Welcome to Fearless Females! Today, we’re thrilled to chat with Macaire Montini, the dynamic chief people officer at Agio.
From her beginnings in finance, medical communications, and radio, to her groundbreaking role in HR, Macaire’s career is nothing short of inspiring. She’s here to share her unique perspective on making HR approachable and empowering, along with her journey of staying true to her authentic self.
Get ready for an episode brimming with actionable insights on communication, transparency, and achieving success without compromising who you are. If you’re a growth-oriented professional woman, this conversation is a must-listen!
Show Highlights:
- Discover radical motivational genius in this unlikely book. [00:03:00]
- A masterclass on combining disparate career shifts. [00:05:27]
- How to shape a conversational, human brand of HR. [00:16:16]
- What to do to redefine those blips in your résumé. [00:24:55]
- The strategic value of a global HR perspective. [00:30:01]
- Are you overstaying your tenure in a role? [00:34:34]
- Tips to temper femininity in male-dominated fields. [00:40:40]
- The missing “B” policy in DEI in HR leadership. [00:52:07]
- Learn to fire and be fired from jobs with distinction. [00:58:12]
- Incisive advice for aspiring female HR professionals. [01:02:20]
Email Macaire Montini at Macaire@gmail.com. To visit her LinkedIn profile, go to https://www.linkedin.com/in/macaire-montini/.
If you enjoyed this episode, please go to Apple Podcasts and leave a review!
For more information about Lorie Jones, go to http://fearless-females.com/
00:00.00
loriejones7
So thank you so much for joining us this morning. We're here with my car montini she is the chief people officer at aggio and I'm so excited to talk with you today I really am excited to kind of delve into what you know about.
00:10.33
Macaire Montini
S.
00:18.92
loriejones7
Um, Hr um and just kind of learn your journey. Thank you so much for agreeing to do this for us mccare.
00:26.90
Macaire Montini
Absolutely it came at a good time in my career which is having been an ah hr for about 20 years and transitioning across a new role transitioning across industries. So I was really pleased with the opportunity and I hope that. Have some insights to share that you'll find interesting I certainly find hr fascinating but not I want to make sure that I make hold the flag high for hr professionals every year
00:52.74
loriejones7
Ah, well I I love it I think that um as we kind of go through this journey. We were just talking just a little bit about the fact that sometimes it helps to just look back at where you've been and take stock of what you've done and.
01:05.73
Macaire Montini
Yeah.
01:06.84
loriejones7
And this kind of gives you a chance to do that as well in your own life. So I appreciate it. So my first question is always the same I'm a reader I love reading I devour books what is your favorite book.
01:10.29
Macaire Montini
Absolutely.
01:21.76
Macaire Montini
So this is a recent entry I used to do a lot of ah reading as you can see above physical books as your career progresses or your life gets busier. It's harder to find time to put more of a sit down with a physical book. So i've. Transition into audiobooks and try to get them in whenever I can um I was going to put I was going to talk about something that was very work specific. But I think that it's actually better just to start with whatever you find is inspiring and. To me it was listening to the Barbara Streiszan's autobiography that came out end of last year it came out at a really really weird time where I was transitioning from 1 role to the other and I found that I had a lot of time in my hands and you need a lot of time on your hands for this book because it's 48 hours while we're.
01:57.58
loriejones7
Ah.
02:09.36
loriejones7
Oh my gosh.
02:12.96
Macaire Montini
Doing all of the audio and it takes you have to be Committed. It's almost like a course on a life. Well lived and that's how I sort of filled in the time I took some time off between roles and figuring out what I wanted to do next and I really enjoyed listening to what she had to say and. You know a big takeaway was you know someone asked she got she got asked. How do you hold a note for so long and I think that people were expecting some technical singing answer but her reply was because I want to period. End of sentence and that what I thought was something that was a big takeaway for me as I transitioned into my next level of my career and a new job and a new industry because I know I can and because I want to so.
03:00.60
loriejones7
Because I want to I love it because you really you really can achieve miracles and great things and really make an impact on this world. Why because it's It's fun because you want to because you can't.
03:13.48
Macaire Montini
Yeah.
03:15.59
loriejones7
Stop yourself from looking through financial charts at ten o'clock at night because it's so much fun.
03:18.60
Macaire Montini
And exactly exactly and so I'm trying to remember that and apply it as I learn more and more about this company and its people and it's it's fascinating.
03:32.51
loriejones7
Oh I love that I never would have thought of that Barbara Streisand I think I actually have um one of my daughter in-laws actually asked for that book this Christmas and I didn't realize it was such a huge book that's.
03:44.75
Macaire Montini
It's yeah on the shelf. It's you know, very wide listening it really. It feels like you're signing up for something that you know I'd walk the dog and listen every morning and it was great. So I highly recommend. Not just to to women or people that are interested in the theater or the arts. But to anyone who just feels like I can do anything or wants that little bit of motivation I think it really did help me entering 2024 with the right head of my shoulders for sure.
04:10.75
loriejones7
Oh I love that that's a great suggestion. So tell us a little bit about your journey where did you start? How did you get where you're at today and kind of what do you do.
04:21.45
Macaire Montini
Yeah, so mine is not the traditional Entryway IntoHR I think a lot of people, especially this elder millennial Gen X line that I cross We were very often told that. You know, go into finance and be an accountant go into ah Hr and be an assistant I um had that in the back of my mind but I had this alternate route and that was ah actually using my voice and being a radio presenter ah starting my career off that Way. So an intern on a morning show. And then on to having my own shift for a top 40 radio station I did traffic reporting and then I moved into a classic rock Arena and during that time there was also a lot of interview Potential. So I would be out in the street interviewing people interviewing Celebrities. So I had to be really confident and really comfortable upfront with that and it sounds fun and cool and glamorous and it is to a certain extent but it wasn't really fulfilling and I felt like I needed something where I could.
05:19.48
loriejones7
Um.
05:32.50
Macaire Montini
Be on a very clear trajectory to know where I was going. There's too much uncertainty in the world of of media especially with the change over you know that's been happening from print to digital and from radio to satellite to streaming. There was just too much uncertainty for someone like myself that desires. Productivity certainty and also the freedom and independence so I decided that I was going to get on more of a traditional track and I entered hr field working for Oliver Wyman the financial management consulting firm I joined them at of sort of a very beginning they had just been part of.
05:53.48
loriejones7
And.
06:12.19
Macaire Montini
Marsha Mclennan acquired they were about I think 600 people when they started when I started and I grew my hr career while alongside Oliver Wyman growing from about 600 people to about 3000 and that was only a 6 year period so they grew really quickly. And they really put the pressure on and as anyone that's been in management consulting will know even if you're not the consultant you are asked to push yourself you know beyond your limits to really bring the best to the customer and the best. And the only the best and the brightest get to be in the sort of the the crowd of of real producers of of the great work. So I really pushed myself went from. You know, ah the traditional track assistant to more of a specialist to a recruiter when I felt like it was ready I was ready to take on something else I knew. Too big I think that's you have to be very sort of self-aware I know that population size is a bit too big for me to move up any further so I went jumped ship went to wall streete firm the thetree.com. Ah.
