“It’s no longer acceptable for organizations to offer a one-size-fits-all approach.”
Award-winning entrepreneur, workplace educator, and the Founder & CEO of Reimagine talent, Chelsea C. Williams helps employers provide a better workplace for multi-generational workers. She and Amalia share some workplace truths and Chelsea chats about why it’s important for leaders to see each unique individual, flexing to meet different generational needs, and the impact of employees demanding more from their employers than ever before.
Amalia and Chelsea also connect over how they’ve incorporated the concept of having the whole damn pie into the focus of their own companies and the people who they work alongside to make a real difference in the world.
Key Takeaways
How the workforce is evolving: Learn more about how factors such as AI, generational shifts, and changing employee expectations are shaping the workplace.
Tips on managing a fully remote company: Chelsea shares how they prioritize connection at Reimagine Talent.
The Whole Damn Pie means: For Chelsea, it’s living life on her own terms and being authentic to herself in pursuit of what really matters.
Learn more about Reimagine Talent here: https://www.reimaginetalentco.com/
Chelsea: [00:00:00] The whole world is navigating through change right now. The concept of change management is significant and we haven't even scratched the surface when you consider things like AI, we consider things like this generational shift, boomers retiring, but still holding on because of COVID. Generation Z coming in, millennials and Gen X really, you know, stepping into leadership even more. There is this interesting values, vision clash in some ways that is happening with, for lack of a better term, old and new.
Amalia: Welcome to The Whole Damn Pie. I'm Amalia Martino. My guest today is Chelsea C. Williams. Chelsea is an award-winning entrepreneur and workplace educator. She is the founder and CEO of Reimagined Talent. Their work helps employers and educational institutions provide a better workplace for multi-generational [00:01:00] workers. And they support talent development, which drives employee engagement and retention.
So, I started the whole damn pie with this notion of we don't have to live a life of this or that, that we can like be more full in our choices and in our relationships and we don't have to necessarily trade off to quote unquote have it all, whatever it is that you want, and that everybody's pie is so different.
So, I would love to start by just asking you, what is your whole damn pie?
Chelsea: Whole damn pie. For me, represents this concept of living on my own terms and being authentic to myself in pursuit of what really matters. So, you know, I'll say no crumbs left behind, meaning we don't want the crumbs. We don't deserve the crumbs. Our ancestors did not work for us to just take [00:02:00] the crumbs. And so, it's really this call higher is what I would say.
Amalia: Okay.
Chelsea: Higher in self, in our worth and our desires and our vision. But then also, and here's the beautiful thing about it. When we do that and when we accept this concept that there's more for us, other people get to see more for themselves. And so for both of us, we've made this concept of beyond a slice of a pie, the focus of our companies and the people who work alongside us to make a difference in the world.
Amalia: Ooh, I love it. Just being visible and leading by just being self and making choices impacts other choices. It's that butterfly effect of one choice impacts another. So I want to go back a little bit because when I look at your work, you are just so young and you have achieved so much already. Can you tell me about young Chelsea Williams? Like how did you even get here?
Chelsea: So [00:03:00] I was born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina. It came time to choose college, and it was between staying in state and going to UNC Chapel Hill.
Chelsea: There's a lot of great colleges in North Carolina. And so it kind of was like, why do you feel like you have to go away? That was a lot of what I would hear from teachers and classmates and family. But there was this institution called Spelman College, which is one of two historically Black women's colleges in the country. And I had a teacher who had went to a women's college who played a profound impact on my life. And candidly speaking, I spent a lot of time growing up as the only person in my AP classes, one of very few in honors classes. And so, I was hungry for this opportunity to really see and experience blackness. And I didn't even really understand it the way I do at my current age, but I wanted more. I wanted to be in a place where I was really elevated. So, I went to Spelman College on full scholarship, and something happens when you are [00:04:00] presented a life changing opportunity. And I told myself, if I'm going to have one of my dreams come true at 18 years old, I am going to fully maximize this experience and I'm not going to leave anything on the table. And so my experience at a college was the first place I experienced belonging in my life.
Amalia: And you were that intentional at 18.
Chelsea: Yes.
Amalia: That's amazing.
Chelsea: I mean, I had the benefit of immigrant parents, a family, you know, deep rooted in faith, but this concept of opportunity, which is really, this is really the, the threat of my life.
