Name: Archie Jones

Title: Human Resources Manager & Entrepreneur

Organisation: Kettering Health

Archie Jones is a Human Resource professional and Entrepreneur originally hailing from Baltimore, Maryland currently residing in Dayton, Ohio. He holds a BA In Business Management from Oakwood University and a MBA from Walden University in Project Management. He currently serves at the HR Manager with Kettering Health at the Main Campus & Kettering College locations. He also owns and operates a Vending Machine company, Aflare Vending, in the Greater Dayton area.

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Leadership!

I hope Archie's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. What have you found most challenging as a leader?

The biggest challenge I've found in leadership is managing different personalities and interests of the stakeholders you work with. That encompasses personal, professional, and/or cultural. These factors directly and indirectly shape the way we approach the work we do every day. Whether that be leading a team or advising a leader or company it's a skill necessary to successfully navigate the professional landscape.

2. How did you become a leader? Can you please briefly tell the story?

I graduated from Oakwood University in 2015 and began a fellowship with Kettering Health in the summer of the same year. I began working in the Medical Education Department reviewing physician contracts for 3-4 months. After some natural matriculation, my leader at the time ended up being promoted and as a result I was displaced to Human Resources.

This ended up being a blessing in disguise, as I quickly discovered this department was better suited for my personality and skill set. After a year in my fellowship, I moved into Human Resources permanently into a HR Generalist role, and then a HR Business Partner shortly after. I worked in the Business Partner role for about four years then moved into the HR Manager role on the same team which I was working.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

My days vary depending on what is needed, but the consistent pieces include waking up around 6:00 AM to begin my morning routine which includes reading a devotional thought, going to the gym or engaging in some other form of exercise, dropping my son off at school, and a light breakfast.

By 8:00 -8:30 AM, I am fully submersed in reading and responding through my most recent email correspondences and re-reviewing ones from the day before to ensure nothing was missed. During this activity I work to prioritize deliverables based on level of importance for the day.

At noon, the team breaks for lunch at our office table (unofficially mandatory). This is a sacred time for our group that allows us to decompress and debrief on items of importance both professionally and personally. This is an important part of our day as navigating the ever-growing challenges of managing a healthy work life balance.

After breaking from lunch, duties resume as outlined which includes meetings, project work and committees. In HR we often say that no two days are the same and we have to be ready to respond to any challenges that may arise at a given time which definitely proves to keep it exciting. I often work until 5:00 - 6:00 pm dedicating the last hour to personal endeavors including continued education, my Vending Business, and other interests.

After the conclusion of the workday the rest of my time is primarily dedicated to spending time with my son, other loved ones, and errands. I conclude my day at 10:00 pm with light reading or another relaxing activity prior to going to sleep to ensure I'm well rested for the next day.

4. What's a recent leadership lesson you've learned for the first time or been reminded of?

A recent leadership lesson that I've been reminded of is surrounding healthy confrontation. Instead of an obstacle this can be used as a realignment or rejuvenation tactic in moments where perspectives might differ. Often times the essence or of where conversations begin are not often where they end up.

Focal points tend get lost in translation amidst our emotions and we veer from problem solving to wanting to be right, heard or other. It's often important to take a breath and course correct to not make sure the original intent is not lost but to also provide psychological safety.

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

Two books come to mind with this question. The first being The Go-Giver by Bob Burg & John David Mann. This had a large impact on my leadership because it confirmed from another lens something that my dad always preached, ironically without using his words. This book encourages all to shift focus from getting to giving.

The biblical principle of "Give and you shall receive" coupled with 'paying it forward' immediately came to mind. This book highlighted that when you work to help others it will bring fulfillment to your own life in a way self-serving motives are unable to. Through his actions my dad always promoted the principle of giving without the expectation of receiving and you will be paid back in full, with interest. I truly believe this as it has been evidenced within my life and journey thus far.

The second being: Lean In Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg. Being in HR you learn to appreciate and respect a large spectrum of perspectives. This book was captivating because it explained the obstacles and hardships of navigating leadership through the eyes of someone biologically, I am unable to relate to.

In HR we often have to navigate through implicit and explicit bias while trying to reach positive solutions. Even with the awareness of their existence and my interaction with them every day I learned from Sheryl's own personal story that you can never account for all bias. It encouraged me even more so, to not be complacent in my standing within the ever-changing landscape of the world we live in.

6. If you could only give one piece of advice to a young leader, what would you say to them?

If I could give a piece of advice to a young leader, it would be to shift their focus from growing vertically to growing horizontally. My mentor gave me this advice in the context of growth will not always commence on the timeline you imagine it should. At some point in your career, you will experience the feeling of disengagement and impatience. In order to get the most out of where you are you must accurately evaluate yourself with self-reflection and trusted & honest voices in order to continue to evolve.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a leader, so far?

A meaningful story that comes to mind is actually from when I first stepped into the position, I'm in currently. As I mentioned before my former manager left for a promotion at another company and my team, including myself were very fond of her. She was knowledgeable, helpful, easy to talk to and was very good at her job.

She was a trusted voice among stakeholders in the hospital and admittedly I was nervous in attempting to fill that huge void. In the first meeting I had with my team, I let them know outright that I was not the same person and was not attempting to be. I explained in detail how I was not trying to reinvent the wheel and that I would be relying on them as much as they would be on me in that this was a partnership more than anything.

I believe comparison is the thief of joy and it is easy to get caught in that during the cycle of change whether its consciously or subconsciously. In setting the expectation and following it up with action supportive of that train of thought I believe it proved to make the transition smoother and helped us to reach equilibrium on a quicker pace.