07:12.10
loriejones7
Ah.
07:20.24
Macaire Montini
Worked for them for a little while worked directly with Jim Kramer who everyone knows from mad money on tv. Great guy, great work that everyone was producing but what I learned there was it wasn't the right environment for me I think the I started to learn that.
07:23.75
loriejones7
Ah ahead.
07:39.40
Macaire Montini
You can have your own brand. You can still be compliant and follow your career trajectory and but I think I had I found my own footing my own brand of of ah hr wanted to employ that took me to envision pharma which is a medical communications agency and there for 13 years again perfect alignment what I want to do what I want to grow what does the company want to do where does the company want to grow and I grew them from being employee number 96 to their 1500 plus employees today and you have to be flexible and adaptable. But you also need to.
08:07.96
loriejones7
Wow.
08:17.90
Macaire Montini
Be relatable and approachable and all of those things so when I decided that again next level jump too big too big for me to really make the impact that I would like to make I needed to. Shift gears and go back to something within the financial services realm with also a technology lean and I needed to get the right population size and the right leadership team and I found it at ahio and so far for the past five months really guiding the direction of this company has been really successful and.
08:40.40
loriejones7
It.
08:50.64
Macaire Montini
I Really enjoy working with everyone. It's great.
08:53.10
loriejones7
That's great. That's really an interesting trajectory like did you start when you started on the radio were you like the deejay did you like.
08:57.58
Macaire Montini
Um, yeah.
09:00.64
Macaire Montini
Yeah, absolutely so full deejay full everything and it was so fast. It was like you have a great voice and confidence here you go boom and so you just have to just say yes and I absolutely you know had. Less fear. You probably have less fear when you're younger anyway. Um, but I was like sure throw me in any situation I'll try to make it funny ah put me on with the callers. Let me take their requests and so really following that ah trajectory of. Let's give anything a shot really hasn't hasn't failed me in my career today even though I took a big switcheroo from I'm going to be a radio personality to I'm gonna be the head of Aja whoever thought it would ever happen. But here we are today.
09:49.32
loriejones7
Yeah, so did you and did you go to college. Did you get a degree was your degree and.
09:58.26
Macaire Montini
My degree is bachelor's ah in communications and women's studies. So I felt very strongly about women's studies as a background and I still do I think it's in sort of an overlooked degree I think if you are. Ah, fearless female I think spending time in a women's studies. Environment isn't just about you know, women's issues or women's art or anything like that. It's truly about the complexities of the issues that America or the world is facing and how to look at it from different contextual angles and so it teaches you to. Try to have someone else's point of view in mind when you're decision makingking and I think that I enjoyed it so much I thought I was going to be in a nonprofit space by chance I thought maybe it'd go in that direction. But I've been all for profit behind a desk you know. Working with private equity I got away from sort of the activist side but applying all the same principles over here hopefully has done some good.
11:00.64
loriejones7
Yeah, that's so interesting and I do think that financial services and finance um women are underrepresented in that ah in ah in a lot of the different private equity and hedge funds and you know financial advisors and stuff like that. So ah, that your your ah degree could come in handy.
11:10.52
Macaire Montini
Um, yes.
11:18.36
loriejones7
Still, but.
11:18.63
Macaire Montini
Yeah I think it does honestly I really do think that it's a little bit of the art of negotiation and a little bit of the art of kindness and understanding mixed together is basically what what HR comes down to.
11:33.69
loriejones7
Yeah I Love that? Well that is Fascinating. Can you look back? Um Mccarra and see what kind of things or what is the best investment you've made in yourself. Is there something you can look at and say you know what. If I hadn't had done that my entire trajectory would have been different I'm so glad I did that thing.
11:52.74
Macaire Montini
Yeah,, that's really interesting because I do think that so much hesitation, especially if you are thinking that you need to be on a specific path or you think that you need to achieve something within a certain amount of time. That can often make people very hesitant I've had a really great experience in just going with my guts at at any point in time the decision that I made actually that I would say changed my path was I thought after a few years Of. Of Hr I Really enjoyed it but I thought to myself Actually maybe I don't want to be behind a desk. Maybe I want to be helping people more directly so I took another Zag so I zigged from radio to ah Hr and then I zagged out for a little bit and I. Was a full time massage Therapy student who who has a really nice. Well-paying job that they do well that they enjoy but says I'm going to trade it all in for a massage table and some books and I.
12:46.30
loriejones7
Um, wow.
13:01.35
Macaire Montini
For some reason at that point in time felt like I had more to give in a 1 to one space than in a corporate space I also just really wanted to learn and so I continued with my job but just kind of put my job in neutral and I took a. All of the massage therapy courses and eastern medicine courses that that would allow me to become certified so becoming a certified massage therapist was something that I thought was going to be my real contribution when in reality what it did. Was it gave me the notion that I need an outlet beyond the corporate but I actually could do much better and much more good for many more people in actually bringing a lot of that women's studies aspect the radio and communication aspect. Massage therapy the more to 1 1 to 1 aspect if I can kind of bring those together and actually pursue my career more aggressively and and get into higher levels of decision making power than actually my brand of hr would be informed by those things rather than me saying no I need to completely change. So. The zig and the zag really happened pretty early in my career from probably year one of Hr to year five of h r I thought maybe I I hadn't made the right choice but actually investing in the massage therapy courses taught me the opposite that actually.
14:21.26
loriejones7
And.
14:29.89
Macaire Montini
I Really do belong here and I have more experience and to give and I think that once I get into decision making seat I'm going to be able to apply all of that and I think it has worked out in my favor so far.
14:43.70
loriejones7
That's so interesting. How did um, how did what impact did that massage therapy then have on like how how did you get from hey I want to be a massage therapist to you know what? I Really do want to do HR and I think this is going to Like. What help did that massage Therapy. Do.
15:00.18
Macaire Montini
Um, it actually was in the talking. It's the talking before and after the massage that I really I really enjoyed I felt like I was applying a skill right? I'm I'm. Muscle a to muscle B and all of that I'm thinking about that. But I'm thinking about the person as a whole and I'm talking to them before and after and I realized that that's where I really wanted to be was in the before and the after I didn't necessarily want to be.
15:18.29
loriejones7
Um.
15:28.86
Macaire Montini
And the during because it was about the connection with the individual. Um, and so when another opportunity you know came along in my career. My corporate career I had to choose.
15:29.51
loriejones7
I see.
