Female Disruptors: Jessica D Williams of @ Refine Labs On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Good enough is often better than perfect. — I am a recovering perfectionist, and I’ve learned the hard way that it’s sometimes more important to get something out of the door at 80% than to aim for perfection.
As a part of our series about women who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jessica D. Williams.
With experience across several industries, including oil/gas, retail, financial services, telemedicine, and marketing, Jessica has developed high-level skills in people operations. After finishing her undergraduate studies at Stephen F. Austin State University, Jessica completed a master’s degree in Public Health at the University of Sydney, Australia. She is now the Vice President of People at Refine Labs and the Founder of Hidden Gem Career Coaching. She uses her value-driven leadership and creative problem solving for strategic talent acquisition, performance management, diversity/inclusion, and policy development.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
I’m so happy to have the opportunity to chat with you today! I’ve been in HR/Talent Management for the past ten years and started in the profession by accident. I took a six-month contract Recruiter role, then leveraged that role to become an HR Generalist, and the rest is history.
A funny characteristic is that I’m not too fond of rules and generally don’t follow them very well. So from day one, I bucked the system and had very strong opinions about leadership. I found myself being an advocate for employees well before I had any leadership role. To this day, I’m always rooting for the underdog, which in most cases are the employees.
Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?
Let’s burn traditional Human Resources to the ground!!!
Unfortunately, most employees don’t trust HR because of a lack of leadership and innovation within the profession. I dare to adopt a different way of thinking, to leave a safe, ego-focused viewpoint for an expansive, radical ecosystem of views and actions. Progressive HR (also known as People Operations) is the way forward!
The key differences between traditional and progressive HR:
- Inclusivity is the top priority
- Embrace technology and people analytics for effective storytelling
- Creating policies that empower employees to do the best work of their lives
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
When I started in HR ten years ago, during my first termination, I cried so much that the employee was comforting me even though he was terminated. I was so nervous and overwhelmed that tears started flowing as soon as the employee entered the conference room.
Unfortunately, since then, I’ve had a lot of practice with employee offboarding, so I no longer get overly emotional. I’ve learned how to be empathic without making the situation uncomfortable and that there is a way to be respectful and compassionate throughout the process.
We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?
The person I’ve learned most from is my current mentor and direct manager, Megan Bowen, Chief Operating Officer of Refine Labs. Taking constructive feedback is no easy task, especially for me. The uncomfortable feeling of being exposed and discussing “areas of opportunity” are frightening and painful. However, I’ve learned effective communication strategies and business acumen from Megan. This is the result of a safe and positive working relationship.
In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?
Disruption sometimes has a negative connotation, and like with just about everything, there can be good and bad. Being a person that disrupts the status quo comes with pushback and challenges. I’ve been labeled a “loud mouth,” instructed to “tone it down,” and had my leadership abilities challenged unjustly because I think outside the box.
The importance of positive disruption is the ability to reinvent yourself and your brand continually. Alternatively, being disruptive without a true vision of the desired outcome is being argumentative without a solution and is ultimately counterproductive.
In the famous words of John Lewis, “get in good trouble, necessary trouble…”
Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.
- Never settle!- If you are not being shown respect, that is your queue to leave.
- Ask for support when you need it. — You cannot do this alone; you need support and community.
- Good enough is often better than perfect. — I am a recovering perfectionist, and I’ve learned the hard way that it’s sometimes more important to get something out of the door at 80% than to aim for perfection.
We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?
My next move is to link marketing and HR by bringing customer thinking into employee experience and branding. The current thinking of traditional HR is on its last breath and the time for significant change is past due! The need for employer branding (linking the marketing & HR departments) is pivotal for strategic thinking and the health of all organizations — specifically early-stage companies.
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by ‘women disruptors’ that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?
The top 3 challenges I’ve faced throughout my career as a disruptor are the following:
- Unconscious Bias: I’ve seen this manifest as an outdated preference for me to act, speak, and/or dress in a certain way. This is often showcased as an expectation of “professionalism,” which in most cases is proximity to whiteness.
- Difficult Expectations: The unfair balance between respect and likability is a tightrope I walked at the beginning of my career. The “likeability paradox” for female leaders commonly comes up as women being persevered as “bossy” when a man displaying the same behavior is seen as showcasing “leadership skills.” Unfortunately, most data shows that women can be either liked or respected, but rarely both.
- Limited Career Advancement Opportunities: I have left companies to advance my career due to the limited opportunities for upward mobility. A recent study from Yale found that women are 14% less likely to be promoted at their current employer than their male counterparts.
Do you have a book/podcast/talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us?
I am a major fan of Dr. Akilah Cadet, the Founder & CEO of Change Cadet. She was recently a speaker at the Refine Labs offsite all-employee retreat in San Diego, CA. Her discussion on racism and dismantling white supremacy in the workplace has transformed the Refine Labs culture. Additionally, as a guest on the Talent Destination podcast that I co-hosted with Megan Bowen, she discussed action steps that leaders should take to dismantle white supremacy in the workplace and the difference between being an ally and an accomplice.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I want to inspire a movement for Black women to be included in top leadership positions in startups and large organizations. According to a National Center for Education Statistics study, Black women have been obtaining degrees consistently for the last eight years and counting — yet we are only 4% of the C-suite. This math doesn’t make sense! Black women are the most educated group in the United States right now. I am determined to change this with the help of Hidden Gem Career Coaching, speaking out, and using my platform on LinkedIn. The focus on leadership and upward mobility is essential; this will be the core function of the movement I plan to trigger.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My favorite quote from being a shy, awkward kid was, “Even if your voice shakes, you still speak!” Being a disruptor in traditional corporate workspaces creates a sense of purpose and fear. Shaking up the status quo is not always easy, but no matter what happens, I will continue to speak up and showcase my core values. The time for change is overdue; burn traditional HR to the ground! Burn, baby, burn!
How can our readers follow you online?
The best place to follow me is on LinkedIn at “RefineLabsJessica” or on Instagram at HiddenGemCC. I am also open to direct emails at [email protected].
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Female Disruptors: Jessica D Williams of @ Refine Labs On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.