Evoke Greatness Podcast

The Career Growth Playbook with Tiffany Rosik (Part 1)

• Episode 142

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🎧 Episode 142: From Corporate Success to CEO: Navigating Career Transitions with Tiffany Rosik

In this episode of Evoke Greatness, I welcome Tiffany Rosik, CEO of TGR Management Consulting, author, and technology transformation expert. From her early days in healthcare technology to founding her own consulting firm, Tiffany shares valuable insights about career growth, workplace dynamics, and professional development.

We dive deep into:

  • The journey from corporate life to entrepreneurship
  • The realities of starting and scaling a consulting business
  • The importance of having a personal "board of directors"
  • Navigating workplace dynamics and HR relationships
  • Creative approaches to compensation discussions
  • The story behind her book "That's Not the Help I Need"

🔑 Key takeaways:

  1. Starting your own business requires understanding the business of consulting beyond just technical expertise
  2. Building a support network or personal "board of directors" is crucial for entrepreneurial success
  3. Being open-minded and willing to embrace change creates career opportunities
  4. HR can be a valuable resource when approached with clear problems and specific examples
  5. Compensation discussions should be backed by measurable business impacts and metrics
  6. Creative compensation can include non-monetary benefits like flexible schedules and development opportunities

💡 Quotes to remember: 
"The idea of being your own boss is a very romantic idea... but it is a lot harder than some may think." - Tiffany Rosik

"I created opportunities for myself and established myself as a trailblazer in brand new projects... because I wasn't afraid to fail and I was willing to at least try." - Tiffany Rosik

"The question not asked is always no." - Tiffany Rosik

📚 Resources:

If you're contemplating a career transition, looking to advance in your current role, or seeking strategies for professional growth, this episode offers practical wisdom and actionable insights from someone who's successfully navigated these challenges.

[Part 1 of 2 - Join us next week for Part 2 where we'll discuss rebuilding after layoffs, leveraging outside skills in the workplace, board service preparation, and staying relevant in a rapidly changing world.]

A rising tide raises all ships, and I invite you along on this journey to Evoke Greatness!

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to Evoke Greatness. We are officially entering year three of this podcast and I am filled with so much gratitude for each and every one of you who've joined me on this incredible journey of growth and self-discovery. I'm Sunny, your host and fellow traveler on this path of personal evolution. This podcast is a sanctuary for the curious, the ambitious and the introspective. It's for those of you who, like me, are captivated by the champion mindset and driven by an insatiable hunger for growth and knowledge. Whether you're just beginning your journey or you're well along your path, you're going to find stories here that resonate with your experiences and aspirations. Over the last two years, we've shared countless stories of triumph and challenge, of resilience and transformation. We've laughed, we've reflected and we've grown together. And as we've evolved, so too has this podcast. Remember, no matter what chapter you're on in your own story, you belong here. This community we've built together is a place of support, inspiration and shared growth. Where intention goes, energy flows, and the energy you bring to this space elevates us all. So, whether you're listening while commuting, working out or enjoying your morning coffee, perhaps from one of those motivational mugs I'm so fond of, know that you're a part of something special. Thank you for being here. Thank you for your curiosity, your openness and your commitment to personal growth. As we embark on year three, I invite you to lean in, to listen deeply and to let these stories resonate with your soul. I believe that a rising tide raises all ships and I invite you along in this journey to evoke greatness.

Speaker 1:

Welcome back to another episode of Evoke Greatness. Today, I'm excited to have with us a true innovator and transformation expert, tiffany Rosick. Tiffany is not just an accomplished author, but also a dynamic business leader who has made her mark at the intersection of innovation and transformation. After a successful career in the tech industry, tiffany took a bold step to found her own company, tgr Management Consulting, where she currently serves as CEO. Her expertise lies in advising Fortune 1000 companies skillfully aligning their business and technology initiatives to drive growth and success. Tiffany's influence extends beyond her consulting work. She serves on multiple boards of directors, bringing her strategic brilliance to organizations committed to making a positive impact. She's also the sponsor of the podcast the Business of Nonprofits, where they explore social entrepreneurship and philanthropy through a business lens.

Speaker 1:

Today, we're going to be diving into insights from Tiffany's book. That's Not the Help I Need Real Talk for Women About Winning at Work. Get ready for an engaging conversation that promises to offer valuable strategies for professional growth and success. Tiffany, welcome to the show. Thank you, I'm happy to be here. Yeah, absolutely Well, I'm excited to have you on, excited to talk about your upcoming book. By the time this episode airs, your book will be out there ready to be purchased. So that's really exciting. But I would love to just kind of back up a little bit and, as we kick it off, can you share a little bit about your backstory? What does your journey look like?