Chelsea: And I know someone for you, like, I know how powerful what opportunity is. And I know that if we maximize it, how we can open up all these other doors. And so that for me, for me, it's really where this concept of maximizing opportunity and dreaming bigger than my little world in Raleigh, North Carolina was, that's where it was fueled.
Amalia: How did you maximize it? How did you [00:05:00] maximize the opportunity of Spellman?
Chelsea: So, tunnel vision on this concept of not just getting to college and working hard and having fun and all the things, but graduating and starting off a career. Yes, that was my focal point, and I do believe that a lot of the character and mindset I needed to prepare for Wall Street.
Amalia: Mm-hmm.
Chelsea: After college was built at Spelman.
Amalia: You know, I really resonate with some of that and I actually went and toured some historically black colleges. I remember somebody telling me like, Oh, those black colleges, those degrees just aren't taken as seriously. And I was like, Oh, okay. Like, as I'm trying to like navigate, do I go to college? I mean, I was going to college, but I wanted to get out of here. I'm from Seattle and I did not want to stay here. But I did end up staying here. I went to the University of Washington. Because it was the best financial decision, I didn't really have a lot of options. And I knew what was expected of me, I knew that my mom was investing in me, and that there was [00:06:00] no other real choice for me.
So, when I got there, I was so intentional about it, that I remember calculating the cost of my class per hour. And I was like, okay, if I skip this class today, I'm actually taking X amount of money out of my mom's pocket, and I'm not gonna do that. And I don't think that that is something that you learn.
Amalia: Like, I feel like you and I just have something.
Chelsea: That's right.
Amalia: And then now we feel a sense of responsibility to live it through.
Chelsea: That is so right. And you're absolutely correct that much of this is innate.
Amalia: Yes.
Chelsea: Because some of these characteristics, if you were to ask my parents or my brother, they'd be like, yeah, you demonstrated that when you were in middle school. Like there's elements of it.
Amalia: Yes.
Chelsea: Ends up tangibly becoming what you and I experienced in college. But I do think, you know, fast forwarding even to now, and I know we're going to get into it, this concept of, and I'll call it stewardship, responsibility, whatever you want to call it, has been a reoccurring [00:07:00] theme.
Amalia: Yeah.
Chelsea: And here's what I'll say to your point about people making comments about, like, our historical mycologist, the real world. I heard it too. Many times. And I believe had I not had that experience where I learned about who I am and my story and a confidence was built in me, I don't think I would have been prepared to work in Wall Street for about a decade and do some of the things that, that I had to do and experience some of what I had to experience because I was prepared to step in a space where I would then become the minority.
Amalia: Yes, I mean, I feel I feel like you got to a place I haven't gotten to yet because I haven't experienced that yet I feel like I have become the you know they talk about code switching or like
Chelsea: Amalia: Like I have been the expert of having my each foot in each room and I'm often the only one right the only one in the room the only and like Just talking to you, I'm wondering, like, [00:08:00] maybe what my life would have been like if I had made that choice differently, you know, where I could have filled my cup a little bit differently and showed up with so much confidence, because that's one of the words that I think really describes you when I meet you is like, you just walk into a room and you are so comfortable with who you are. Like, I don't even know if you know it, and you don't have to say a word, but you just walk in, you have this presence. I describe it as very graceful and confident. I don't know if you know that about yourself, but you should. Chelsea: Well, thank you. Thank you. And I will say that it's taken work. I'm finally feeling freedom. Amalia: Oh. Chelsea: In myself. Amalia: Oh my gosh. Okay. What does that feel like? Chelsea: When you spend so much time more focused on other people and how they receive you and how they see you than you do on how you see yourself and want to see yourself and how you want to love yourself. That's what happens. [00:09:00] COVID was transformative because I really got to sit in who I am. And I was processing through what was going on in 2020 between COVID and racial reckoning while also doing the work. Amalia: Yes. Chelsea: Like you. Amalia: Yeah. Chelsea: And so it was this concept where it's like, okay, what are you telling these other people? to do. Are you doing that too? Because one thing I won't do, and I know you would agree with this, is I won't be fake and phony, and I won't be authentic to who I am. I don't have to shave off or, or, or show up one way that's not authentic to how I'm showing up with my family or my friends or with loved ones. [00:10:00] That is powerful stuff. Amalia: I want to get there. Take me with you, please. I love it. Chelsea: I'm still on it, but I'm trying and I've gotten better. Amalia: Yeah. So you have a company. Reimagine Talent. It's a national talent and workforce development firm, and you offer consulting and educational services for businesses to help them build teams and retain employees. Chelsea: Yes. Amalia: So you founded your company, I think, when you were 28? Yes. Wild. That is so impressive. Tell me the story. How did you even come up with this