3 Stripes ||| 3 Lessons
Friday was my last day working for adidas (and Reebok, which is part of adidas but has recently been sold.) I’ve always been an adidas girl through and through. It was my peak 90’s style: shelltoes and tear-away snap pants. I wore them over giant men’s basketball shorts because I was very hot and popular.
When I lived in LA and worked at 72andSunny, we won adidas as a client. It was thrilling for me. We had a lot of great clients that I loved (Google, Starbucks, Sonos, etc.) but when we won adidas, I felt like THE REAL DEAL. The company even gave us their employee discount of 50% off everything. It was amazing. Then we lost it dramatically due to an employee sharing their account.
Anyways, when I received an email from an adidas recruiter in 2017, it felt like fate. It felt like we were destined to be together one day! And we were together for four fantastic years. Four TRANSFORMATIVE years. I entered the company as not a girl, not yet a woman and I am leaving a fully-formed LADY WITH A LOT OF LEGGINGS.
The reason that my time with the brand was so impactful is that I found MY PURPOSE. Until joining the organization, I was an HR business partner who wanted to be a comedian, or a writer, or something creative but I didn’t know what. My experience in both comedy and HR got me in the door to the learning and development team and I will never look back. I feel called to this work. I get to be creative and funny while I facilitate, but I also get to help people grow and discover their inner leaders!
Adidas is also where I discovered my own inner leader. I had so many role models and mentors (that I never told were my mentors) and I was able to move beyond that “imposter syndrome” effect and realize how talented I already was, and the potential I had to be even better.
In the spirit of reflection - since it’s a new year and all - I’d like to share my THREE BIGGEST LESSONS. That’s one lesson per stripe!
Imposter syndrome is a choice. Sometimes I feel like I have everything working against me as an Irish Catholic Bostonian Woman who runs on guilt, shame, and people-pleasing. However, I can choose to let those labels define me or not. Through the support and role-modeling of great leadership, I learned that confidence is just demonstrating the courage to use your voice, be a strategic partner, say no when needed, and co-create solutions.
A growth mindset is necessary. Neuroscience (and Carol Dweck) say that a growth mindset is not something a person has or doesn’t have, but something you activate. Thanks to a 30-day mindset challenge built into our development programs, I did barre every day. It transformed my fitness routine (I’m still doing it!) and my mindset. I was afraid of group classes because I assumed everyone would have perfect high ponytails and matching outfits and would make fun of me for not being good when they went to brunch after class. (I thought it’d be like Aunt Viv’s dance audition without the redemption. IYKYK.)
In my first class, I realized that EVERYONE was struggling. Exercise is supposed to be challenging! The things we fear are never as scary as we think. That lesson helped me when I left the country for the first time EVER and traveled to Germany alone. It helped me facilitate a program in Panama. It helped me embrace all the tough parts of life despite fear and grow immensely.
Don't wait for people to get to know you or appreciate your talents. Taking the initiative to develop influence and build relationships is the key to success. Working cross-functionally in a global organization is a challenge, but it is especially difficult when you’re based in a different location than your team. You could be the most talented person in the world, but you won’t thrive if nobody knows that. I learned how to develop influence by speaking up in meetings, asking questions, and keeping in constant touch with my stakeholders and global team. Sure, 1:1’s are awkward at first, but they become less so over time. (I'm also averse to small talk, so they're even more awkward when I overshare about my gallstones rather than talk about the weather.) I was able to earn trust, build my reputation, and receive challenging opportunities.
Like many companies, adidas had a well-established leadership framework, known as the 3 C’s: Collaboration, Confidence, and Creativity. I would often tell program participants that they can be interpreted in many ways and we had the autonomy to decide how to incorporate them into our everyday performance. It was a mindblowing realization for me when I discovered that we are able to define our own leadership style. We can decide our own personal values, align them with company values, and create our own paths. Demonstrating courage to speak up, pushing myself out of my comfort zone and building relationships are exactly how I incorporated the 3Cs into my personal leadership style and it was integral to my success at adidas. I know it'll continue to propel me forward in my career and for that, I will be forever grateful.
They also helped me find my inner fitness buff and sports aficionado. And by “sports”, I mean Ted Lasso. Same thing, right? ;)