15:42.30
Macaire Montini
And I chose to return to ah the role put my heart and soul into it rather than keeping it in neutral and I made a you know right? when I committed the jump just happened I went up not only in job title and responsibility. But in salary and invisibility. So I do think that.
15:46.79
loriejones7
And.
16:01.52
Macaire Montini
Taking a little bit of a timeout seeing what's over here and then recommitting can also have a positive impact.
16:05.34
loriejones7
And how did it. You talked about your brand of HR and I can see that this is kind of a unique brand that you're thinking of like how did that? How did that influence your brand of HR and what is your brand.
16:16.15
Macaire Montini
Um, yes.
16:21.34
Macaire Montini
Yes I have this discussion with ah the ceos that I work with all the time at this point in in my career 20 years in I feel like I have a brand of H R which I can talk to a little bit. And the company either wants it or doesn't want it because at this point when you have been through as much Hr training Hr experience different companies, different sizes different industries and you've taken it all in.
16:38.63
loriejones7
Okay.
16:54.60
Macaire Montini
Your your brand is going to form sort of naturally and that Brand may not necessarily fit everywhere. But that's okay because at this point you should want to find the place where it fits rather than you fitting the environment or the environment you know matching you in some way you should really be shaping it.
16:56.71
loriejones7
Yeah.
17:04.00
loriejones7
Okay.
17:12.46
Macaire Montini
So my brand of hr is absolutely more. Ah, approachable. Conversational. You put out good policies you put out a good culture. You talk to the managers in a way in which empowers them. But also doesn't leave them hanging out to dry and that is very much where I have found that there's really sort of two Hr cultures especially in financial services 1 is ahhr is just the back office and the business needs to.
17:32.60
loriejones7
Um, right.
17:47.70
Macaire Montini
Do what the business needs to do and it's gonna do it regardless HR is gonna make sure we don't get in trouble or the others is. You're so busy driving the revenue and bringing in the dollars and delivering the services that AhHR is gonna do everything so you as a manager actually don't have.
17:49.92
loriejones7
Yeah.
18:07.37
Macaire Montini
Freedom or autonomy to run your business the way you want and so you have to find a happy medium Hr can't be the police or just the paperwork nor can it be everything has to be run by Hr in order to be to pass muster to be risk averse they have to be able to take some risk to grow the business.
18:10.61
loriejones7
Um.
18:26.12
loriejones7
Ah.
18:26.87
Macaire Montini
So it's about finding the happy medium which is really working with your level of leadership below the executive team. That's where all the action is you create a lot of ah close relationships with them. They you act as they're Confidante. You act as that planner for them. You.
18:34.85
loriejones7
Um, ah.
18:44.90
Macaire Montini
Ask them what their ideal is and then you facilitate back into a facilitated way to do it so that the outcome is best for the individual and for the company and it sounds trite a little bit to say. Ah. My brand of ah hr is is effective because I talk to this particular group of people often, but it really is about approachability and you are not only just the executive that sets the policy in the strategic direction on a year to year basis but you're also the person. Sits in the meetings with them and helps them brainstorm and gives them ideas and nothing's off the table and tell me how you really feel and we will figure it out together and never hang them out to dry but never police them. You have to have the right. Attitude which is we're all here for the the best growth of the business trajectory.
19:37.24
loriejones7
I Love that I Really like that idea and that kind of collaboration I think that um you know we've tried to build our business in that way so that we have a really a team environment and um, you know I. Do the training and help them grow. But then at that point you know you got to let them practice and and you know think about their dreams and their needs and and what they want to see out of that. So I Love that I'm I'm really interested in and it sounds like your um.
19:57.56
Macaire Montini
Is.
20:07.47
Macaire Montini
Yes.
20:10.51
loriejones7
Background in massage Therapy gave you that conversational piece in your background in radio gave you and you know another piece to the relationship building piece or I guess you can talk to anyone.
20:13.35
Macaire Montini
Right.
20:21.40
Macaire Montini
Yes, that is true. There's also just you know as they say the the gift of Gab I think there's also a little bit of that involved I can say this decision led here or this you know practice or this investment led here. Um, it's all true. But at the end of the day you have to be able to relate to people and you have to make it okay for the employee, especially the employee.
20:44.30
loriejones7
Um.
20:51.58
Macaire Montini
Either is fearful of ah hr because they've had that experiences or because they may have insecurities and how they're performing their role and ah and there's a little bit of of yeah you should be concerned if I'm in the meeting is always good. Ah, but. That you will never feel you should never feel intimidated by having a conversation with me. You should never feel intimidated if I put a meeting on your calendar number one I'm gonna tell you why I'm doing it I'm never gonna have you guessing which is you know, just not good behavior of anyone but number 2 I'm also going to. Be working with you so far along your performance and your training trajectory that if anything's off kilter you're gonna know before you get to a meeting with with me or a member of my team about things maybe not working so giving people that sense of. Actually I trust this person is really really important and the only thing that you can do is be consistently kind, consistently present and consistently ah yourself and transparent and know what to say when to say it and I think that. My five months here now in this new environment I think we're starting I'm starting to really feel that traction where it feels like oh that's just mccare. She's been here for a while she knows what what to do? let me talk with her and so that consultation is is coming.
22:23.50
Macaire Montini
To the four now which is great.
22:23.12
loriejones7
Is there any like quick tips and tricks you can say hey this is how I build that because you said after 5 minutes you're seeing it built is there like a is there like a couple of go tos that you use.
22:39.31
Macaire Montini
Yes, so first thing in relationship building is always you know, giving that person that 1 to 1 time right? So it's making yourself available. Um and reaching out to them. Don't make them reach out to you I don't want anyone.
22:47.63
loriejones7
Um, me.
22:54.43
Macaire Montini
Seeking me out and feeling as if they can't move forward with a decision or they don't they don't merit. You know my attention so putting in a very specifically scheduled where I'm doing the reach out. Ah, to as many members of the organization as possible really did that the second thing is really in any type of all hands meeting maybe an operational meeting to really get your personality across when you're producing that content. Make sure that your content is sound if you're rolling out a new policy or you have a new system that you're implementing and you want to talk to them about make sure that you come across as genuine and accessible as possible sometimes people get really excited about. People content at meetings because it's not numbers and it's not management decisions that they have to make it's just informative other times people will get less engaged because they think oh this is gonna happen whether I like it or not kind of thing. So it's about just being as friendly, approachable as possible and using those meetings to really gain momentum with I'm always going to be like this jovial informative getting that trust that way.
