9 years at LinkedIn

On April 2nd I celebrated 9 years at LinkedIn. It was directly before our company wide shutdown “rest up week” so instead of posting about my anniversary on that day I decided to enjoy my week off and take the time to reflect on my career. After some contemplation, I thought rather than just share its my anniversary I would share with you some of the steps I made on my career journey and key learnings along the way. 

I won’t bore you with the early parts but will share a few pivotal moments along the way that ultimately put me on different paths leading to where I am today which I hope could be helpful or interesting.

The first was during a career conversation when I expressed my desire to become a HR Director, I was told I couldn’t before I was 40 (I was 30 at the time). I understood the person was trying to temper my ambition but I was deflated and disappointed by the comment. I continued to work hard but sought out a senior mentor and advocate to help me navigate my way to a more senior position. Some time later that mentor offered me a HR Director role in the Caribbean (he knew I was capable I just needed the opportunity). While I was excited about the role, I was nervous about moving to a new country, to a place I’d never been and so far away from my friends & family. I weighed up the upsides, downsides and on balance knew it was the right next step for me. From offer to start date in Jamaica was exactly 4 weeks. The following 4.5yrs were incredible and set me on a path I would never have contemplated had I remained in Ireland.

The next pivotal moment was when that same mentor resigned, and I was offered his role as the Head of HR for the Group (aka CHRO). I was honored, excited and apprehensive because I knew I didn’t have all the experience needed but the leadership team had faith in me so I gave it my all and I learned a ton. Reporting to a CEO, being a peer of an experienced exec leadership team and having to present to the board monthly were all new things for me but with each experience came great learnings. And of course I made mistakes which were tough at the time but stretched me and broadened my skills and knowledge base. We don’t always have to be 100% ready in order to be successful at something. This is particularly true for women who we know from research typically don’t apply for jobs unless they feel they tick 100% of the requirements versus our male counterparts who typically apply ticking 60% of the requirements for the job.

When I eventually left that company, I decided to take some time to travel around Australia & Asia. I was checking my emails and LinkedIn messages in my hotel in Thailand when I was received an InMail from LinkedIn about an opportunity in Ireland. At that time, I was at the final stages for a Senior HR role in London and had no intention of moving back to Ireland. LinkedIn were very persuasive and despite the role being several levels down from the role I just left, I loved the sound of the culture and really liked everyone I spoke to during the interviewing process. So, I accepted the position and started in April 2012.  Joining a company in hyper growth is a rollercoaster with so much opportunity. Being able to put your fingerprints all over the culture, policies and in my case a region has been one of the most rewarding achievements of my career to date.

In 2017 I was going through a tough time personally having had several failed IVF cycles and the loss of my father to cancer. Often during difficult times we start to contemplate what life is all about and what’s next for me. In that vein I had many very open conversations with my manager, and we agreed that one of my passions was speaking to LinkedIn’s clients about our products, services, culture etc and that maybe a move into a sales role might be interesting. This married nicely with my belief that HR roles need a deeper knowledge of the commerciality’s of business. However, when I was offered the perfect role in Sales a short time later I turned it down, siting bad timing. Following up on why I had said no the SVP of Sales called me for a chat. I hadn’t told anyone other than my manager at the time about my IVF challenges but after he pressure tested my reason for no I felt compelled to share with him what was really going on. I told him I was going through IVF and was worried the move to a new role and potentially a more stressful one would limit my chances of success. He listened intently, showed empathy and compassion. He told me to go focus on creating a family and when I was ready to come back to him that there would be a job for me in his organisation. I remember hanging up that call and feeling such a weight lift off my shoulders. I knew then moving to Sales was going to be right for me so, with the support of my manager, the HR Organisation and the Vice President of our Global Clients Organisation I moved into a commercial leadership role in 2018. I am delighted to say in January 2020 I became the proud mother of a little boy. Is there a correlation with my change in role, I honestly don’t know but I am very grateful to LinkedIn for all the support I got in my endeavors to become a mother.

So whats next…..I have a loose plan (as I don’t believe rigid career plans are realistic) for the future but for now I am happy learning as much as I can in my current role, helping as many clients as I can and leading an amazing team. Most importantly I continue to be open to new experiences, try to have a growth mindset, learn something new everyday and keep trying not to forget the lessons I have learned on my journey so far.

