I find that there are days when I wake up and ask myself – does it even make sense to think about the “before days”? Perhaps before the pandemic, you or your organization were thinking about how to leverage talent and ensure that you are investing in the right people for your company. How do individual contributors become leaders? How can we leverage colleagues with deep experience as they request to transition?

As a woman in the workplace, I frequently reflect on how to make decisions that support my ambitions while best serving the company where I work. Easy, no way! I was always looking a few steps ahead- what do I want to do next, how do I get there, and who can support me on the journey? Today, with four decades in the professional workplace, transitions are always on my mind. That is without even considering how our lives have been turned upside down and how professional ambitions are rapidly evolving as individuals and their firms seek the best talent fit.

The pandemic challenges the best of us professionally and personally but women, especially women with childcare and parental care responsibilities, seek to find ways to make it work for them, for their families, and for the firms where they work. The reality of what it means to be a woman in the workplace collides with the reality that organizations of every type and size are experiencing the great migration of talent. Some people need more flexibility about where and when they work, how they work and who they consider their colleagues. Office culture drives employment decisions in a way that challenges all firms. How will your firm ensure that it hires and retains talent? How do you make sure that your actions do not erode the hiring strides to diversify your workforce? How will you manage the transitions, organizational and personal? How will you be the leader that inspires the change demanded by marketplace changes.

As someone whose career revolves around digital technology, change is what I expect. I have learned that our ability to anticipate and advance ourselves and our organizations through change is critical. Moving thoughtfully through a transition will help to ensure sustainable evolution for you and your organization. At Jill Klein Advisors, we are prepared to bridge the “before time” to the reality of the workplace that will emerge as our society adapts to business post- pandemic. We will support you and your organization through this important transition.