24:12.18
Macaire Montini
And then if you're going to roll something out a new policy a project a new documentation style um that you're consistently hitting a milestone showing them. Milestones is really important if I come in and I Say. Gee I Really love the meeting style that you have here where you meet with people managers every month but and I think I actually could get more out of it if I turn it into quarterly workshops show them the work. That's gonna say she's right. She's not just changing it because it's the way that she wants it. This is what happened these 3 meetings. This is what she said would happen I'm going to believe her when she says now we're going to change format or we're going to change style or if you're implementing something make sure that the executive team the management team and then as many channels as Possible. Implementation is happening here's where we are here's the benefit to you and repeat repeat repeat. That's the biggest thing so maintaining your composure and repetition are probably the 2 most important things that you can do to build. Someone's trust.
25:09.27
loriejones7
No.
25:18.24
loriejones7
Yeah I love that That's a lot about communication too and I feel like that communication and transparency are really important pieces. Thanks for walking me through that I appreciate it I Know that's a little bit off track. But um, it's but I know I know that's me in finance right.
25:28.68
Macaire Montini
Yeah, please I could talk about this something.
25:36.16
loriejones7
Um, what is the worst advice that someone gave you can you think of like a time when someone just gave you really bad advice and did you take the advice or did you ignore the advice did you learn something from it.
25:50.50
Macaire Montini
Ah, the worst advice. Um Yes I think the worst advice that someone gave me was when I was in a job for a very short period of time and I knew it was not for me I. Was in a full panic because I was told that blip on the resume or gap in the resume. All of those things will work against you in getting yourself into a new role and I will tell you I'm happy that I did not follow the advice I Followed you know. This will be a blip and I'm going to have it and I'm going to speak to it. But I know it's not right for me and I'm going somewhere where I know it will be um I think too often. Ah, people have an uncertainty because people in the media will talk about Job Market or their friends will talk About. Oh. How negative their experience at work is people like to get together and complain about work mostly and so you may be negatively influenced to take a chance. You may be negatively influenced about how something may appear on your resume. You may be negatively influenced by. People who took a chance and it didn't work and they tell you all the reasons not to I have to say that when you follow your gut whether it takes you on a zig and a zag across different you know roles whether it's I Just don't feel like.
27:21.24
Macaire Montini
This is going I'm going to make it here or it's going to be what I want it to be and I'm going to take a chance somewhere else. Um I think it's really important to to follow your heart and your gut on that I will always trusted my gut. It hasn't hasn't failed me yet and I think too often we let other voices in and don't follow the gut.
27:39.00
loriejones7
Yeah, the the scared voices Sometimes you know like are you sure you can do this? Do you want to try? This is really scary.
27:40.88
Macaire Montini
For sure.
27:48.88
Macaire Montini
Yeah, and that that was especially certain you know true I'm not sure of you know the the generational you know, sort of makeup of your audience but that became ever ah since 2008 and and the housing crisis. It became more and more and more uncertain people. Were 2 things happened 1 ah people the the ways in which we work changed people used to work at the same company for 25 years and then their son or daughter would come in and they would work there for 25 years and it was about 10 year tenure equaled. So so. Seniority equaled dollars equaled opportunities. It was all about tenure that started to shift in the early two thousand s and now you see people actively job hopping in order to increase their salary increase their titles get exposure to to new skills and they did so pretty rapidly. And ascended the the bar that ah up until 2008 2008 now destabilizes people are concerned understandably you have a whole you know millennial. Sort of generation coming out and they aren't necessarily as lined up with jobs in a post-college environment as they would have been so people started to be a little bit more I need to stay where I am. The grass isnt greener etc and that changed with covid.
29:13.70
Macaire Montini
So between 2008 and 2020 you have a that's where I'm being told don't make waves don't jump. You know keep your resume consistent because it was truly related to the economic situation prior to 2008 jumping around everywhere Twenty Twenty what happens
29:30.40
loriejones7
Ah.
29:33.13
Macaire Montini
Great resignation now people start to to move on and and move into new roles because they're taking stock and ah, an interesting statistic that or fun fact that I I learned as part of the great resignation is you know the company that I worked for um was heavily. Us and Uk and so we had people in other countries but majority of people were in the us in the uk in times of crisis covid. Great resignation, etc. Ah beyond just an economic one but in ah in a true crisis americans. As a whole and typically are thinking. The grass is greener somewhere else. So in times of great certain uncertainty I don't know what's going on with covid I don't know the stability of my organization. Maybe this is an opportunity to get more money etc. Americans tend to leap when they're.
30:26.23
loriejones7
That.
30:29.84
Macaire Montini
And they're nervous about when they're in a crisis um like covid my u k contingent didn't move a muscle because they didn't the grass was not greener. Stability the I know my job the ah Hud and the I'll be in the corner doing this as long as they need me because I just have too much uncertainty and we saw that with a great resignation. You'll see some slight trending differences between how us employees versus the rest of the world employees behave during that time. And it showed that there was this nervousness this contraction in 2008 and 2020 and then boom open and the candidate demand in the market is high and people are moving and there's a great ah seizure. Ah, you know seizing the day. You could feel in the candidate job market. It was wild and still is ah.
31:19.89
loriejones7
Yeah, yeah, that's I know that's so interesting and and the demographics behind that are are very interesting to you I bet you got a front first row seat to that as you were watching a art a charge during that time.
31:32.70
Macaire Montini
Yes, yeah, global you know having a global mindset is also really important in in your hr journey to be open and receptive to different cultures that are represented in your workplace and and to learn more about them and do the work. You know Linkedin Harvard business review hr magazine certification courses. They're all meant to just keep you aware of how to you know, advise your leaders and I really even though it might seem like oh here's another. Certification or here's another article that my Ceo wants me to read? Do it do the work. It keeps you informed keeps you able to make those connections to people and keeps your career going.
32:18.92
loriejones7
I love that advice because it's you know if there's a shred of knowledge out there I'd love to hear it and you know I went back from my Mba several years ago and I think there was. 2 chapters maybe 3 chapters in 1 book talked about h r and you get out and start running your own business and you're like oh they didn't cover any of this.
32:37.88
Macaire Montini
Right.
32:44.50
Macaire Montini
Ah, they really did ah I have to say and Hr has evolved so Much. You know there was a this has been a very interesting ah time for me, you know at the age that I am in in terms of. First you had a traditional sort of ladder Hr model. Well first you had a personnel department which isn't really human resources. It's really just staff management and then you have human resources Och opens it up a little bit more but it's still you have a traditional ladder. Then you have an hr business partner model and that opens up a lot you know instead of just being a manager. Ah, now you get to actually be considered a part of the business and a strategic driver and that changed and then now you're getting more into. You know people operations where you need to be able to move people across geographies understand all the global implications of that. So. There's so much Nuance and the way that people view ah Hr and if you find the right. Executive Leader executive team to work with that really understands the strategic value of having a good globally minded ah Hr partner sitting next to them. There really is no.