Key Learnings

§ Don’t chase titles or levels - chase skills and experiences. I got all the titles I wanted as part of my career plan but sometimes you need to be careful what you wish for. What comes with those titles is more responsibility, more pressure and expectation. Be prepared by having a growth mindset and humility. More often than not the experience gained is tremendous but you have to release the fear of perception. Worrying what people will think of your job title will only hold you back. In my career so far I have gone from Manager to Director back to Manager then to Snr Director and now to Director. Since changing my mindset and focussing on skills & experiences versus titles I have been blessed with some amazing opportunities & successes. These experiences have helped me get depth and breadth of knowledge and well as enabling me to become a better professional.

§ Linear progression isn’t for everyone – its okay to swerve left and right during your journey. Had I stayed in Ireland and taken linear progression I would have gotten to HRD level but I wouldn’t have had international experience, the opportunity to lead a diverse HR team across 32 countries nor have some of the most amazing life experiences imaginable. My most recent swerve moving from HR to Sales has been a wonderful experience allowing me to flex my business muscles (which was my primary degree) and help solve business problems for LinkedIns Talent Solutions clients. I know that when I return to HR in the future I will bring a new viewpoint on how to support a sales organisation but also credibility from a business perspective.

§ Always have a mentor, a strong network and help others through coaching & mentoring. There is no doubt in my mind had I not had a number of great mentors and advocates over the years I wouldn’t have had so many great opportunities. As a result, I always take time to mentor others so that I can give back but I am very conscious of the power of words in those conversations. If you are a mentor or coach think about the impact your words can have on the person you are working with by leaning into your emotional intelligence. If you don’t have a mentor ask someone. What’s the worst that can happen…they say no?  You might be surprised and they say yes – go for it!

§ Be open to new challenges - take intelligent risks

I have always been open to change and taking on new challenges, whether that be a project I have put my hand up for, moving country or moving function. However, its important not to blindly jump into things. Weigh up the pros and cons and ensure that the project, role, experience provides you with new skills or an opportunity to get one step closer to your career goal. Timing is also key, making sure you are balancing your life portfolio.

§ Don’t let self-limiting beliefs hold you back from taking a career leap

As I mentioned above, I kept saying no to opportunities to move out of HR because I believed I wouldn’t be able to cope with the high levels of stress involved and this would impact my personal goal to become a mother. The reality is of course there is stress but no better or worse than any other role I’ve had. Simply put I set self-limiting beliefs on myself because of fear. Fear of failure. I used my IVF challenges as an excuse to hide this fear and I see many women I know do similarly (whether that’s being a new mother, the pandemic, readiness etc). We need to stop putting barriers in front of ourselves.

§ Lastly I hope Karla Harris of Morgan Stanley won't mind me quoting her "Performance Currency gets you so far but Relationship Currency takes you all the way"

Taking time to invest in relationships over the years has helped me immensely. I am an extrovert and a natural networker (probably the Irish in me :-) ) which means I create relationships quickly and organically but that's not the case for everyone. If you find it challenging build yourself a stakeholder map of the key people who can influence your career and go invest time building relationships with them - trust me it will be fruitful!

Have you made any swerves in your career? Have you created self-limiting beliefs which could be closing off some amazing opportunities for you? What actions are you taking to reach your career goals?

I would like to thank the following people who have helped me get to where I am today (1) Cathal Magee, Esther Murphy, Sue McDonnell, Helen Tynan for inspiring me to build a career in HR (2) Pat Casey for taking a risk on me and moving me to the Caribbean (3) Connie Gibney for hiring me back in 2012 and then 1 year later promoting me as you promised to do during the interview process (4) Pat Wadors for your inspirational leadership (5) Mike Gamson for taking the time to call me and for being so compassionate (6) Maggie McBennett for all the support when my father died, my endeavors to have a family and the move to Sales (6) Ariel Eckstein for everything you have done for me over the years especially in the last 2.6yrs under your leadership in Global Clients. And lastly my family & friends who continue to support me no matter what I set my mind to! I am truly grateful!