difficult clients, it's really all how you [00:05:00] pivot and, um, network yourself.
OLIVIA: into a different environment. So, um, that's really what I focused on when I knew I wanted to change. And that's how I got myself there.
Yohanna: Yeah.
OLIVIA: So speaking
Yohanna: of, uh, pivoting, I think there's also like turning points in your career where, what was it about the act IACS professional development associates program that stood out and made you want to apply?
OLIVIA: I was actually inspired because I had multiple leaders who participated years and years and years and years and years ago, um, in the voyagers and the partners programs. And I had seen firsthand the lifelong connections that they had developed and some who are now even business partners for them actually.
OLIVIA: And then also working in a remote company with a more older management team. I said at least like quote unquote, I'm a millennial and I worked directly with leadership and the executive team or I would say more boomers and that kind of generation. So I was really [00:06:00] eager to connect with peers who have similar interests, but also the same level of experience as me.
OLIVIA: Right. So I knew the associates program offered that. Awesome chance to network with like minded individuals who are around my age and around my experience and also grow professionally and keep those connections that I've seen um, play out for years and years and years now. That's always good. I, I
Yohanna: love the quote, when you see it, you can be it.
Yohanna: So you saw examples in your personal life, like of people that have done things. And so you knew that you could possibly do it too. That's really inspirational. So besides Extending and expanding your network. Was there anything else that maybe was a goal of yours when you applied to the program, maybe tackling specific challenges and Oh,
OLIVIA: absolutely.
OLIVIA: Yeah. Yeah. My so actually when you start the program. You're given a packet and you have, you write three goals on there and it's done up front, you turn it on at the end. One of my goals [00:07:00] on there was to develop my professional networking skills. I would say naturally I'm a people person, right? I'm an extrovert, but I had attended a couple of conferences with my executive team because we, you know, we're lifelong ACT IAC members and we go to the events all the time.
OLIVIA: And by then I had realized I, I need to, like, refine my personal pitch and my introduction and my elevator pitch, right? Like, I'm just listening to my leadership deliver theirs with such confidence and clarity. I was like, I want that, right? I want to sound confident. So, I knew for me that was a gap going in and I I'm the type of person where I make myself uncomfortable to make myself comfortable, right?
OLIVIA: So I knew I needed to learn the skills and then immerse myself, which ACT ACT and Associates really helped me do. And also I wanted to learn more about just government contracting in general, right? Because my company specializes in IT solutions for the government. And so the program provided an [00:08:00] excellent opportunity.
OLIVIA: to connect those dots for me between all the different departments I coordinate with daily. Like I had said, BD, client services, just so I could get a deeper, more understanding of the industry itself.
Yohanna: That's really good. You walked into the program with a focus. So let's talk about the program. Let's talk about your time during the program.
Yohanna: I know, I know that you mentioned that you were an extrovert, so maybe starting something new like this program, maybe you weren't as nervous. I'm, that's what I'm kind of like picking up. Maybe you weren't as nervous, but were you excited or intimidated at all? Were there any things that kind of like surprised you when you entered the program?
OLIVIA: Sure. I was most definitely nervous going into this program. I exude confidence, right? Because like I said, I want to be that I don't want to come across. Me personally, like I, you know, don't feel confident. So personally, I make sure that it doesn't come across that way, but I was absolutely nervous going into the program.
OLIVIA: But I was so impressed [00:09:00] with how it started, right? And our program actually was the largest at the time. So I think they doubled the size from last year to 40 people. So there was so many new faces where we've never met each other. We're all doing different things, right? But. Starting out, the program was focusing more on your personal skills, right?
OLIVIA: So like your, how to network, what are your management skills and your style and how do you communicate and doing that self reflection, right? So it wasn't as intimidating going in because you're gaining that insight on yourself. Then came the team assignments. So honestly, I'm going to shout out props to Sarah for sorting all 40 of us.
OLIVIA: Based on our Myers Briggs scales, our personality traits, and what our positions were. So what surprised me the most there was the collaboration that was fostered within our team in that short period of time, right, we're talking about like six months, less than six months for our COI case study, which was a part of the [00:10:00] associates program goal.
OLIVIA: So I truly felt like I was involved in creating a solution outside of my company. Right for government, which was really unexpected and rewarding for me. So I was nervous going in the way that the program was set up. It was made me feel very comfortable and I we hit it off great with our whole cohort.