34:04.37
Macaire Montini
Limit to the career trajectory. You just keep evolving as the business that you're in is continually evolving so I really would highly recommend it for someone that feels business minded but not necessarily numbers driven an Hr ah alternative path is something that I find really enjoying enjoying.
34:21.80
loriejones7
Yeah, but well I love that I I will admit that probably over the last year or so you're 2 years and kind of growing my team that's one of the the great joys I find if you know if you.
34:23.95
Macaire Montini
I Enjoy really enjoy. Ah.
34:37.96
loriejones7
Asked me what I was proudest of it would definitely be growing that team and watching them develop and and I can see a lot of synergy there in HR in that in that and knowing I mean like I'm just winging it most of the time so it would be great if I actually knew what I was doing.
34:41.88
Macaire Montini
Yeah.
34:51.21
Macaire Montini
Yes, exactly exactly which is another you know I'm a consultant really at the end of the day I'm going to decision I'm a decision making consultant. Not just a recommendation consultant. But. If you think of yourself as a consultant ah in ah and an expert and a subject matter expert in your field. Um, then you have no limits on you then you can work you know for a company like I can see all the promise and all the good I want to do at aggio I can also see myself working. For myself and in 5 years or so and and just applying this strategic you know Hr brand that I've developed across other companies or small agencies I can see it in kind of playing out in either way. But I'm just super excited about oggio's trajectory and the part that I can. Plan it because I feel like they have so much ah to work with in terms of the people in terms of the culture that's already embedded I don't have to do a lot of culture work to get people to buy into it I just need to make sure that the operations are sound the policies. Are flexible. The voices are heard and that everything that we say we are going to do. We're going to do. That's really my job at the end of the day. Yeah I really like it.
36:13.90
loriejones7
That sounds like a good place to be so what about regrets if you look back on kind of your trajectory or your journey are there places where you're like oh my goodness if I knew today finding then what I know today. That never would have happened that way is there something that you can think of that.
36:33.19
Macaire Montini
Um, that's a regret. Um I will say that in my last ah role I I regret that I stuck around too long. But it was it was really what happened why would I so why does someone stay at a company be on I mean thirteen plus years in my case, why would someone stay that long anywhere. There's only a few reasons either they are coasting through their life and through their job and they just. Stay there. Um or they are afraid to see what's next or they're ah like me and you've just absolutely committed yourself to this organization early on you've you've hands on. Changed it and grown it and shaped it and all of those things and in turn part of it becomes your identity. So if if I could say that I regretted 1 thing. It would be not the fact that it became my identity but the fact that I didn't recognize.
37:46.39
loriejones7
This is.
37:46.99
Macaire Montini
Fast enough that it became my identity and then by the time I recognize that then you're in a place of fear. What do I do next and so I I sort of stumbled through the last I would say twelve six to twelve months of my career and my prior job because I just kept saying. Don't fit anymore and why do I not fit anymore and I couldn't really get my hands on it and it was because my identity was changing as the companies was we were on the same path and then we started to diverge which is why I mean 13 years is plenty so it definitely was time to diverge. But I regret not doing it myself.
38:15.92
loriejones7
The head.
38:25.86
Macaire Montini
Sooner I like to think of myself as self-aware but I was just so in it and sometimes you have to take a moment and be like where am I actually and that taking that every 10 year stock inventory thing I think I was think it was a couple years too late but I got there in the end.
38:40.76
loriejones7
But yeah I do think that's a good to to kind of question yourself and say hey and where where I'm at now is that where I want to be is that is this still fulfilling me is it still on the you know on the path that I think I want to go on. Is there something that's.
38:43.76
Macaire Montini
Yes.
38:57.36
loriejones7
Ah, a lot of times with me I'm like is there something That's a little scary that I might be a little bit afraid to try but might help me grow just a little bit more and yeah.
39:08.10
Macaire Montini
Right? Question why you're holding yourself back first. First note that you are first you have to realize that you are second of all think about why you might be afraid and it and a lot of times. Ah you know. Ah, regret is is often not doing something right more than more than doing something so I absolutely fall into that category of my only sort of regret and I use that term very lightly is that I did not do that personal inventory and I allowed my identity to be dictated by a company and. Ah, changing it changing direction change. You know, changed the game for me and I was very thrown by that and for someone that you know is in a career for a long time I want to tell that person that you absolutely can start again. You absolutely can pick up your tools. And your brand and your identity and everything that comes with it. You can absolutely pick it up and move it over but it give yourself the grace of time in between selection and then about six months in the new role. To make sure that it comes to life because I've had my ups and downs this whole time. But as I approach month six I feel very much more empowered settled I understand what the business does and I understand what the business needs but give yourself grace.
40:29.58
Macaire Montini
To make that transition and it will happen for you for sure.
40:31.17
loriejones7
I like that idea I I do tend to feel like the first month I met a job I'm like how did I get so dumb like possibly have gotten so dumb in like thirty days you know because nothing seems to go right? but you give it a little while and you're like oh oh this fits and this is great and I'm so glad I did it.
40:44.87
Macaire Montini
Um, ah.
40:47.60
Macaire Montini
Yes, and be very honest with yourself and honest, you know in my case, you know I'm at the level where I report into the Ceo so I have to have very transparent conversations with him and I'm able to do that because I was very purposeful in my choice of.
40:50.30
loriejones7
I Love that if.
41:07.14
Macaire Montini
Of company and and and knew that I could have those transparent conversations and and knew that it was the right fit when he said give yourself six months not I don't want to see I understand you're gonna have a ninety day plan I understand you're going to do all these things that ah Hr is Goingnna ask you to do fine. Do them show me where you're. Your head heart is where your head is um but give yourself six months and he was dead on because I'm just at now cusping on the six month Mark and I feel so much more embedded and understanding of of where we are and where we're headed.
41:39.25
loriejones7
Sounds like a good Ceo too like someone that's kind of working with their team in a way that's empowering.
41:47.31
Macaire Montini
Exactly and I knew that that would be hard to come by because I hadn't I didn't know what was out there if you sit somewhere for 13 years right and you drink the kool-aid for lack of a better term. You're not really sure and so if you are job seeking at an executive level.
41:55.69
loriejones7
Yes.
42:06.71
Macaire Montini
Definitely take your time prepare by understanding the company and once you're in that meeting room with that Ceo know that you're interviewing them just as much as they're interviewing you because it's a really strategic partnership that can come out of it if you're willing to to really hear each other. And ah hr is sometimes going to be in the driver's seat and sometimes not and you have to know when to give that Ceo the space that they need and for their thinking and their creativity and don't naysay or pull them down. You also have to know when you have to remind them of the risks. Their business that are potential remind them of the people impact remind them. You know to to stay true to the culture and have that good back and forth and and know when you're playing which roles really about gear shifting. Yeah.
