At the very beginning of the Executive Leadership Series, I got the amazing opportunity to have a virtual lunch and learn with netlogx founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Audrey Taylor. One of the things I learned very quickly about Audrey is that she is extremely personable and cares about everybody in the organization. Audrey wants to see netlogx team members succeed in whatever we decide to pursue. I asked her tough questions, and she gave me excellent answers. For example, I asked her “What is the best business decision you didn’t make? What is a business decision you wish you didn’t make? Why?”. In response to the first question, she gave us an honest answer and it was really invigorating to hear. Her answer reminded me of an old saying in business which is that some of the best decisions are sometimes the ones you did not make and I think this personifies Audrey’s response. Sometimes there are moments in life where things aren’t meant to be, I think Audrey’s answer was a great reminder not to get discouraged when something doesn’t go the way you planned because it may not be the way things are supposed to go.
I also got to sit down and learn from Stephanie Sponsel and hear about her path to netlogx. She explained how she started in the event planning industry and eventually landed at netlogx as an executive assistant. From there, she has made her way as Chief Operations Officer (COO). She showed me that you can still make the world a better place, even in a full-time role in finance, which was great for me to hear as an aspiring finance professional. One big takeaway I had from my lunch and learn with Stephanie is that you can do whatever you put your mind to. Her unique path is a great example of that and hearing about her overcoming all of the different challenges and obstacles she faced along her way was impressive to me.
To cap this series off, I got to learn from Vicki Chabot’s very unique path to netlogx and more about her as a person. As netlogx’ Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), Vicki shared her experiences as a teacher and some of her other professional experiences before she arrived at netlogx. Vicki’s journey to netlogx was one that required her to travel the world before settling in Spain. Vicki highlighted that we should always keep an open mind about our career path because you just never know where life will take you. We also discussed our favorite movies and our favorite books. Overall, it was a really refreshing experience and just a small example of the dedication netlogx has to building strong relationships with people and it all starts from the top.
I honestly could probably write a three (3) page essay about my experiences from the lunch and learn sessions. I learned about each team member’s path to netlogx and listened to them explain what they wished they would’ve done or known as young professionals. These lunch and learn sessions showed netlogx’ commitment to seeing interns develop professionally and they helped to establish and build relationships in a completely virtual environment.
This blog was written by 2021 Summer Intern Zach Schankerman.