OLIVIA: Um, and then going into the team aspects towards the end really was what surprised me.
Yohanna: Let's talk about your group and your group name. Did you guys also come up with a clever name? And I also want to know who your, your mentor was, who, who was your coach for, for the program?
OLIVIA: Yes, we. It's so funny. We did our team name.
OLIVIA: Everyone had to do the team name like five minutes after meeting each other. So we're all these like awkward souls just kind of, you know, figuring out what we want to do our team name. So my team was part of the talent COI and we came up with the name, um, top tier talent. And we called ourselves [00:11:00] Team Triple Threat because of the three T's, which was fun.
OLIVIA: Our coach was Jessica Days with the IRS. She was actually the government chair for our year. We all worked together. There was five of us for the last six months on our case study that, um, was titled Gateway to Government Agencies, actually.
Yohanna: I love these names. I've been interviewing a lot of, uh, associates.
Yohanna: And all of their names have been like really silly and really fun. And I'm like, what is going on? You guys playing over there?
OLIVIA: It all started with, I forget the name. You'll have to touch it. It's a Sarah. She had the whole year. She joked about how this team was the Whiskey Wizard, something like that. They won and it's just been a running game just to see who has the funniest name since then.
OLIVIA: So I wouldn't say I was with the most funniest or the most clever but we felt pretty fierce with that triple threat for sure on communications.[00:12:00]
Yohanna: That's good. So with your case study, you mentioned that your case study was, I guess, government focused. Were there any skills or lessons from your case study that you were able to put into action right away?
OLIVIA: Um, Oh, absolutely. Um, so one of the skills, not necessarily from that team, but from the program, right, was from the sessions.
OLIVIA: As part of the program, right? So you there's kind of two parts. So you are attending all the sessions. Some are virtual, some are in person. And then there's the case study project, which is the part B of the program. I would say something that I implemented immediately from the session side was, let me give you a little background.
OLIVIA: It's called managing up and the speaker for that it. Session was fantastic. Oh my gosh, I highly recommend that they use her every single year because she was so fantastic. And one of the skills that she taught was how to manage up [00:13:00] to your supervisor and understanding how to analyze people to work effectively with anyone.
OLIVIA: Right? So. Um, we understood our own communication strategies and our different management styles, and this is what really helped me personally in my work setting, tailor my approach while interacting with my supervisors, ensuring that I knew how he preferred to communicate and what types of ideas were the best to bounce back on and get feedback from him in ways that really resonated with him, right?
OLIVIA: And then on the team side, it I served as the project manager for our group. Bringing those skills directly into my work on projects that I'm working on was directly correlating for sure. Between both of those two, I applied them immediately within my work setting and then Being able to understand my supervisor's priorities and his communication preferences, and then how to tackle projects, break them down into little pieces so that way we can all work on them and coordinating schedules and timelines and [00:14:00] working with the COI were all things that I was able to bring into my workplace and apply immediately after attending.
OLIVIA: That's
Yohanna: fantastic. It sounds as if you got like a really great work hack. You know, like a, you know, like a little, little cheat code there. That's great. Another thing that I've been noticing is that we have a very unique, not only is our program unique and we have different sessions and we bring in amazing speakers, but we also do this thing where we blend government and industry professionals together.
Yohanna: What was the biggest insight you gained from collaborating across these sectors?
OLIVIA: I would say I gained a broader perspective on definitely problem solving across different types of sectors, right, between government and agency, or sorry, government and industry, um, and then weaving in the innovation there as well, so working with others from diverse backgrounds really helps you see challenges from different angles, right, [00:15:00] and developing more, um, More innovative and comprehensive solutions.
OLIVIA: So to me, that was the most enlightening to understand how the collaboration between different various agencies approach similar issues and learn best practices from each other, right? By meeting and talking, um, that I could even take into my own work in industry. So I would definitely say that was my most valuable takeaway from the collaboration between um,
Yohanna: And what about your collaboration with mentorship and coaching?
Yohanna: Did your mentors help you shift your perspective on something? Can you share a time when your coach helped you see a challenge or an opportunity in a new light?
OLIVIA: Oh, absolutely. So what's And fortunate for all the people involved in associates is you received the support actually from multiple coaches.