42:58.16
loriejones7
Yeah, yeah, if you could go back. That's all right? Um, if you could go back.
43:03.85
Macaire Montini
Sorry what.
43:08.63
loriejones7
And talk to your younger self on the beginning of your journey when you were you know 2021 22 just graduating and getting started on this. What would you tell her.
43:18.94
Macaire Montini
I would tell her to not worry so much about this concern about having a big personality or being too loud or being too much that goes away over time. Not only the worry about it. But you also. Sort of mellow out over time for sure. Um I was very much the center of attention I Was you know the natural gravitation towards the radio I think that role ah was a personality hire for Sure. They hired me based on my personality. No broadcasting skills or school or any certificate and I just showed up and here I was um and so why was I afraid of that. That's a very weird question that I think a lot of us have to ask a lot of women especially need to ask themselves. Why do you think that you're too much too much in in what measurement you know I thought that being loud or being audacious ah coming across potentially as frazzled or um, not as in control of of everything. Not Perfect. Um.
44:20.97
loriejones7
Um, yes.
44:36.68
Macaire Montini
Failing I Thought this is There's no place for this to go and I have to really pull it all in if I'm gonna be successful in my career. Um, and you really don't if as long as you are in your work mode As long as you are learning as long as you are you know. Listening giving other people. The space to speak and not sucking up all the air in the room. You absolutely can have a big personality come across as slightly disheveled you know, be naturally confident if you're awkward, You're awkward. Um, there's room for all of that and I think that people assume that they have to diminish themselves or quiet down or be focused and sometimes if they're not a man if they're not a creative if they're not an entrepreneur those things are celebrated in that company. In a behind the desk you are the sort of HR sort of the conscience of the company, especially they want you to your assumption is that you have to sort of narrow yourself down if you're too big make yourself smaller and the opposite has has absolutely. Ah, been True. So 21 year old me who thought that she was too loud and too audacious too all over the place. You know maybe I was too Heavy. You know as a person none of it actually mattered.. All of all it did was was make me better because i.
46:09.41
Macaire Montini
Could have presentation skills I could make decisions quickly I could delegate because I wasn't afraid of approaching someone I could make relationships all of those things that I thought were gonna hamper me helped me. Love.
46:16.59
loriejones7
Yeah, that's such a really good thought the idea of not making yourself small to fit into a box but kind of showing up authentically or like who you really are and using those strengths those things that.
46:27.10
Macaire Montini
Yeah.
46:35.47
loriejones7
Maybe seem like a bit much to the suits occasionally.
46:37.45
Macaire Montini
Yeah, exactly exactly exactly exactly and then it's obviously you know would I It's also choosing your environment. So would I work. Ah, really well in a widget shop. Would I work really well in a really large corporation where I had to stay in my lane. Maybe my natural strengths would not lend themselves to that but my natural strengths led themselves to growing companies who wanted to be progressive with their HR and who. Had leaders that weren't afraid to take advice from someone that wasn't just numbers driven and I think that that's really if once I'm there I'm there and I feel like I've helped 2 companies so far to grow exponentially and Oggio's next on the list. That's the plan. And I think that I have a good track record now I just have to show up and actually do it. That's the plan. Ah.
47:35.26
loriejones7
Great I Love that what about something that scared you when you started your career is there anything that you were really worried about and are you still or or did you figure out how to deal with that.
47:52.17
Macaire Montini
I Think what scared me then is still scary now which is a segue from you know what? I said earlier which is I clearly have a trajectory and proven that I can. Run Ah Hr departments for small to medium sized businesses and grow them. Ah, but there's always this fear that I can't and I don't know where this you're not that great comes from and I know but everyone has it. There's always the.
48:27.65
loriejones7
Um, was the.
48:29.35
Macaire Montini
Self-s saotage or the lack of confidence that creeps out of nowhere and so it scared me in the beginning that all of my learning and following the script still wasn't going to get me anywhere because maybe at the end of the day I wasn't going to be able to deliver the work Because. I would would be disorganized or I would be late because I like to wait till the last minute to get my best work in or I would not be prepared because I I like to wing it. So There's always my natural working style lends itself to a bit of anxiety that I can't actually.
49:06.61
loriejones7
Yeah.
49:06.71
Macaire Montini
Always deliver the finished product that I said I would but that's part of the process. So. The anxiety is part of the process because it comes in at just the right time to push me over the finish line into a finished product and so I think that that fear that my brand of. You know the way that I get things done is not going to fit a corporate setting or someone's going to find out that I'm not as good as I probably come Across. Um no, One's found out yet. So I don't think that I think I'm clearly delivering on my promises.
49:39.36
loriejones7
Um, but.
49:44.20
Macaire Montini
At least most of the time which is good which means all of my last minute or lack of prep or noodling time as I like to say all of it ends up in the right place. Ultimately so I shouldn't have been so scared.
49:55.47
loriejones7
So maybe the scary things you've kind of you've done it so often that you're like oh I I know this is going to turn out. Okay I'm not I've been in this situation before.
50:03.84
Macaire Montini
Or exactly. Yes, even if it's a new situation I've gotten myself in and out of things you know, just through being authentic that is the that is the the key. To this whole thing and I talked to sort of I talked to my husband ah about this and he you know we talk about our lives before we met each other and mine is completely consumed by my career I never. You know had ah meaningful, long term relationships I never had kids and until I met him in my mid 30 s everything was consumed by my career and he thought oh you know like oh you should have had more you should have had more family time or more of this or more of that rather than the career and. I always say no way because to me I liked my career. The people I worked with so much that it was fulfilling and I really the reason for that is because I get to be my authentic self all the time I've never. You know I may be a little bit more formal when I need to be absolutely more compassionate and controlled when I need to be authoritative when I need to be but you just switch into that gear if you're really yourself and authentic then you can make anything happen. So I feel really strongly. Um.
51:30.62
Macaire Montini
That the authenticity that I bring to the table really is the the key strength because you're unafraid at that point in time. So All the things I was afraid of got over that hump did it because I just. Face The fear did it anyway that sort of thing that people talk about but I remained Authentic. So Even when I have to apologize for making a mistake or switch into a gear where I'm really harsh or or you know whatever with someone I Just I'm still me and they know that it's real because I haven't.
51:50.33
loriejones7
Um.
51:59.52
loriejones7
Still you Yeah, that's so interesting because you know you know we talked just a little bit earlier on financial services is very male dominated. There are not a lot of people that look like me, you know a woman cfp with.
52:03.89
Macaire Montini
Fooled around with my persona at all. It's just always me all the time.
52:18.17
loriejones7
With years of experience and I don't do things the same way they do and and and and there's always this tendency to be like well you have to come to work just like this and act like this and be like this in order to be successful and and I'm learning through conversations with people like you.
52:19.57
Macaire Montini
Ah.
