I immediately thought of June Holmes and she is my #internationalwomensday2019 hero! June is the Chief Operation Officer for the American Property Casualty Insurance Association, formerly PCI. I had the opportunity to work for June and she has been a mentor to me for more than 10 years! Following are 3 key lessons I learned from June.
June demonstrated that people always come first. She instilled in me the importance of putting people at the center of your work. As a membership trade association, June built meaningful relationships with the executives of the member companies that have spanned her career. Her strong relationships helped the association be in tune with what mattered most to the members, to have insights on what kept them up at night, and knowledge of what resources the companies needed to succeed. June invested in cultivating relationships which made members feel valued. She genuinely cares about the members, their companies and also their personal lives. It is inspiring to see June in action with the members and the solid friendships inspire me to make time to build strong relationships with others.
June also showed me the importance of keeping employees front and center in our daily work. June constantly thought through how initiatives, projects, and changes would impact employees. She had the short view, as well as the long view on how any company actions could play out and impact employees. She taught me the importance of viewing impact on employees from so many different angles. When I worked at PCI, June's insights were critical for strong employee relations and engagement.
With multiple board meetings, many conferences, and countless political engagement events, the days flew by at the trade association. The amount of content generated could feel like an avalanche. June is a master of creating plans and execution to ensure outstanding products and services are delivered to incredibly busy executives. June taught me so much about keeping the trains running while also creating valuable content. Her ability to organize strategic plans and activate the team to produce results inspired me and taught me valuable skills. She also taught me the importance of working the details, staying focused, and remaining calm despite any fire drill.
June encouraged me to pursue my passions at work such as encouraging insurance companies to embrace social media and working on talent challenges with the Insurance Careers Movement. When I had my sweet twin girls, Sophia and Stella, June taught me so much about pursuing your passions with your family while having a demanding career. As a working mom, June taught me about the importance of weaving in time to go to things like a music class with the girls or popping home for lunch with the twins. I learned from June on how to juggle work and home and how to have a meaningful impact in both places. June is an amazing role model on how to pursue your passions and make in impact in every aspect of your life.
#IWD2019
As I celebrate #IWD2019 and think about Stella and Sophia's future, I hope to inspire them like June Holmes inspires me. I'm grateful for the tremendous impact June has had on my life, both professionally and personally. June is my International Women's Day hero!