When I first set out to interview women, Jodi’s name came to mind first. Not only is she one of my colleagues, but she is an all-around badass. It was an honor to sit down with her to listen as she shared her story through her career to this point. Jodi currently works as the Director of Operations at a cafe chain and oversees 4+ cafes and coffee shops in NYC.
While this is a project that taps into the professional lives and journey of women in all stages of their career, it’s also about who people are and what brings them to life. The word “individualization” kept coming to mind as Jodi spoke. (For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the CliftonStrengths, do yourself a favor and learn more here.) Individualization is described this way:
People exceptionally talented in the Individualization theme are intrigued with the unique qualities of each person. They have a gift for figuring out how different people can work together productively.
Taken from All About the Individualization StrengthsFinder Theme | EN – Gallup
Jodi is exceptionally gifted in listening for and learning about what motivates others. In fact, the very thing she loves about her job is finding “creative ways to engage with people.” She loves the connection she makes with her general managers and seeing the “spark” around problem-solving. It’s this connection that allows her to resource her team in a way that will bring everyone success.
When asked what her greatest strength is, she had to think for a minute. “There’s a different answer at different points.” Jodi’s response is spot on to how I encounter her. She is great at translating the need from her boss to her team in a way that hits at their motivations. Without identifying what motivates her team, she cannot solve problems in efficient and effective ways. One example of this is in our weekly GM meetings. Jodi has captured her team in a way that we all enjoy being together, because we want to learn from each other. She keeps the conversation open and the pathway towards the goal open to suggestions. We open dialogue about what’s hard about the targets, and she works one-on-one with each GM to achieve those goals.
With extensive background in the hospitality industry, I was interested to learn how she got started. Jodi started her career in finance – not because she particularly loved it, but because she was good at it, and it was the easy choice. As Jodi spoke about her experience working in finance in the 1990’s in NYC, she laughed about a business lunch here and there that led to rather unproductive afternoons. Eventually, she moved to Boston when her company opened offices there. By the time those offices closed, she loved the city and didn’t want to leave. So, she quit. “The Food Network Channel was really starting to grow in popularity,” Jodi spoke as she thought back on this time of her life. “PBS cooking shows were already on, and I loved watching.” While on a walk with her sister, Jodi finally said it out loud – she wanted to enroll in culinary school. And that she did.
After some time working in kitchens all the way up to executive chef, Jodi migrated out of the kitchen and into full restaurant operations. While still in Boston, she and her boyfriend at the time opened a restaurant together. This farm-to table, French and Italian cuisine-inspired restaurant gave Jodi a chance to make her own rules and find fresh produce and meat from local farms. After one year, she and Keith closed the doors to the restaurant. “I blew my creative chef load there, and that was it.” The end of a chapter led to a new one. Jodi and Keith got married after their restaurant closed and moved back to NYC where Jodi continued on in her operations level positions with hospitality groups (where, now, I have the privilege of working with her).
When asked what career setback later proved to be an advantage, Jodi’s first answer was closing the restaurant. As she spoke about her time with that restaurant, she ended saying that she’s in an entirely different place now because of it – not better or worse, just different. Jodi told me that she “doesn’t identify setbacks often because I view them as progression instead.” It’s been a few weeks since our interview, and this was not a major topic of conversation, but this response still hits right at something in me. I hope to continue growing in this mentality – that our setbacks are pivotal for our progression.
She continued to talk about some of the biggest challenges instead of setbacks. She had a difficult boss whose communication to her made her feel insecure, even when she knows her value. This experience forced her to confront her biggest weakness head on – internalizing emotional encounters to the point of mental/emotional/physical distress. While working with said boss, she learned ways to work through the feelings to get to a point of rationalizing them and pushing through. Her confidence is not built on the opinions of these others. But it’s something she continues to work through and learn through.
Jodi’s career is impressive and exciting and has taken many a twist and turn. But there’s so much more to who she is than a job title. At one point in her career, she had the honor and privilege of meeting Jane Goodall, the “more extravagant inspiration” in her life. Jodi’s inspired by the path Jane’s passions led her, even though it’s not something she herself would do. Along the same lines, one of the most transformational books she’s read is called “The Puma Years.” It’s a memoir of a woman who took a backpacking trip in Bolivia who volunteers at a wildlife refuge park and cares for a puma. While Jodi’s experience has not taken her to the wilderness working with wild animals, she loves to learn from a variety of perspectives. “It’s important to be well-rounded culturally in order to be good at a job.”
I would be doing a great dishonor to Jodi if I didn’t share her first and most important inspiration, her husband Keith. “I like who I am with him.” She talked about how it was this inspiration that brought them together to begin with. Having spent time with both of them, I’ve seen firsthand how confident and comfortable and safe she is with him. While it felt like the easy answer, it’s because it was the honest one.
So, who is Jodi becoming? “Someone who can get to the point of financial security to spend life exploring the world and traveling – working or not.” An explorer and adventurer. Curious and open. It’s this curiosity and natural desire to learn more about people and places and cultures that sets Jodi apart. All along the way, she shows a dedication to this type of learning posture and spirit.
Jodi inspires me to be better at my job, but more importantly, to be more than my job.