We were lucky to catch up with Jitzel Vallecillo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jitzel , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

After attending University and receiving my Bachelor’s degree in Public Management I came to figure out there was more to life than just living to work. I realized if I wanted more, to continue growing, and learning I had to keep working to live. Starting as just another job, I was working in banking which as I continued to apply myself it grew into what it is today as my career. Part-time I devote myself to volunteering for nonprofits and organizations that mean a lot to my values. I learned to juggle my career, life and volunteering together because I knew the impact it could have on me as a person. I have learned through my career, life, and volunteering that networking is one of the most important things to apply yourself to all around. The opportunities that I have been given and have worked on have been presented to me through meeting people of all backgrounds and careers which I have been forever grateful for. Knowing now that networking with people would open many doors for opportunities, what I could have done to speed up my learning process would have been to put myself out there more and take more leaps of faith as I do now. The most essential skill to get to this point for me would have to be public speaking. Public speaking is not easy nor always fun but it truly gives you the confidence to believe in yourself and showcase who you are. The main obstacle that stood in the way of me learning more was myself. I would develop fears of public speaking, going up to strangers, and developing those conversations. I was worried that I would say the wrong thing or not be confident in what I was talking about. Over time, attending events for my job and outside volunteer opportunities, I have gotten out of my shell to be myself and bring my best self to the table every time.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Jitzel Vallecillo and I have a career in HR in the banking industry, I am an Event Manager for Vegan Block Party, and I am a part time Tarot Reader. Throughout my life I have became a jack of all trades and have applied myself to my goals and things that I personally love to be a part of to develop something great. I got into banking right before college starting off as a teller working my up to working in HR. While working I started to get involved in volunteering for various organizations and in 2021 I decided to volunteer for Vegan Block Party in hopes to make fellow vegan friends! Along with being vegan I am also into my spirituality and over the years have used tarot cards for personal use, realizing I would love to do this as a business too. Over the course of multiple events and years of volunteering with Vegan Block Party I met wonderful people and developed a business relationship with the founder Ariel Levin who has promoted me recently to Event Manager. For all events prior to becoming the Event Manager I would apply my leaderships skills and give my best customer service skills to all attendees, volunteers, and staff. Taking ownership of my own role and leading a team is what I always have had passion and to do this for organizations you believe in and love is the best feeling. I am most proud of truly getting out of my comfort zone and not being scared of putting myself out there to volunteer for events I’ve never been to and meeting new people as it has opened the door for many opportunities and friendships along the way. My hope is to continue to be myself, do what I love, inspire others, and mentor anyone that is looking to come out of their shell!

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

My advice that I have for managing a team and maintaining high morale is to have a greater understanding of everyone you are leading. Having a better understanding falls under transparency and communication. When you are managing a team you may lose sight personally and be highly focused on the business which is wonderful but communicating with your team on a 1:1 basis, group meetings, and before any changes within the business are of the upmost important. Developing a good relationship, getting to know your team as who they are leads to open lines of communication for them to come to you when they may have good news or something that is not so good. Involving your team is important to include others ideas, questions, and concerns to listen and gather feedback for any new process and procedure that the business may be developing.

All of these pieces are crucial to maintaining a high morale which leads to transparency and less turnover for your company as a whole. Always remember to understand your team, listen to your team, and include your team.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I have read a few books, read some essays, and even watching quite a few videos but for me the most significant resource that has impacted my management and entrepreneurial thinking has been the people. The people that I have met stemming from my first job to where I am now with their stories and advice have made the most impact for me. Without the leaders and managers I have had in all of my jobs, teachers I have had teach, and friends I have made through volunteering have all taught me so much without even realizing that I have now applied most of their advice into my life. Everyone has a story and they all matter, it is up to you to take it with you and learn from it, apply it, and run with it! Whether they were sad stories or accomplishing stories, they all had a meaning and something to learn from. I took with me bits and pieces to help me be a better manager to all of my teams I’ve had along the way.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreenguidance/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jitzelvallecillo/