idea? Chelsea: So, first my faith is very important to me. That's how I ground myself. That's how I'm able to show up as myself. Cause I'm clear on who I am and my purpose in this world. So in that, my heart was stirring towards my final few years on wall street. That's where I started my career from my first internship onward. I was one of those few people who knew I wanted to do HR [00:11:00] talent culture. Like I wanted to understand the people side of business and how, when we are thoughtful about talent who make organizations run, how we can actually. make a deeper impact in the marketplace or in the community. That's always been an interest to me. And so, I did that for my first internship through my time on Wall Street. And as I was getting through my final years on Wall Street, my heart was really stirring about this challenge that I saw. And the challenge was, there was a lot of effort focused on bringing in the next generation of talent to financial services. So we were doing partnerships with banks, colleges and universities, partnerships with nonprofits, how do we help young people decide that they want to build a career in finance? That was one of the things that we were tasked with doing and that I led at my firm. Simultaneously, I found myself doing work to help support teens. So working internally on everything from, you know, performance management, to promotions, to leadership, to compensation. [00:12:00] And so we were helping to determine the pathway of growing talent and keeping talent and helping build leadership with this I would say a dichotomy of finding the next generation of talent and making sure that we were helping to build a diverse talent pipeline within our organizations and this reality that there were challenges that were happening internally of progressing diverse talent once they got into the workplace. And so I said, something's happening where Both of these areas, which are massive to supporting talent, are not necessarily connecting with each other. So, you're doing all this work to get the next generation of talent and you're doing all this work to build leaders. And we're not feeding to the next generation what's necessary to lead in this new space. We're not feeding to organizations and teams what a multi-generational workforce actually desires. And so, I was like, what would it look like to have an organization that supports both and what we're doing consultatively [00:13:00] and from the concept of leadership development actually supports building the talent pipeline and developing the talent pipeline. And so Reimagine Talent was birthed from this desire to interconnect and build a bridge. And we now have the pleasure of working with organizations that are supporting, you know, Gen Z talent. Tomorrow it will be Alpha and organizations that have multi-generational teams but want to connect them in a more thoughtful way through the power of leadership development and organizational development. Amalia: I mean, the timing is brilliant and it's so needed. You're doing something that the market needs and that companies need, but you're doing it in such an intentional way. You're not just another consultancy that comes in and drops it off and then goes out the door. You have these commitment statements in your company. I would love to know more, especially how you live them day to day with your clients. Chelsea: Yes. Number one is our [00:14:00] values are our commitment, right? So when I think about starting the company and sitting down with what values are going to be necessary for me as the leader to exhibit and then for each and every person who says yes to this company to demonstrate and be willing to build over time, um, values is our first element of making sure that we are operating in a place of our commitments. And so, you know, a lot of people have values that they use, right? And so for me, it became important that values are tied to how we recruit talent in. Our values are tied into how we decide, because we do decide which partners we want to work with. We don't work with everyone. And there was a time where, you know, I was really focused on, oh, it's this organization's name or this, you know, This, you know, this is the contract size and how it can help us. And I learned each and every time I said yes to those organizations, it was just not, it wasn't congruent and the freedom wasn't freedoming. So now when I think about our [00:15:00] values, and this is the powerful part. When people are bold and consistent in the values that they uphold, entrepreneurship will always be hard, business and leadership will always be hard, but it is easier to navigate when there is an alignment of values. And so that's my first concept on commitment. We are committed to our values. One of our values being build the bridge. Because if you think about our story about what we do, we are building the bridge from the next generation to leaders today. And our concept is always that we leave our organizations and partners better than when we found them. And that often means showing them what they may not see and connecting them to resources, people, places, and things that helps them go further faster. And so that's how we look at our commitments. Second is our commitment to social impact. I believe in doing well and doing good. So we're a business, we're not a nonprofit. There is a focal point on, you know, economic prosperity and that in and of itself [00:16:00] is bold leadership. So as a black woman owned business, it is critical that we are healthy and profitable, but that's not enough for us. It's not enough for us. It's also important that on how we work our team and representation on the team. And I'm very