OLIVIA: So while I was assigned Jessica as my team coach, you're doing one on ones and meeting with all of the coaches, which was [00:16:00] so invaluable for me. I would describe my relationship with. My coaches, my personally, my coach was a little bit more hands off, which gave me a more greater ownership of my learning and my development in the program, um, where I was able to reach out to others, right?
OLIVIA: It really made me dive deep into reaching out to others. Um, and seeking other guidance and support from everyone in the program. But also, I received guidance on things like networking, right? So, for example, I went to ELC with one of the coaches, um, not with him, but we were attending together, right? Um, and I had just casually told him, I'm like, I have this big, huge stack of business cards.
OLIVIA: What do I do with these? At the end of the evening? Like I, there's just a whole stack. I mean, seriously, they're passed around like candy. Um, and I, I really, I found it daunting to really have to like go back and I was like, who was I talking to at this? And one of the coaches had taught me a trick he uses.
OLIVIA: He assigns a corner to each of the [00:17:00] cards. One's like, I want to reach back out to you. One means I want to just a follow up email. Another is I need a business meeting with you, right? Whenever he received a card, he would flip one of those little corners after they're immediately after the conversation.
OLIVIA: And that simple method helped him keep track of his networking contacts. And so getting advice from coaches like that is what really left an impression on me. And, um, And it was, I found it incredibly useful and then helping me make that process of managing to follow up with all those connections that I was making.
Yohanna: That's awesome. You wouldn't think of just real basic, tangible management skills when it comes to business cards. Who would have thought?
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Yohanna: Welcome back. We've been diving into the experiences of professional development graduates. And now it's time to talk about what happens after the program, how it's made an impact, and what lessons are carrying forward. All right, so now that you've completed our professional development associates program, how do you feel it has influenced your career trajectory?
Yohanna: Where do you see yourself going in the future?
OLIVIA: Oh, one of the most notable impacts for sure for me from the program was my promotion towards the [00:20:00] latter end of the program. So I came in, I started as a business operations manager. And I was recently promoted this past fall to Director of Business Operations.
OLIVIA: So that absolutely was an influence from my skills learned in Associates. So I applied directly into my, my workspace. That's great. Congratulations. Thank you so much. But the skills that I specifically learned in communication, right, in leadership, um, are the ones that I'll carry lifelong with me for sure.
OLIVIA: So, the programs focus on communication. Self reflection and that drive to personal development is what really helped me personally identify my strengths. through the program and my areas that needed growth. So that self awareness that I learned from Associates combined with those practical tools and techniques that we learned have really enabled me [00:21:00] to take on more responsibilities in my, in my own career path and really demonstrate my readiness for advancement.
Yohanna: That's great to hear. One of the biggest advantages of programs like this is the connections you, you make. Have you stayed in contact with your cohort, your, your triple threat team, or maybe your
OLIVIA: coach? Oh, most definitely. Um, we're such a big group and I've most definitely maintained connections with our cohort, my team, our coaches.
OLIVIA: Uh, just this past weekend, a few of us went out for dinner and drinks while I was in town. I'm actually out of town, or I'm in Virginia Beach, so once a month during all of the sessions and events, I would come down. So, uh, we make it a point to try to get together when the, those of us who are out of town are in.
OLIVIA: We're all in social media group and group chats, um, and really have surprisingly remained pretty active within those. So, shout out to our social chairs. Even, like, during dinner, I'm just so amazed with all the connections [00:22:00] I've made, even during our dinner, we were catching up. I had mentioned that I was, um, going to start applying for MBA schools, which was number two on my goal list going into the program.
OLIVIA: Um, and I mean, without hesitation, one of my girlfriends, she was like, Oh, uh, you know, if you need help looking at your resume, I could put you in contact with some friends who I've graduated, who I know have graduated from MBA programs that I could reach out to. Um, so it's just so amazing to know that we have those connections now, and I'm honestly grateful to have even made any like that.
OLIVIA: So
Yohanna: that's really good to have a generous network of people who are eager to help and follow through, you know,
OLIVIA: exactly, exactly.
Yohanna: If there's anyone out there that's listening right now to this episode and they're, they love the conversation so far and they are wondering if they should also apply to this program, what would you say to them?
Yohanna: Oh, I would
OLIVIA: highly encourage you to apply for sure. The Associates program is a unique blend [00:23:00] of like professional development with networking, with hands on learning, and it can really significantly impact your career. The support and the guidance that I've got from, again, like I said, the multiple coaches, right, and the multiple mentors, along with the opportunity to connect with those peers, those like minded peers in the same group as you, right, really make it a fantastic investment for your future career, for sure.
