The finalists for WashingtonExec’s Chief Officer Awards were announced March 17, and we’ll be highlighting some of them until the event takes place live, in-person May 10.
Next is Chief Marketing Officer finalist in the Private Company category Joy Jarrett, CMO of Guidehouse. Here, she shares recent key achievements, overcoming career struggles and more.
What key achievements did you have in 2022/2023?
We spent most of 2022 working on a completely new website strategy allowing us to fully represent our integrated commercial and public sector consultancy model to the marketing in a manner that showcased our ‘guide’ value and cultivate new opportunities through a compelling, emotive new design and branding canvas.
Since our launch in February of 2023, we already have over $22 million in new potential business opportunities and have received positive acceptance from the market and our internal colleagues.
What has made you successful in your current role?
My father often said that you can make a difference anywhere you are, and I think about that advice daily as I lead my team, evaluate our work, promote our brand and help to lead the growth of Guidehouse with others here.
I have always looked at challenges as opportunities to grow and push myself beyond my comfort zone, embrace new perspectives/ideas/creativity, look at my audiences from all directions to seek out both empathetic and intellectual synergies, and deliver a solution that delights and differentiates. Isn’t life too short to deliver meaningless value at the end of the day anyway! Make it count!
What was your biggest career struggle and how did you overcome it?
A difficult career struggle I faced early on was learning how to navigate sexual harassment in the workplace which at the time was an emerging topic. I remember feeling disoriented and in disbelief in the moments, even denying it was happening in hopes it would end. Yet, it was a period in time where there were few resources and even less understanding or open discussion of the various types of harassment women faced when working.
In the end, I found myself turning to various mentors I had in my life for advice, support, comfort, direction and so much more. When I look back at that period in my life now, I know it taught me a lot about how I wanted to be as a person and parent my children, how I support a coworker, advocate for others, stand up when witnessing something similar, and so much more.