focused on that on our suppliers, who we choose to partner with, because there's this conception that supplier diversity or partnering only matters when you get to a certain revenue threshold, absolutely not. Every dollar that comes in, there's a way to, you know, this and you do this to track it to, you know, representation, et cetera. And then there's this concept of our time is our most expensive resource that we have. And so I am always mindful of how our team. is investing in supporting worthwhile causes and educating themselves in spaces that help them show up in support of inclusivity and equity. So that's how [00:17:00] our commitment statements have come to be. Service. Suppliers, team. And I really wanted to just say that if we can start now as we scale, we can continue to show that if you build it into the fabric of how you lead a company, no matter how small, it's a natural way of business growing and having an impact in society. Amalia: I couldn't agree more. And you see it with companies who really tried to infuse some of these values as a reaction to the summer of 2020 and how, first of all, how hard it was and how maybe temporary, unfortunately, right? Chelsea: That's right. It has to be authentic. And that's why it is better that you not, we not put out these bold statements that sound good. Amalia: Right. Chelsea: If you are actually not prepared to do the work. And back to your statement earlier, Better that you set goals and visions that are [00:18:00] very authentic to who you are and to the organization that you're building than to try to be what you think you need to be because you'll never be able to reach that level that's been set. Amalia: Yeah. And, you know, I think a through line between my company, the Vida Agency that does multicultural communications and marketing and yours is that we have these solid values from the beginning too. And I would say after the summer of 2020 had a lot of people who came to work for us or wanted to work for us because they wanted to do equity work or they were very interested in it, but it's hard work and you got to do the work and it's not something that you can just tap in and out of. And so, you know, I feel like it's a different talent pool now because we see people who aren't just kind of interested in learning it, but are interested in working through it. And that's the different ask. Chelsea: It is a different ask, but it's a growing ask. And I'm, it's powerful that you're seeing that because I will tell you across [00:19:00] generations across identity. People now are making decisions about work and employment based off of purpose. Amalia: Yes. Chelsea: Now, purpose is a broad statement, but the concept is, you know, making an impact, doing things beyond self, right? Like this concept of making community space better than it was before. And so, we are seeing, and it happened in the great reshuffle. Some people call it 2020 where people said, I have worked in this industry. for decades. And I want something that is going to light me up and that I feel as though I'm making a difference. And similar to you, I'm thinking about some of our recent hires. That is what has excited them. And every time we are meeting a new client and they're doing their elevator pitch of who they are, they're saying, I was working in tech. I was working in finance, but wanted something mission driven. And that's what led me to reimagine talent. It was time. Amalia: Yeah, it was time. And you know, I am fired up by like, I just think it's so great that we're in a moment where people can decide that they want to [00:20:00] work in their purpose without the tradeoff of not wanting to get paid. Right? Because previously, I think it was, well, if you want to work in your purpose, you go work for that nonprofit, right? And you can eat canned beans and, you know, sacrifice yourself for the greater good. Yeah. We also get this thing of like, well, are you an op? No, we are not a non profit. We are a for-profit company by design. We are also wanting to make social impact through the work that we do and how we do it and how we invest in community. And we are paying really great wages. Chelsea: Yes, you are. Amalia: Right. And it's inspiring that you are doing that. And this could be its own conversation about why we chose for profit than non profit. Chelsea: Because it's really, really important that there is an economic connection to this. This is not just feel good. This is a true economic impact. And I know the work that you're doing and it's important for people to be able to see that both are possible. Amalia: Well, [00:21:00] yes, it's by design that we think you can only do community work if you're starving, right? So if we can prove that there is an economic output. That we're doing that's benefiting community and also contributing to the economy, you know, like. We're not a startup anymore, right? I can be a little more planful with what our finances look like and where I'm going to spend my money and how much I'm going to pay the people. And it is important because this is the water we swim in. This is what our tax system is built around is companies. So, part of what I really like in my job, I guess, is really just learning. I like to learn the systems, the what are the what are the what's and who does what and how do you do it and how do I do that or how do I bring that in. It's really fun to be curious. Chelsea: I agree with you. Amalia: Yeah. Chelsea: And I think that that is an often [00:22:00] overlooked essential quality of an entrepreneur. So your concept of curiosity and figure it out mentality is something that cannot be underestimated. I mean, it just can't. And so if you find yourself just always