Women Of The C-Suite: Kristi Siegel of ‘Statewide Staffing’ On The Five Things You Need To Succeed As A Senior Executive
Women who earn an executive role are competitive by nature, and this lends to fierce competition to reach higher levels within a company. This also often fosters a cut-throat environment and makes it hard to build a support system in the workplace.
As a part of our series about strong women leaders, we had the pleasure of interviewing Kristi Siegel.
Kristi Siegel, founder and president of Statewide Staffing, has built a name for herself as a rising star in the staffing industry while being one of the most successful female entrepreneurs in her field. For more than a decade, Siegel has thrived by connecting employers with full-time professionals nationwide, delivering the best match for both the candidate and company, leading to long-lasting careers. Her grit and determination have played major a role in her ability to run a successful, women-led recruiting company.
She has navigated the pandemic with relative ease in an industry that was arguably one of the most hard-hit. Even with an all-time high unemployment rate of 14.7 percent in April 2020, Siegel and her team successfully matched 17 employers with 40+ experienced candidates in the following industries this year: real estate, construction, manufacturing and consumer goods within positions such as: accounting & finance, property management operations, human resources, administrative roles and many others. Siegel is not only an advocate for her clients, but for all women in the recruiting industry.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! 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 landed an internship during my senior year in high school within the human resources department at Mercy Health Center. Back in 1996, that department was known as “personnel”. While there, I assisted Director Pat Cicchini, who taught me the “ins and outs” of the interview process. She emphasized how essential each employee was to an organization and demonstrated how the smallest thing could impact one’s potential to work for a company. I was always eager to hear about the process and see why a particular candidate would be considered as either “excellent” or “not a good fit” based on a number of factors, including education, experience, personality, criminal record, etc.
Pat loved her job and she certainly wore it well. I always admired the energy she exuberated throughout the day, knowing that her decisions were going to make a positive impact on her team. She performed her job with such confidence and portrayed a kind, yet respectable, leadership style. However, the thing I admired most was the vivacious personality she displayed in the workplace. As a 17-year-old, I didn’t correlate happiness with work. That was until I met Pat. I was determined that I was going to do whatever it took to be a part of an organization that made a difference in people’s lives, all while maintaining the same energy that Pat did every day. It’s easy for me to say after my short-term encounter with Pat, I had my long-term career path nearly figured out.
As if that wasn’t the easiest part, another sign quickly appeared when the University of Michigan had incorporated Workforce Management into its Bachelor of Business Administration program in the late 90s, and everything seemed as if I was destined to fall into the world of staffing.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?
The most interesting thing that has happened to me since I started my business was finding someone who shares my passion for recruiting. That person is Anna Amcheslavsky, who is my business partner and one of my closest friends. As I mentioned, my career path in staffing seemed as if it were destiny. Luckily, the one thing, or should I say, person that makes this job even more joyous is leading my company alongside Anna. Anna is my ex-sister-in-law, but there’s nothing that could get in the way of our passion and desire to reward those who rely on us. Helping individuals and corporations make crucial decisions, such as taking the plunge to make a job change or significant hiring move, kept us going.
I am always referred to as the “leader” because I have gone through great lengths to create a brand and vision that separates us from our competitors, and a philosophy based around delivering our clients with quality, not quantity.
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?
The funniest mistake I made when I was first starting out was when a client asked me to provide a manager for three properties. Mistakenly, I was under the impression that she wanted three different property managers. I worked diligently to provide five profiles with various characteristics, which included strengths in leasing and property management, and different ranges of experiences. Later I found out that it was only one position, but I managed closing two of the candidates. Not only did I create an additional job, but my client was so gratefully and thanked me for proposing options she initially hadn’t considered.
The lesson I learned from this is that mistakes in life are also learning experiences, and they don’t always have to be negative. Not only do we fill jobs at Statewide Staffing, but we also create them and, in this case, — by accident!
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
There are many people who have helped me along the way. My mentor Pat, business partner Anna, and father have all been some of my biggest supporters throughout my career. But the people who challenged me to be my absolute best were my former bosses.
I started my career in staffing for engineering and IT roles in the temp world. Although these two fields weren’t exactly of interest to me, the role taught me that it wasn’t about my likes and dislikes. It was all about focusing on the client and candidate and what their needs were at the time.
My first boss was a young, go-getter who hustled and always closed the deal. He taught me about corporate America, and how important it was to not only know the clients that I represented, but also the candidates, too. He showed me you’re about as good as the last deal you closed and if you didn’t jump on the next opportunity, you would fall behind. It was all so clear that I was selling personalities and skills, as well as my own!
I went on to work for another motivated supervisor with a lot of competition at a Fortune 500 Company with more than 300 locations across the globe. I was very challenged, which I loved at the time, working on a team of six where I was the only woman. Our team was number two in the country and expectations were high. Micromanagement had completely taken over leadership at this level and a solid understanding of why this public company was so successful was due to a metrics-driven environment. Coupling this method with a driven salesperson, I was caught in the rigamarole of meeting my numbers for the month and trying to exceed them rather than doing what was most important to me and my client.
If I didn’t know what the word competition meant prior to taking on this role, it was certainly engrained in me. Not only did my supervisor and this larger-than-life company prep me for survival in the world of staffing, but I also realized the importance of why I originally entered this industry and I had lost sight of why I was doing what I was doing due to placing quantity versus quality. The employee turnover was painful to watch on a weekly basis and we could almost foresee whether someone would make it or not within the first week of starting a new position. From then on, I vowed to put quality over quantity.
