In Benivo's first The View From The Top show of 2024, Brian Friedman had the pleasure of speaking with three leaders in the talent mobility industry - Kyle D'Souza (CISO), Ray Kirby (Qualcomm), and Sushma Manoor (Wipro) - about the importance of community involvement and giving back. These three individuals were nominated by their peers as "Top 100 Community Champions" for the meaningful work they do to support others, both inside and outside of their companies.
In their conversation, they discussed what community involvement means to each of them. Kyle spoke passionately about collaboration within the industry and bringing her diverse perspectives as a military spouse, working mom, and member of a dual-career couple. Ray highlighted the various communities he's a part of, including the LGBTQ community, and his role as a leader in mobility networking groups. And Sushma shared how she enjoys mentoring and coaching teammates as well as volunteering as a life coach.
A common thread was that while giving back takes time and effort, it provides immense personal and professional fulfillment. As Ray put it, "This is a very special and unique industry that is super collaborative very much, you know, built on the foundation of trusting relationships." By pouring into our communities, we become better leaders, collaborators, and people.
They also talked about easy ways for newer folks to get involved, like joining industry groups and councils, attending conferences, speaking on panels, mentoring peers, and more. The key is putting yourself out there, finding where your passions intersect with needs in the community, and contributing however you can.
And finally, they discussed how we can encourage the transferees and families we support to give back in their new local communities while on assignment. Suggestions included providing volunteer time off, connecting them with local groups, and helping trailing spouses in particular find fulfilling ways to integrate.
The bottom line? Giving back creates value for ourselves and for others. It builds community, develops our skills, and opens doors of opportunity. To all the "Community Champions" out there — thank you for making our industry a welcoming and compassionate place. Let's continue finding ways to lift each other up.
You can view the recording of the complete discussion here.
Don't forget to register for next week's show on Revolutionizing Relocation: Where Hi-Tech meets Hi-Touch".
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