hungry for knowledge, communication, seeking to understand, you don't mind rolling up your sleeves and using good old Google. Google is a great resource. You might find joy in this and certainly opportunity. Amalia: Yeah, I agree. I agree. And my freedom now is that I've gotten to a point in my business where I can say, I have done that before, but I should not be doing that anymore. Like IE, I don't know, balancing the books or like the things that I am not brilliant at, the companies at a size where I can hire for somebody, then I can go get curious about something else. Right. Which is great. Yeah. Chelsea: Yes, yes, yes, yes. Well, and that is important to identify because you're right. When getting to the [00:23:00] time and I found myself there where you can hire those specialists that frees up time for you to do things you enjoy like this. Amalia: Yeah. Chelsea: That is the exciting piece and where we show up better and it has the deepest impact and that's important to identify. Amalia: Totally. Okay. So you are helping companies build teams and build inclusive environment. What are you seeing out there? Because, you know, we live in this space too, and I'm seeing the pendulum swing one way or the other. And, you know, companies put out statements of Diversity, inclusion, and then they retract them or they change them or the dollars go other places. Are you seeing that with the companies you work with? Maybe not because you get to choose who you work with, but from a just industry level, what are you seeing? Chelsea: How I would define the work of talent development is making sure organizations have the talent and are helping them. navigate and progress through and support of marketplace or community [00:24:00] impact if it's a nonprofit. And so we have a different employee mindset in 2024 2025. For one, employees are really looking for clarity. They're looking for transparency in their career journeys and their career paths. They're looking for skill building. They're looking for support and mentorship. And so the leader's role. The people managers role, if that's the term you use, is elevating now because people are demanding more out of their workplaces. And so with that demand, much of it being influenced by external forces, right? So this concept of a moment in time where we completely separated work from personal life and work from external forces. 2020 really opened up, I believe in a good way, to some of these realities that people are navigating through that impacts how they show up at work, how they show up at work, how they connect with each other at [00:25:00] work, and their expectations of work. Amalia: Yeah. Chelsea: We consider things like this generational shift, boomers retiring, but still holding on because of COVID, Generation Z coming in, Millennials and Gen X really, you know, stepping into leadership even more. There is this interesting values, vision clash in some ways that is happening with, for lack of better term, old and new. And so we are seeing that show up in the sense that Organizations are having to look at the policies and practices they've had in place to support employees. Organizations are now having the most diverse workforce and continuing to be the most diverse workforce in the United States and having to adjust how they [00:26:00] offer resources to their employees that doesn't consider a one size fits all approach because employees are different and coming in with their different experiences. Leadership now is, I mean, that's a big whole question for a whole podcast. Amalia: Yeah. Chelsea: What does it mean to be an effective leader in 2024 is a question mark. Organizations are really looking at their leaders and saying, have we up skilled or re skilled our leaders with what they need to support diverse teams in this changing work landscape? Chelsea: Yeah. And so I just told you a lot, but I think you're absolutely right. That there is, there's a lot going on right now. And so the need for guidance, up skilling. safe space. It has never been more important. And that's where Reimagined Talent comes in working with, you know, leaders like you and then people leaders who are really focused on what does the next decade need to look like for our company to be competitive? Amalia: Yeah. So are you doing like coaching, you're coaching up people [00:27:00] managers, or are you helping companies devise their own policies or procedures or how does Reimagined Talent help companies? Chelsea: Two things. One, you said it earlier, upskilling, training, if you want to call it that, leaders. We do a ton of development work that's helping to make sure employees to leaders have the skills they need for our current times. Amalia: Okay. Chelsea: Second to that is consultative advisory, which you've just mentioned, working with leaders who are saying, we need to take an audit of how we have been working and consider our new way forward. Can you all help us assess And then help us come up with a plan forward and then take the steps to implement that. Amalia: Yeah. Chelsea: And so that could look different depending on where the organization is, right? And their scope. But typically we are working in the area of training and development, right? And coaching if you want to call it that. And then consultative advisory. Amalia: And you're working with companies of all sizes. Chelsea: We work with your small to mid size for sure, but we also [00:28:00] have enterprise clients. And so, you know, won't name drop, but we work with global beauty brands, sports, financial services, public relations, communications. And for us, it's interesting. We sometimes get the question; do you want to focus in on a couple of different