Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Leah Huggins. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Leah, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?

Fresh out of college I was afforded the opportunity to work as a paid intern at a Fortune 500 company. I was very excited about the experience; however, it quickly turned into a nightmare. My supervisor was mean and I was afraid to stand up for myself because I was making great money, traveling, and getting a lot of exposure. Once I graduated with my MBA, the position ended. I was happy and sad. I went back to school and she asked me to come back to the company, but I couldn’t. Working for her was an absolute nightmare. People left the company because of her.

Although it was a horrible experience, from that I learned the importance of boundaries and not being afraid to speak up for myself and my company. People will only go as far as you allow them.

Leah, 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?

I have always had a passion to help others. One way or another, I often find myself in a position where I am assisting. As I worked to really figure out who I was, I found that I encourage, empower, motivate, and inspire others. Since it came as second nature, I never paid much attention to how I always showed up for people. From this, my passion to work with the underprivileged, underserved, and unsheltered was revealed. I loved helping in this area but knew there was more.

I would hear people talking about their desire to help others and the ideas they had, but they did not know how to create a company or get funding to help them execute their mission. This led me to become a Non-Profit Consultant and Grant Writer.

Any advice for managing a team?

You must know your team. Knowing their motivators as well as their demotivators is important. You should also know something personal about them like their birthday or favorite color. Knowing this shows the employee you care about them outside of their work. Allowing them to be heard is also key. Asking for their opinion and implementing it or some form of it encourages buy-in from the employee. And celebrate…celebrate the wins no matter how small as it encourages employees.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I have my BS in Computer Engineering Technology. I just knew I was going to be a great Computer Programmer, but after school, I learned programming was not for me. Then I got my MBA in Project Management. I loved it, but I was unfulfilled. I started working with non-profit organizations and this brought me so much joy and fulfillment. I never thought I would end up here and had to walk away from several great opportunities, but it was all worth it. The pivot was so worth it.