In my work, I often talk about how to release and relieve stress. As a busy leader, what do you do to prepare your mind and body before a stressful or high stakes meeting, talk, or decision? Can you share a story or some examples?
Yoga has been a solid means of relieving stress. Thoroughly understanding the mind and body and how important it is to breathe and relax is key when facing anything stressful in our lives.
Incorporating the practice of hot vinyasa has been my therapy and escape from the challenging moments I endure in all aspects of my life. To become one with movement and breath in a 99-degree room, while flowing through a complex series of poses and focusing on “one breath, one movement” helps alleviate this. Putting my body to the test and holding poses and balancing and breathing my way through it all, while shaking and sweating profusely, teaches me that I have the mental and physical strength to take on anything.
I was taught that how one practices yoga is a pure reflection of how we perform in life and respond to its ups and downs. If I make the choice to fall out of a pose or coast through my practice, this is how I’m going to deal with the outside world. Learning the ability to let things go without overreacting is the best feeling in any stressful encounter and/or situation.
As you know, the United States is currently facing a very important self-reckoning about race, diversity, equality and inclusion. This may be obvious to you, but it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you articulate to our readers a few reasons why it is so important for a business or organization to have a diverse executive team?
I do believe that having a diverse executive team is crucial for bringing different viewpoints, experiences and levels of creativity to every organization. There’s no reason why any person should be disqualified or discriminated upon in their search for an executive role. Variety only provides more knowledge and, I believe, is essential in making sound decisions. This can and should be transformative for a company.
As a business leader, can you please share a few steps we must take to truly create an inclusive, representative, and equitable society? Kindly share a story or example for each.
- Understanding is the first step. Accepting and acknowledging the ability and quality of people will foster a successful environment. In my opinion, the success of society is through equity and equality. You want the best person for the job regardless of who they are or their background.
- Once a leader has a good foundation and greater understanding of inclusion, it’s important to use resources to educate others. Whether that is through an open-ended discussion in the workplace or a conference or seminar, it’s important for executives to take the initiative to set a positive example.
Most of our readers — in fact, most people — think they have a pretty good idea of what a CEO or executive does. But in just a few words can you explain what an executive does that is different from the responsibilities of the other leaders?
It’s the CEO’s responsibility to make sure the company is profitable and operates efficiently.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a CEO or executive. Can you explain what you mean?
Perhaps surprisingly, I find that many people think that the CEO doesn’t answer to anyone. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Not only are they responsible for the success of the company, but also responsible to each and every employee and, often times, answering to a board of directors and/or shareholders. It’s not an easy role to navigate.
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women executives that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?
In a world where men dominate corporate America, a woman must be strong enough and driven enough to achieve an equal status, which unfortunately, I feel, doesn’t exist quite yet. This often leads to a difficulty in maintaining a healthy work-life balance because you’re so focused on working your way up the ladder.
Women who earn an executive role are competitive by nature, and this lends to fierce competition to reach higher levels within a company. This also often fosters a cut-throat environment and makes it hard to build a support system in the workplace.
What is the most striking difference between your actual job and how you thought the job would be?
Achieving the needs of my client isn’t always as simple as identifying the right fit for an organization. The problem I’ve discovered is there are also others within the company and/or HR department who play a role in making hiring decisions. They are competing with people, like me, in the staffing industry and that tends to cause conflict.
Certainly, not everyone is cut out to be an executive. In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful executive and what type of person should avoid aspiring to be an executive? Can you explain what you mean?
Executives have to understand how to manage people and build strong relationships with their employees. A successful executive won’t put an employee in a position that they will fail, but one they will succeed in on behalf of the company. In order to do this, an executive must possess a willingness to take calculated risks and truly get to know those who work under and around them.
What advice would you give to other women leaders to help their team to thrive?
You have to recognize that you ARE a leader, but also that you may not always get the respect a male leader enjoys. Winning the respect of my peers, employees and clients is a driving force for me.
Beyond that, I would tell a female executive to focus on their vision, find mentors and aim to mentor other women in their company or industry.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
I would like to believe my success and positive mindset has helped to make the world a better place. By volunteering and donating my time to mentor others, I always aim to be kind and considerate.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)
- I wish I knew the difficulty of working with some HR departments because instead of working against us, we should be working together to reach the best outcome for the company.
- I wish I knew how difficult it would be to lead and get employees to follow suit.
- I wish I knew how difficult it would be to succeed in a man’s world. LOL, wait…I think I do.
- I wish I had known how much the staffing world be affected by a global pandemic.
- I wish I knew how much more time goes into staffing as you are always working to make connections. With everywhere I go, everyone I meet is a potential lead.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I believe more executives need to make people feel like they are truly a valuable part of a company. The best player won’t win the game without being part of the team. Companies must always recognize their employees’ achievements, so I would like to see more employees at all levels get more recognized and rewarded for hard work.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My favorite “Life Lesson Quote” comes from Steve Jobs.
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it on living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by Dogma…which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.”
This rings true in my life because I am determined to do things my way. While many others in the industry focus on quantity and metrics, I have prided myself in looking for quality. Not only does it make my clients and candidates happy, but it’s good to know I’m able to have their best interest at heart.
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them
Warren Buffet as he’s fixated solely on success.
Women Of The C-Suite: Kristi Siegel of ‘Statewide Staffing’ On The Five Things You Need To Succeed… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.