industries? Like, would you want to go in? And that's always been a question we're considering, but our biggest focal point is if we can focus on organizations and partners that are aligned with values and see this work of people and culture the way that we do, the way we do it might shift, but the output in the collaboration, we haven't noticed much of a difference. If we align on values, missions, and you have the right partners who understand and have the relationships needed in their organization to move through bottlenecks so we can actually get things done. Amalia: Yes. Okay. Yes. I want to go down this road of multi-generational teams because [00:29:00] I am the Gen Xer. So, I guess that means I'm the old versus the new on the team. And honestly, I struggle with this because when I was thinking of building a company and the things that I thought that were going to be so innovative, like work life balance and all these things are, are now just expected, right? So, this requires a lot more from me to get out of my own way to understand, but I also, you know, I am who I am. So I can fight myself on this a little bit, but what are you seeing from Gen X and Gen Y? Like, what do they want from employers? Chelsea: This is such an interesting question because I do think while there's been more conversation. If you Google now, it's like everything's Gen Z, right? I know that's a big one. Chelsea: More generations have more in common than they have that are different and if [00:30:00] you can remember, people were saying things about Gen X. They were saying things. They certainly were saying things about millennia. I'm a millennial here. And I remember, I remember, I remember. So we need not be moved by the antics and the conversations of this day. The only thing that I would bring to the attention is the speed and the rate of change right now is the piece that's different that we need to consider as we're thinking about younger generations. But it's interesting. I was at a conference in Colorado Springs and the conversation of Gen X came up. And one of the things that we were talking about was, it's a very interesting time for Gen X, I believe. Why? Boomers are retiring. We're now going through the largest retirement of boomers in history. And we'll continue to see that in the years to come. That did get pushed out for some boomers because of COVID. The economic uncertainty is keeping people in the workforce longer than expected. But as those boomers retire, it is Gen X [00:31:00] who is stepping into executive suite leadership. There's certainly as some companies are millennials too. It depends on the industry and the size. But the point is Gen X has a lot of the historical knowledge and has worked alongside boomers. If we're talking about larger organizations who have a trusted voice in this. Now, it's interesting because sometimes with Gen X, it's like the silent generation or people are like, we don't know as much about it. But. There were so many pivotal moments that happened with Gen X, such as the technology boom. That was really because of, yeah, that was really the Gen X that pushed that through. And so the point here is like every generation has something to offer. Each and every person just needs to be willing to flex. So here's my point to you. No matter what your generation is, you have to be willing to flex. You have to be willing to understand that there was a different way that people navigated through work. There was a different way that communication and expectations were set. And so if you want to have longevity and you want to be an effective leader. [00:32:00] Your ability to flex with your team, depending on their experience, is important. Does that mean that you lower the bar? No. But does that mean that maybe the way that you communicate with one colleague might need to be different for another? And so you might have to be willing to seek to understand where they are and why, and then try out a new approach? I believe that's essential. I do not believe in 2024 we can focus on one size fits all leadership. It's so over and so done. We have to see the individual. Amalia: Yeah. Chelsea: And then this doesn't mean inequity. Some people say, I want to treat everyone on my team the same. You want to have the same ethics and character for everyone on the team. But the way that you may engage them, provide feedback to them, coach them absolutely should look different based off who they are and how they've navigated through. Chelsea: And so leaders who see that and value that and are willing to take that extra time up front will have the trust [00:33:00] and the connection that's necessary for longevity. Amalia: I want to know what is the future for Reimagine Talent? Like, what are your plans? Chelsea: Oh my goodness. So we are, as I mentioned to you, we're really getting excited about this concept of upskilling it and this concept of learning. We are working on some learning management, so we'll have some on demand content that we will be sharing with our partners. Amalia: Awesome. We are starting to get into the government contracting space, which is a new place for us because we have been told that that is an opportunity to bring some team and leadership dynamics. And then finally, I'm really thinking about my team. And so I am looking at our team structure. I'm making sure we're positioned in the right places geographically. And outside of that, one of the things that we have looked at, at Reimagine Talent is how we bring our partners in and how we expand our organizations. And one of the things that's become crystal clear is that we grow through the power of [00:34:00] community. So that means that as we show up in community to these