We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Carla Higham a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Carla, appreciate you joining us today. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?
I started working in the field of Public Relations during the era of The Devil Wears Prada and Ugly Betty so there was a lot of cattiness from bosses because that’s how bosses were portrayed then. Experiencing this first hand gave me the opportunity to learn what not to do – I learned that I can call out any behavior but still have it come from a place of kindness and empathy.
I used to be afraid to call anything out because I have been silenced for speaking for what’s right previously so it took a lot of work to understand that I am worthy to speak up and what I am saying matters. It took me years (and a lot of therapy!) to understand that calling someone out doesn’t make me a horrible person. Learning that fine balance is one of the most important things I’ve learned in my career so far.
Carla, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Carla Higham and I am an EOS Integrator. As an Integrator, I am responsible to making sure that everyone is rowing towards the same direction. I help those in key leadership rules stay focused on the vision by encouraging them to look beyond the microscope of their roles and see the bigger picture.
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Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
Empathy – taking the time to understand where the person is coming from and going beyond the surface to see what’s going on. It’s also important to not take things personally – to have empathy you have to understand that some things just have nothing to do with you. Make sure that everyone is heard and always try to be fair, every side needs to be heard without attaching our judgement or personal biases to it.
Have you ever had to pivot?
My career has been a series of pivots – I’ve been a public relations practitioner for over 15 years but I have also been a reading therapist for learning disabled kids, a sports journalist, and even a college lecturer. My role today now has given me the opportunity to set processes, review business goals, and make sure that everything in the company is flowing and going the same direction.
I believe that the pivots in my career has prepared me for this role that I have today and I wouldn’t have had those lessons if I was hesitant to pivot away from the path. I’ve always had the goal but I’ve also had an understanding that it may take different paths to get there. Not holding on to things too tightly and simply saying YES to life is important and this confidence comes from the understanding that whatever is meant for me will find me when it’s time.
Contact Info:
- Website: carlabiancaravanes.com
- Instagram: carlaravaneshigham
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carla-higham-0b421967/
- Other: start.campuswell.com