FIA NYC’s Lindsay Watson talks Redefining Leadership
Read more here: https://www.lvb.com/fia-nyc-co-founder-lindsay-watson-redefining-leadership/
FIA NYC’s Lindsay Watson Chosen For LVB’s Forty Under 40
Lindsay Watson, of FIA NYC Employment Services, has been recognized by a program that celebrates the most outstanding young professionals in the greater Lehigh Valley area.
Watson, 39, FIA NYC’s Co-Founder, has been named one of 2020s Forty Under 40 by Lehigh Valley Business (LVB). The Forty Under 40 event celebrates the most accomplished young business people who have been making headlines in their field and who share a commitment to business growth, professional excellence, and to the community.
FIA NYC Employment Services is a full-service staffing agency headquartered in the Lehigh Valley, PA. With over 20 years of staffing experience, FIA NYC specializes in Digital, Marketing, Creative, Media and IT staffing, from entry level to C-suite. Their Professional Services division also provides staffing within: Finance & Accounting, Administrative, Sales and Customer Service.
FIA NYC was founded in 2012, and is a privately held, minority owned business (MBE).
Conforming Vs. Contributing: The Work Culture Debate.
“A good company culture shouldn’t require you to lose yourself. It should encourage you to find yourself”.
My first job out of college was the perfect transition from class to career- a call center. I was responsible for providing customer service. At the time, I didn’t have to worry about how I presented myself and how I interacted with others, as long as I stuck to my scripts and got my calls done.
In my quest to add to my career arsenal, I later landed a role at a global investment bank. It was here that I got to wear fancy clothes and be a part of multi-million dollar projects. But the culture there was extremely different: people had more pressure to deliver. The undercurrent of deadlines muted the air of conversation. Small talk was non-existent.
Soon after, I landed my dream job in recruiting – but at the same bank. As many times as I tried, I struggled to fit into the work environment which was built on stress and little fraternization. The day was filled with conversations that weren’t genuine and the focus was more on results than integrity. The company culture was not a good fit.
As each day went by, my joy began to fade bit by bit. The “Wow, it’s so exciting to work here!”, became “I have to get out of here!” The workload was extreme, the environment consistently was stressful, and I felt unappreciated and anonymous.
Fast-forward several years and into a recession, my final Wall Street gig ended up at a staffing firm. I had just gotten free from the world of investment banking and was all too professional. My manager had to constantly remind me to relax and unwind a bit. But it was there that I found the perfect balance between being professional and being myself! I learned to use my own strengths to help clients solve their problems. I also loved the interaction with my co-workers, as we would work behind the scenes as a team to solve problems and deliver quality results. It was at this time that I learned that not all company cultures were the same.
Instead of trying to conform to my previous work cultures, I had to learn how to use my personality to perform, aka “contribute” to a work culture. For example, I used my listening skills to let my clients “air-out.” They felt comfortable enough to take off their “HR” hats and got honest with where their hiring challenges were. As a result, I was able to deliver meaningful solutions, and in return, become the top performer at my company.
It took me years to realize that I never will fit in, so long as I was trying to. But it doesn’t have to you take you that long!
A good company culture shouldn’t require you to lose yourself. It should encourage you to find yourself.
If you’re feeling lost, then you may want to ask yourself:
– Do I look forward to going to work?
– Am I a completely different person when I’m out of the office?
– How often do I find myself agreeing to things, just for the sake of fitting in – at the office?
– How about you? How do you maintain a balance in your own culture?
FIA Featured On Lehigh Valley Business
Video technologies are reframing the workplace by offering ways for people to interact face to face without having to assemble in the same room.
The technologies – from Skype to Zoom to Google Hangouts to Apple’s FaceTime – are connecting employees, contractors, consultants, vendors, clients and customers whether for one-on-one sessions or in groups.
Lindsay Watson, co-founder of FIA Employment Services in Allentown, said video calls and meetings make business connections more personalized.
“What’s fantastic about the online meeting platform is if we can’t be face to face for any reason, we can still connect,” Watson said.
She said FIA employs remote workers and video meetings help with training.
“We can see each other’s facial expressions, and we can do this regardless of where we’re located,” Watson said.
She said screen sharing was a big plus, too.
As it is for Paul Marrella, a wealth manager at Marrella Financial Group LLC in Wyomissing, who uses screen sharing in his work with clients.
“Helping with taxes is a great example,” Marrella said. Using the screen share function, he can point out a particular line or issue with a client.
Marrella said he has used Zoom and Skype video conferencing to offer consulting services. And thanks to video technologies, he has maintained relationships with clients even when they move out of the area.
“The visual component is going to replace the voice transaction of a phone call,” Marrella said.
Over-reliant?
Scott Flaherty said his firm uses Android phones and WhatsApp video-calling to support technicians in the field.
Flaherty is director of operations for Altek Business Systems, a business equipment company in Telford, Bucks County.
“If our technicians are out in the field and experience something out in the field they’ve not seen before, has been very useful,” Flaherty said.
He said taking photos of a problem can be helpful. But video adds an extra element. Having a supervisor or veteran technician on hand via video to “troubleshoot noises or a hum was something we couldn’t do before,” Flaherty said.
“Multiple technicians are able to help you with one technician on site,” Flaherty said.
He said the only downside was dependence on the technology for remote support. “I think we become reliant on it,” Flaherty said.
Because of the ease of use and quick response time, new, less-experienced field technicians at a customer’s office might not “hit the manual” before bringing a problem to a supervisor.
“What happens is our technicians may not be learning to troubleshoot – they become more reliant on our supervisors rather than discovering the [answers] for themselves,” Flaherty said.
He said in years past technicians carried product service manuals and had to research field problems on the fly. “Sometimes with face-timing we skip the step of doing the service manual,” he said.
He noted supervisors with extensive field experience did save repair time. “Ultimately keeping customers happy is everyone’s goal. If we can fix the problem right away, face time is the path of least resistance,” Flaherty said.
Issues of privacy, connection
Suparna Damany owns and operates Damany Center for Chronic Pain and Holistic Well-Being in Allentown. She often treats patients via video link, typically FaceTime or Skype.
“We can do a consult, provide remote ergonomic advice and even do a stretch session for [several] people at the same time,” Damany said.
Video technologies are reframing the workplace by offering ways for people to interact face to face without having to assemble in the same room.
She said the only downside is when the Wi-Fi on either side of the connection isn’t working. “But I think that’s minor compared to the benefits,” Damany said.
Jacob Sitman, a shareholder at law firm Fitzpatrick, Lentz and Bubba PC in Upper Saucon Township, noted confidentiality questions and issues can arise from using video calling technologies. Sitman specializes in employment law.
“You want to avoid transmitting proprietary data or trade secrets” that might be in the background of the call, Sitman said.
He noted Pennsylvania is a “two-party consent state” so anyone on the call, or in the background of the call, technically must agree to be there.
Still, he added, video has value.
“It’s a great tool when it works well,” Sitman said.