52:24.16
Macaire Montini
It's right.
52:32.12
Macaire Montini
Yes.
52:37.88
loriejones7
You know what you can be you. You can be authentically who you are. You don't have to pretend to be somebody else and you can still make a difference in an impact in people's lives.
52:48.20
Macaire Montini
Yes, and I will say you know I have this conversation a lot around femininity in that in the workspace. So.
52:58.24
loriejones7
It is.
53:01.73
Macaire Montini
So there's 1 thing to say man versus woman right? but there's another thing to say you know how you approach your work being masculine or feminine and a good example of that is the way that ah men would write an email versus women would write an email right? So men would write an email.
53:20.50
Macaire Montini
Maybe a high probably not probably just the person's name what they need and then their name. So if you look at the majority of emails that are being sent around the male dominatminated spaces. They're very effective. They're to the point they probably have no tone or a commanding toe to them right? So that is the expectation. When you're in a female-led environment. My last company was 65% women actually um, you'll have a full-bodied email. You have a high. You'll have an opening and Closing. You'll have the request and it's a request you can. It's very clear. Please thank you? Um, and that sets the tone for.
53:44.65
loriejones7
Ah.
53:52.17
loriejones7
Yeah.
53:58.25
loriejones7
Are.
54:00.10
Macaire Montini
The environment and so women sometimes will then Count. Don't do I have too many exclamation points do I have a closing should I just put my name here. Um, should I say please or should I just say do it and you know and I think that the the shortcut. To getting things done in a male dominated world is to match that tone and that pace the authentic thing and what a lot of industries would benefit from is bringing in more of your natural self and if that is.
54:19.38
loriejones7
And.
54:34.13
Macaire Montini
Leaning more towards the the feminine approach then you absolutely should do that because we only improve when we have points of view and styles that can all mesh together and again, that's another way in which you would potentially be diminishing yourself by changing your your email style. Do What's best for you and be effective and and I think that there's room for it people just need to be okay, not conforming for a little bit and then things will change move.
55:02.70
loriejones7
Yeah I like that I like that thought what about um, unique challenges because you were a woman I know that there are times that I've interviewed lots and lots of different women and they're like you know talking About. Um. Lack of breastfeeding areas or you know things like that did you face any unique challenges because you were a woman.
55:19.70
Macaire Montini
Yeah, so I'm very ah fortunate to be in my space because human resources is a very ah well representpresented space for women and actually the opposite for men. Um. So therefore on behalf of all of us in human resources men and women. There's room for everybody. There's room for everybody in between on the entire spectrum human resources only benefits from diversity and it's not just a place for women leaders to lead. So I think that that's.
55:56.27
loriejones7
Um, and you're given the opposite speech I am I'm like women come into financial services. You're like men come into human resources. Yeah.
55:57.90
Macaire Montini
Super important. So.
56:02.79
Macaire Montini
Exactly come on in the water is fine and we could use your point of view. Um within the general career space and especially within I've been in financial services and Pharma spaces. Um, yeah. Those challenges that are there were not there for me specifically but they were related to the policies that I had to set so we had to have a competitive and ah well advertised parental leave and what what does that mean, make sure it's comprehensive make sure that there are.
56:23.98
loriejones7
And.
56:38.48
Macaire Montini
Ah, spaces you know, pumping stations and things like that make sure that there is um, no gender pay gap and what's our policy for closing that gender pay Gap make sure that we have things that are attractive to ah candidates at a certain age especially in. For women. That's what is your fertility program look like how comprehensive is it? What is your policy around flexible working can I pick up my kids from school every day and then get back online. Yes or no so it was really driven any challenges that I saw.
56:57.53
loriejones7
A.
57:17.70
Macaire Montini
Facing the women in the companies that I've been in facing I'm in the privileged position to be able to say we need a policy for that and then my job is to advocate to get the leadership to agree. We need a policy for that. We need to put some money over here towards that So I can absolutely See. Challenges especially also with women returning to the Workforce. We've done a lot of campaigns where I'll tell my talent acquisition partners to specifically focus on if that woman has a gap in her Resume. Don't throw it away. Give you know, bring that resume to our attention because I think that there's a. Big Misnomer Um, that women that have been away from the workforce for too Long. Can't pick up where they left off. Absolutely they can and so I've been trying through policies hiring practices to combat a lot of those challenges.
58:08.81
loriejones7
Um.
58:09.57
Macaire Montini
But I think we need to collectively discuss them. You know as you ask your your guests to to keep identifying them and then keep these policies becoming the norm across all companies. Not just the ones where I am obviously yeah.
58:19.69
loriejones7
Yeah, yeah, no I find that super interesting because I've never talked to the policy maker. You know before. So I find that that is a really powerful impact on so many people's lives and yeah I'm biased towards I I love to grow women but it.
58:26.43
Macaire Montini
Right.
58:33.50
Macaire Montini
It is.
58:39.91
loriejones7
Impacts Men's lives too. They want parental leave they want time to spend with their children. They want a more inclusive environment. So that's powerful stuff.
58:42.80
Macaire Montini
And.
58:48.68
Macaire Montini
Yeah, it's really yet you know there's been a large shift. You know recently to de and I to the diversity equity and inclusion and I ah and actually the B as well diversity equity inclusion and belonging and I think that the belonging is. The piece that companies don't get right because they'll do a whole dni assessment. They'll take the survey they'll have policies revised they'll they'll market about all of the diversity that they have within their ah numbers their demographics but they won't necessarily talk about.
59:23.98
loriejones7
I said.
59:24.38
Macaire Montini
Do people feel like they belong in all spaces. Yes, or no, if I don't belong in every space then there's something that we need to fix and I think that we've I've tried to focus on the belonging piece through the policymaking and a lot of what. Talked about is about that you belong here regardless of whether or not you have a baby on your hip or not. We can figure it out. Yeah, absolutely.
59:48.10
loriejones7
Yeah I love that? Um, what about that? What are you most proud of Mecar is there something you can tell me what is what are you most proud of.
01:00:02.40
Macaire Montini
Um I think I'm most proud of my 20 year cycle that I was in and it sounds like a long time. Obviously the 20 years is a long time but I really. Came full circle in 2024 and I really started my career in 2004. So from that in that 20 year window there's things that you could say like I said earlier I lingered at one company for too long or I made a jump. I shouldn't have made and then when I moved and I settled I lost a step or I maybe was too aggressive and made some ah mistakes along the way. But in reality in a perfect sort of 20 year window I have played. Virtually every role there is to play within my specialty which is hr and I have achieved a ah level of the exact level I want to be. And executive hr leader for a company about this size in this space and I was able to put it out there and make it happen and I think that it's a really nice comprehensive story of I can go back in time and tell you everything that I did in 20 years
01:01:25.42
Macaire Montini
Or I can tell you that I started as an assistant and exactly twenty years later I was the chief people officer and that's a perfect sum summation of someone that thought that they were disorganized or not goaloriented enough or. Too silly or or too loud or too. Whatever if I was if I really was too much of all of those things then it wouldn't be a perfect 20 year career trajectory from bottom to top if I you know and so it just summarizes that all of those doubts all along the way. Actually I did.