professional organizations, entrepreneurs like you, that our values, mission, the line, that's where our business just takes off. takes off as people share what we're doing. Chelsea: And so next year, we're really putting together a community strategy and authentic growth strategy connected to community that will ensure that we continue to have the right partners and scale to our next level of impact. Amalia: That is beautiful. Are you a fully remote company? Chelsea: We are fully remote. Amalia: Okay, now talk about Gen Z and Millennial. How do you do that? Chelsea: Well, I talk to gen Z and I am Millennial, so I talk to myself. I know. Amalia: You, you talk to me though, because I don't understand how, how, I mean, to me, this is a, this is a big pain point for me. I'm trying to figure out, like, our lease is up. What do I do? You know, but I see companies who are so successful, just fully remote. Chelsea: I have to [00:35:00] say, and again, there's some people who, who are really, really stars at this. I can try to link to you, but for us, it's, I mean, to be very honest with you, it was a matter of cost savings initially. It was a matter of, we call ourselves Reimagine Talent. We have to be bold in what we are saying the future of work will be. And I, this is another authentic moment where it's like, I thought about it. Well, let's, you know, just, you know, build out a team in the Carolinas or here in North Carolina, but that is not Reimagined Talent for what we do. And the reality that today talent are everywhere and you've got the most hard working people who by sheer necessity have to be remote. Yeah. Amalia: Okay. Chelsea: And so for us, it was about embracing the diversity of the talent pool and committing to make sure that we've got like diversity of talent and our team is a non negotiable. And so to be able to reach the breadth of talent that we know are [00:36:00] vital to advise our clients, we have to open up the pools of where we can reach people. And so it became aligned with who we are and what we do. And I will say this as the final point. It takes work. It takes communication. It takes the concept of we will be connecting in person, you know, a couple of times a year. It takes non-negotiables like meetings and brainstorm sessions and clear SOPs and, and all the things that we know are important. It takes that. It takes picking up the phone and calling and letting the team know. We will not hide behind these computers. And sometimes with the team, they're like, Oh, Chelsea's. Yeah, I'm calling because this voice and this connection needs to happen and I'm modeling the expectation of what we're going to do. And so I've had to really sit in and as a leader, what am I going to do to make sure that we don't have people hiding behind screens because relationships are not built behind screens, but it continues to be an area of opportunity, but something that. I don't think that [00:37:00] we're going to move away from because, again, we need to model what the future of work is going to be, and this will be the future of work. Amalia: Ah, Gauntlet Throne. Okay, I love it. Thank you. You're so intentional, and it's really inspiring. Chelsea: It's not, it's not really an option. Amalia: Get on board, old lady. You know what? You know, you know what? I'll say there's nuances based off of the industry or the role, right? Like I get like for some roles we have, this is a good point. Chelsea: Actually, we have the ability that we can embrace remote workers. There are some roles where that's not even possible. So that's kind of the first piece. But after you determine that this indeed can be done remotely, There has absolutely been things that we've had to put in place. For one, we do a standing meeting with the entire team, and that's the way, that's our touch point and our connection piece. And number two is we use Slack, right? So we do have tools that we use to help support team communication. Number three is, and this is something I've had to model, coaching the team on how we distinguish between [00:38:00] what's an email, what's a phone call, what's a hop thing on a Zoom. And to some people, it seems like, well, you should know that. But not when you're leading a team that are at different levels and places and spaces, the transparency of expectations has to be set. You know, we do things like if we have client engagements, what team member can join us where we're going to be. So, we're pulling people into the work as well. So there's things like that that happen, but nothing goes against making sure that there are people who are fired up by the mission. Amalia: Yes, this is so good. We need it. Chelsea is brilliant. And she is leading a company with smarts and intention and purpose. And really, when I think about the whole damn pie, that is what it means. How can we show up for each other in that way and ourselves in that way? And how can we live our lives with those three tenants? Chelsea: Amalia, I so [00:39:00] value you. I'm so happy there was a place for this conversation because it's important. and I'm honored to be able to be on the whole damn pie and to work with your company.
I won't tell other people how to lead equitably and inclusively, and then be thinking or considering, well, my team's not getting that, so I'm not being authentic. So it became a mirror moment for me to really sit in who am I, and how can I make sure that the relationships that matter most, the partners that we choose to work with, because it's a choice.
Amalia: Mm hmm.
And so the whole world is navigating through change right now. The concept of change management is significant, and we haven't even scratched the surface when you consider things like AI.