The finalists for WashingtonExec’s Pinnacle Awards were announced Oct. 11, and we’ll be highlighting some of them until the event takes place live, in-person Nov. 30.
Next is HR Executive of the Year (Public Company) finalist Rebecca Kenawell, who’s senior vice president of human resources at Maximus. Here, she talks success in her current role, career advice, learning from failures and more.
What has made you successful in your current role?
One of my strengths is listening to others and finding a path to collaboration and compromise where others may encounter a roadblock. I make a strong effort to remain as neutral and level-headed as possible and not to let personalities create unnecessary conflict. I take pride in the relationships that I have fostered over time.
I leverage individuals’ priorities, motivations and concerns to steer conversations in a direction that results in constructive discussions and mutually beneficial solutions. As a result, my peers and colleagues have come to trust me in helping them navigate business challenges.
What was a turning point or inflection point in your career?
I was given an incredible opportunity to serve as our interim CHRO for about seven months during a leadership transition. It was humbling to see the confidence and trust organization leaders and my peers instilled in me during that time. It was a moment of empowerment and an incredible learning journey as I was quickly given a voice in more conversations and exposed to new concepts.
It was during this time the COVID-19 pandemic began, and I was able to leverage my relationships to rally others around what we needed to do to support our staff and organization. It was the beginning of a monumental effort to shift our organizational culture to one that puts people first.
I am fortunate to work under Michelle Link, a visionary CHRO, who shares my values and is committed to making our organization a great place to work.
What’s one key thing you learned from a failure you had?
Every failure is an opportunity to learn. Earlier in my career, I would harp on my mistakes. In doing so, I was also chipping away at my confidence. Over time, I’ve found the silver lining to failure is the opportunity to learn, grow and teach others what you’ve learned along the way. It’s so important to self-reflect on failures rather than deflect or place blame.
At the end of the day, if I was involved in something and it failed, then I failed. It’s an opportunity to ask what I could have done differently to achieve a more successful outcome. Were there signs that things were going wrong that I missed or failed to act? What can I take from this experience to help me be a better leader next time?
What’s your best career advice for those who want to follow in your footsteps?
Try different things and be willing to put yourself out there for new projects and concepts. I’ve been fortunate to work for an organization that believes in internal mobility and creates opportunities for employees who want to grow. My career in HR has crossed many different functional areas that have each taught me various skills that have served as building blocks to get me to where I am today.
There have been projects along the way that I quickly raised my hand for, and others that I tried (unsuccessfully) to shy away from. Through this multitude of challenges, I’ve been exposed to aspects of human resources ⏤ and the business ⏤ that many others don’t have an opportunity to see. I’m convinced these broad experiences have been a significant propellant to where I am today.