How I went from Sorority Sister to Siberia to start my Successful Career.

How I went from Sorority Sister to Siberia to start my Successful Career.

Before the cutting-edge mindset diversity measures. Before the 5 start-ups that brought in 7-figures – or the keynotes to 1,000's of business leaders….    I was a Sorority girl who got sent to Siberia. (It was all good!)

Told I could have it all – in the 1980’s.

I said “Sure!”, when asked if I wanted to work in Siberia.

Without any ‘Joneses’ to keep up with, I was left to feel my fear and find my way forward – no matter how far away I was from family, friends or anything familiar to find the support I needed.

Read more about how I handled my fear in this Forbes article.




Working in my second language was not as big of a problem as learning the buzzwords in HR.


I didn’t speak Russian before I got to Moscow (and my Jr. High level Spanish wasn’t all that helpful).

That said… beyond my banking job in Russia, I found myself teaching Entrepreneurship in my second language. I understood business, for sure – but the language of HR had me clueless!

Moving to London – I got my first real taste of Western workplaces.

I was working on a global merger project, and I wondered… 
  • If you have to survey people, surely you know they're not engaged!
  • Did any team ever act as perfectly as their poster in the hall suggests?
  • What's the difference between the terms 'Engagement', 'Culture' and the newest addition - ‘Inclusion’ when it comes to how people are meant to feel at work?
But, just as I was becoming fluent in buzzwords…

I quickly realized that these idealistic models spoke of WHAT to do, and I was asking - 

"How do you get there?"

"How do you get there?"

Planes, Trains and SO many miles - on my path to find Wellbeing In the Workplace.

Little did I know how many times the question ‘How do you get there’ would cross my mind.

When I finally thought “Why not(!) go figure this out”, I could not have lived farther from where I would find the answers. I commuted from Beijing to Philly to get my Masters in Applied Positive Psychology at The University of Pennsylvania.
I thought if I understood positive emotions, I’d know how they work (pun intended).

Even through the fog of jet-lag, one thing became crystal clear…

There was a symbiotic relationship between the needs of people and performance that was constantly breaking down. Increasing employee engagement did not necessarily increase performance – and increasing performance did not always bring engagement.
Was it possible to be happy at work, if you weren’t performing well?

Could you feel a sense of belonging, if you also felt betrayed in operational decisions?

 One day, it hit me like a ton of bricks.

We were trying to engage people AT work, but there was relatively little that expressed how engaged they were IN their work.

Then… How do we measure THAT?  (Hmmm… there’s that word ‘how’, again!)  

Over time, I found myself certified in more than 30 assessments – of personality, leadership behaviors, values, cultural traits…. Without finding what I was looking for. 

So, I went looking elsewhere.

Was there a place people learned more about how they perform – rather than which traits made up their personality?

Entrepreneurship!  (Something I knew well...)

I discovered the missing measures it takes to ‘personalize’ inclusion in daily performance. To LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD for people to move beyond bias, including in onboarding recruits. 

And, best of all…

I’ve had the honor of helping thousands of leaders breathe new life into the HR tools and outcomes they had been using for years.

Giving people exactly the information they needed to promote psychological safety in their team, themselves - for everyone.

Enabling each person on their team to understand HOW they could get to WHAT their organization needed – in ways that were meaningful AND measurable.

How?

Predicting People's Performance Patterns.

Over the last 10+ years, I’ve developed a simple, impactful theory that helps people understand their instinctive patterns to move beyond bias and bond people around the shared vision every diverse employee has... in their collective performance.

Not just showing people WHAT they should do… 

But predicting HOW every person will likely do what it is they’re meant to do. 

Interpreting the instinctual patterns each person uses to approach their work, including how they could pivot in times of rising pressure... to sustain high levels of active engagement in performance. 
Knowing how key micro-decisions are likely to be made in daily performance can unlock individuals’ blind spots and moving everyone beyond their biases in the performance of others.

Every person, including their leader, will be able to see the value they bring to daily performance, to feel HOW they belong in their team(s). 

No matter what they look like – and whether or not anyone agrees with their life choices!

Would You Like to Know How Others Have Described Me?

(I'm SO grateful to have met these amazing people - I've learned many things from THEM!)
(I'm SO grateful to have met these amazing people - I've learned many things from THEM!)

"Pam is not only a brilliant Human Capitalist and Entrepreneur Developer - she embodies the highest quality of the most successful and sustainable business leaders - she loves people.

Pam has demonstrated her ability to see high promise in the simplest of paths  and the simple elegant solutions in the most complex challenges.
  
As a business owner working in complex markets, I encourage companies seeking to build competitive advantage in a tough market or out of a disjointed team to seek Pam's aid and help."
- John Chaisson, Founder of the Thought Leadership Institute

"Pam is an excellent leader, visionary and consultant. Pam's worth in creating new models for HR is ground-breaking and actionable.  