OLIVIA: Definitely apply. Take the courage and make yourself uncomfortable to be comfortable. Thank you so much
Yohanna: for that advice. I need it for
OLIVIA: myself, you know, being brave is so tough
Yohanna: putting yourself out there.
OLIVIA: It really is. Yeah. And the more you do it, the more you become comfortable with it. Right. So, um, take the leap.
OLIVIA: That's great. All
Yohanna: right. We've had a great conversation about career growth and being brave and developing your professional life. But before we wrap up, let's Have some fun. It's time for [00:24:00] Acronym Wars.
OLIVIA: Oh, I'm so nervous.
Yohanna: Don't be nervous. Um, this is how it works. So I'll throw some common and maybe tricky government acronyms your way and you have to tell us what they stand for.
OLIVIA: Okay. Let's see what you got. Okay. Ready? I'm ready.
Yohanna: First acronym. G A O.
OLIVIA: G A O. G A O. Government.
OLIVIA: Government. I feel like there's going to be government in all of them. Government something office. Okay. Alright. Yes. Close. Government acquisition office. Oh, no. Wrong. Oh, what was it? Accountability
Yohanna: office.
OLIVIA: Oh, that's a new one. I'll have to put that on my [00:25:00] acronym list I told you about. It's getting longer.
OLIVIA: Seriously?
Yohanna: Alright, here's another acronym. N O A A
OLIVIA: N A National Oh, I know this. I passed by them in Alaska. National Ocean Um, and National Ocean and It's not agriculture. National Ocean and, oh, I don't know. National Ocean and You're close. You got half of it. And atmosphere. I think it's atmosphere. Yep.
OLIVIA: National Ocean and atmosphere. Is that the AA? And
Yohanna: then it's, so there's a last A there. There's two A's, you got the atmospheric. Oh, so
OLIVIA: the A
Yohanna: doesn't count as an A. No, not and. And does not count as an A.
OLIVIA: [00:26:00] National Ocean and Atmosphere Administration.
Yohanna: There you go. Ding, ding, ding.
OLIVIA: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
OLIVIA: Congratulations. You got one. That one was hard.
Yohanna: That was a tough one, I know. All right, last acronym.
OLIVIA: C B O. C B O. C B O. Callback?
OLIVIA: C B O.
OLIVIA: C B O. Something, something office.
Yohanna: Yes, you got the office right. Um,
OLIVIA: communication, [00:27:00] C. C B. I don't know this one. I know the O is, the G has got to be government and the O has to be office. The A has to be administration, right? There's, there's links. Yes, we do have a pattern, yes. The agency, commission. All right, you give up? I give up. That one I don't know. CBO, I'm going to add it to my list.
OLIVIA: What is it? Congressional Budget Office. Oh, I was way off. I got the office
Yohanna: though. Yeah, you did. Good job. This is fun, right? I mean, I learned really hard whenever I prepare for these podcasts. I'm like trying to bring in new acronyms and stuff. I love
OLIVIA: it.
Yohanna: Yeah, no, those were good. Okay, great. Thank you
OLIVIA: for playing along.
OLIVIA: Absolutely. I'm happy to, to be a part of it.
Yohanna: This has been such an insightful conversation. Thank you so much for sharing your journey and experience with us. Is there anything else that you'd like to share with our listeners?
OLIVIA: Absolutely. I [00:28:00] would like to emphasize really the importance on again, taking that chance, right?
OLIVIA: Being open to change and embracing something new and new opportunities. So, as you guys have probably heard in our last hour that my career journey has been twisty turvy, I've pivoted, I've had the most unexpected paths, but those are what can lead to the most rewarding experiences. And for me, associates was definitely one of the positives from that pivot.
OLIVIA: So whether you're in healthcare now or business or another field and you want to develop your personal and management and leadership skills, please take the leap. And again, I just want to emphasize on, um, Being open to trying something new. So I would, I would leave off with that. Great. Thank you so much.
Yohanna: This has been such an insightful conversation. Thank you for sharing your [00:29:00] journey and experiences with us. And to our listeners, if you're interested in learning more about Act IAC's professional development program, be sure to check out actiac. org slash professional dash development. Until next time, keep learning, keep growing, and we will see you in the next episode.
Okay. Okay.