01:01:52.39
loriejones7
Who.
01:02:02.59
Macaire Montini
Either I did the right thing or I put myself in the way of the right thing or I wasn't as bad as I thought I was or I was actually better than I thought I was and all of that self-doubt actually led to a great career trajectory that I think anyone would be proud of but. To be proud of myself in that is very difficult given that I kind of naysaied myself along the way and and I didn't really need to maybe that was that was the unnecessary noise. Not my laughter in the hallway or anything like that like.
01:02:35.71
loriejones7
Well, that sounds amazing. It's you've you've come a long ways and it's really nice sometimes to look back and say I'm proud of what I accomplished I'm proud of what I did I'm proud of the impact I've made in company's lives or in company's trajectories I Guess in people's lives.
01:02:54.25
Macaire Montini
Yeah, people will often and I know you know you as a business owner people manager all of these people The the hardest thing remember is to not let the person think.
01:02:55.48
loriejones7
You know.
01:03:09.94
Macaire Montini
That they're just a cog in a wheel and ah Hr's job is to create the policies and enforce them in reality. But the Inbe between where you really get to connect with someone on a human level. You know people will say how do you?? How do you fire? someone. How How can you do that over and over again in your career I can't tell you how many times I've done that um and I respond usually by saying it's something that I'm really good at which sounds so terrible to say oh I'm good at firing I'm good at taking Away. People's Jobs. That's but in reality what it is. But I mean by that is by the time we get to This isn't working out conversation I've given you time notice attention access to resources access to me I've given you as much as I can give and then when it's time to go. Time to go and we have a conversation that in some cases I've had people thank me for for firing them which is wild but it was the push that they needed because I had given them you know so much time to really think about what they wanted but they didn't take advantage of it. So I've had people thank me.
01:04:22.40
loriejones7
Is it.
01:04:26.29
Macaire Montini
I've had people continue to stay in touch with me and use me for resume review or Linkedin review I always offer my services and I always tell people just because you don't fit here doesn't mean that you don't fit anywhere and this does not mean that you are not skilled what we are looking for is very specific.
01:04:36.96
loriejones7
Right? yeah.
01:04:45.17
Macaire Montini
Who you how we work when you work the quality of your work. All of that comes into the decision So Please don't walk away from a table with me ever thinking that you are unskilled, untalented or able to make it in your chosen career and I will. Be there to help you if you want if you don't want me. That's okay, too. But if you want someone to give some advice or connect you with ah a recruiter or something I always offer that service because it's really a good thing that that I'm doing I'm I'm keeping the company healthy and alive for everyone else without. Being dragged down by a poor performer and that poor performer needs a lift up and they need something besides just the job here that isn't working and I hope that one of my legacies will be the people that moved down from where I was after a conversation with me and and found a good place to. To be and I hope that that's the case we'll never know I'm only in touch with a few of the hundreds. Ah.
01:05:51.79
loriejones7
Ah, well, you're going to have to teach me how to how to ah, get someone to thank you for firing them because that is a talent. Ah.
01:05:56.13
Macaire Montini
Thank you? Yeah wolf only a few times I could count probably probably 1 hand in in 20 years yeah
01:06:06.18
loriejones7
But I do understand that that you're invested in their lives and it's true that sometimes they just aren't the right fit for that particular position and they go on that gives them the the drive to go on and do something that they are amazing at and they just blow it away.
01:06:20.90
Macaire Montini
Yeah, exactly and I really really firmly believe that that nothing is nothing is ah too big for us to to tackle together. Even if I have to you know, let you go I still. Want you to feel connected to me in some way and I think that that gives some level of of comfort during a time of uncertainty and and that's what it really is. It's just listen I have nothing to ah say other than to everyone will experience something in their career that they don't enjoy. Um, and we'll have to have a difficult conversation maybe with someone and always want to make sure that you're you're ready for it and that you don't take it personally, you know as much as you can and what you do take personally the person telling you should show you that they care and that they understand. How challenging it can be and I'm not expecting a thank you. But when I get 1 it's very nice.
01:07:18.59
loriejones7
Yeah, so any advice for a young lady who's just starting down this career path that you're already so successful at if you got to talk to someone just at the beginning of this path. What would you tell her.
01:07:33.63
Macaire Montini
I would tell her to get an internship while she while you're still in school There's so much administrative work in Hr that it feels like people may stray away from it because they think oh. So hard. The employee relations bit is hard or the admin is boring or whatever if you dedicate a summer or 2 when you're in college and you learn a lot of the administrative stuff just by doing the data entry understanding a. Ah, people system like a workday or something like that a big software if you can get that under your belt. The rest of learning this is an art not a science and so then you get to focus on the art of the interaction with the individuals. So. If you can understand the policies from a degree standpoint or just from a starting out standpoint and job shadowing if you can maybe knock out some of the administrative tasks in an internship or in the first couple years of your career. It really does turn very quickly from an operations or a science into the the art and you can make it your own and as long as you stay true to yourself and to the policymaking aspect of it think focus on belonging focus on.
01:08:58.20
Macaire Montini
Strategy How will your decisions and your policies better the company and if you focus on that and there's a lot of room to be unique. You don't have to follow anything but the best advice is to. Get that foundational stuff out of the way as soon as possible and then leap from there.
01:09:15.30
loriejones7
Yeah I like that so miara. Thank you so much for spending some time with us today I really appreciate your insights and your sharing your information with us if I have a listener that wants to pick your brain a little bit more or has a few questions for you. How does she get in touch with you.
01:09:31.60
Macaire Montini
Yeah, absolutely so I am very lucky that I got a Gmail account with just my first name so it's mccare macaire at Gmail.com I'm one of the few. Ah so very easy to remember easy to find me find me on Linkedin same thing. It's just you can really just type in mccare and I'm probably the first person that shows up I also have a very large I spend a lot of time cultivating my network on Linkedin I have you know 7000 or so connections. And I really do try to put content there and spend time there so find me there send me an email. Ah, but yeah I think that this is a great initiative and I hope that it reaches your listeners and I hope that if anybody wants to check out. How cool hr really is then they'll ah let me line. Ah.
01:10:29.18
loriejones7
But yeah I love it I I'm an advocate I love people that love their jobs. Thank you so much for taking the time and and energy to to help us out and share a little bit of yourself with us today.
01:10:41.73
Macaire Montini
Absolutely thanks So much.