She is extremely enthusiastic about the potential - and her clients should be too. Pam sees potential in everyone and in every opportunity - she is a delight to work with and will get results that are meaningful, positive and productive. 

She has a keen ability to keep her eye on both the business financial bottom line as well as the employees' well-being and engagement with the business. For these reasons, and more, I highly recommend Pam."
- Lisa Sansom, President of the UPenn MAPP Alumni Association

"Pam has a very human approach in that every individual is clearly equal in her eyes - no saying things just to please the boss with her.  

She does whatever is necessary to help every member of the team - from the newest admin support member up through the Director - understand and feel personally supported.  

She is flexible, humble, generous with her time and always finds ways to help and contribute positive value.  

Her work to merge positive psychology into business is much needed, and she is deeply thoughtful and insightful in this critical area."
- Craig Stanton,  US Federal Occupational Health Agency
- John Chaisson, Founder of the Thought Leadership Institute
- Lisa Sansom, President of the UPenn MAPP Alumni Association
- Craig Stanton,  US Federal Occupational Health Agency

WE CAN PROMOTE TRANSPARENCY IN POSITIVE WAYS – TO UNDERPIN FAIR AND EQUITABLE OPERATIONAL DECISIONS.

I show leaders – and their teams – how to reduce bias in feedback. How to show how individuals belong in performance, even as they work toward a sense of belonging in the organizational culture. 

And, EVEN if systemic injustices continue to exist outside the front door!

If you like what you’re reading and want to know more about my work or my tools, check out my latest offer, here.

Are you ready to build the kind of Organizational Justice that enables Leadership Beyond Bias AND allows you to sustain Inclusive Diversity for YOUR team(s) – even under rising pressure?

If I hear one more person explain their D&I measures using a headcount list or an engagement survey…. EVEN if they add in metrics to promote Allyship, like empathy - I swear I will organize another protest march!

(My sign will say “Employees' Rights are Human Rights”).
Because I know you care about your employees as human beings.

That’s why you’re here.

That’s why you’ve put up with countless attempts to reach your impossible leadership goals to facilitate ‘World Peace’ – AND stellar performance from your team…. Continuing to find as much empathy for your people - as you have hope that they will achieve successful results!
Besides, Isn’t this what YOU have always wanted YOUR workplace to be? 

A place where everyone has the ability to express what they need to be successful, uniquely for themselves - in a way that helps you help them – because it’s data-driven and maps to the performance needs? 

A place where you can be fair and transparent with everyone... about why you’re making your leadership decisions? To show how you’ve considered equity and inclusion?

By reading this, you’ve proven you believe that helping people to get along is not enough – if they can’t also get to work better, together.
Besides, Isn’t this what YOU have always wanted YOUR workplace to be? 

A place where everyone has the ability to express what they need to be successful, uniquely for themselves - in a way that helps you help them – because it’s data-driven and maps to the performance needs? 

A place where you can be fair and transparent with everyone... about why you’re making your leadership decisions? To show how you’ve considered equity and inclusion?

By reading this, you’ve proven you believe that helping people to get along is not enough – if they can’t also get to work better, together.

AND... 
YOU KNOW THAT THE TRADITIONAL D&I OUTCOMES THAT GOT US HERE, 
ARE NOT ENOUGH TO GET US ‘THERE’.

More Work Experience:

I work as a coach / consultant, using my cutting-edge AI models of "Inclusive Diversity" to link inclusive, company-wide engagement to impact performance for individuals and teams.  My methodology informs an ROI for HR/OD, levels the playing field for diverse individuals beyond implicit biases and embeds D&I outcomes into predictive business measures.  My vision transforms DEI into a strategic business plan.

A few of my clients:  Microsoft, PwC, Yum Restaurants Int'l, Royal Bank of Scotland, Morgan Stanley, Deloitte, Unilever, The US Federal Occupational Health Agency, Kaiser Permanente, among others.  I've also loved working with small-to-medium companies, entrepreneurs and individuals.  I advise equity funders, start-ups, incubators, and accelerators, providing strategic behavioral due diligence and portfolio audits. (helping BOTH sides of every deal)

I've served on the Wall Street Journal Task Force on Women in the Economy and as Faculty to the Thought Leadership Institute for Talent Acquisition.  I also co-organized Corpus Operis, a global cross-disciplinary community to study innovative workforces and served as Executive Director on the Board of the Soluna Institute for next-level diversity practices.  I'm proud to be a speaker, facilitator, author, blogger, advocate and intentional ally.

...A little More About Me:

  • I carry this picture of li'l fearless me...  when I need to calm my nerves before I go on stage or TV - I was having NONE of that, back then... SNAP!
  • My favorite thing to do is to get lost in a new city.  I wander around and magic happens.  I call it surfin'.
  • My nieces and my nephews are my world.  They are awesome, and I am always proud of everything they do.

Take Care of You!

Please... >> jump on my calendar, if you want to chat.  I would LOVE to meet you!