Speaker 2:

Sure, I'm happy to share and I love actually talking about the growth. I think it is very common for women to follow the path that I did, but maybe not end up in a CEO spot. So I came out of business school, I BS'd in marketing at a small school in the middle of Illinois, decatur, illinois, and from there I took on jobs as a business analyst, a pricing analyst, a systems analyst. Ultimately I got my master's degree in information systems management from Loyola University, chicago, and then I was moving on into product management, program management. I started to make that climb upwards that way.

Speaker 2:

So I like to say that I grew up in healthcare. So I started 20 some years ago when EMRs e-prescribing tools were just coming out into physicians' offices. So I know not everybody listening to your podcast can probably relate to that, but at one point we went into the doctor's office, they wrote on a notepad and everything was printed out and handed to you. So I got to be a pioneer in many of those initiatives where we were digitizing and transforming healthcare. As I was coming along, ultimately I made a switch into the consulting world, made a switch into the consulting world and then from the consulting world I decided to start my own company driving same technology changes in medium-sized companies as well.

Speaker 1:

That's awesome. It's funny that you say that I grew up. I've grown up in healthcare as well and I remember back. I'm dating myself. I remember back to the days, my first days working in the hospital, when we had trifolds that we actually had to write on, and I will tell you, it is really hard to go from, especially I worked in the ICU, and so it was like you are intensely documenting and so you would think that we would be totally open-minded to moving to an EMR system and we all, like, fought tooth and nail. And it's funny to think back now. Like now I can't even imagine not doing it from the technology side of things, but I remember those days and that big shift to where a prescription used to be written out on a pad and handed to you, whereas nowadays it's like it's entered into the system and it magically appears.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely, and it's everything right. X magically appears Absolutely, and it's everything right. X-rays you would walk out with these giant films and they're holding them up to the light. And if you wanted a copy they had to specially print it somewhere else. And now it comes on your phone and you click the link and it opens.

Speaker 1:

My the times right. You've transitioned from a successful career in tech to founding this consulting company. What could you share from your journey that may be of benefit to someone considering a similar path? Great question.

Speaker 2:

So the idea of being your own boss is a very romantic idea. So I've actually talked to a number of project managers. It is a common presentation that I give to project management organizations because a lot of PMs think to themselves oh I'd love to hang my own shingle and just do project management, avoid all the messiness of the company and the politics and the ladder climbing and just focus on the work. And while it is a fantastic idea, it is a lot harder than some may think Understanding the business around consulting and I can tell you that, having worked in a large consulting company, they were wonderful at training me on the business of consulting services.

Speaker 2:

So how do you pitch? Who do you pitch? How do you price? What is the margin you need to make? How would you manage a team? How do you respond to objections? How would you manage a team? How do you respond to objections? How do you negotiate the contract? How do you set up the contract for terms and conditions that both benefits you and your client? So that's all the stuff that happens behind the scenes that folks need to understand, as well as how do you appropriately price yourself into the market so you can get those opportunities.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and you know it's interesting, we've gone through this shift over the last handful of years and what I have seen is a lot of women are contemplating this right. They kind of felt stuck or their career was stagnant, and we've seen a big shift. We kind of went through the great resignation, right. We went through this where everybody was like, okay, I'm kind of sick and tired of being sick and tired of this and I think I'm going to try to do this on my own. I did the same thing a couple of years ago. I had no idea what I was doing, if I'm being completely honest, and I really struggled, coming from a corporate perspective, coming from a corporate mentality prior to straight into my own company, and it required, you know, I hired a coach right off the bat, but it was not only just learning the business components of like starting up your own company, but also the mindset shift. I think there's a big shift that people don't think about. That really comes into play really comes into play.

Speaker 2:

Yes, it is very isolating and lonely at times, right, and you know, I'm not sure how your business works, but in our business we are typically working with a client to solve a specific problem. So that could be six months, it could be nine months, it could be 18 months, and you're in there, you're building that rapport, but then you're out, and so if you're a person who likes that relationship aspect, who likes to make friends in their workplace, it can be a little bit challenging when there's that separation now and you're not working with the same people you've been working with for six, nine, 18 months and it can feel very lonely, like you've got to start all over again and make new friends. Right, you're the new kid.

Speaker 1:

Yes, yes, that resonates with me because I was used to building and growing this big team. I ran a national hospice company and then all of a sudden, it was like wait a second, this isn't my, you know. End of the day, I can work with them same for a month or for six months or 12 months, and at the end of the day, it's still not my team, and so that was something that I had to like. Gosh, I really had to readjust my lens to view.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and kudos to you for hiring a coach right away. So I had some experience again through that larger consultant company where they did some great training and experience. But I also I think the secret to my success is I also had what I would call a board of directors indirectly. So there were three people in my close network. One of them was a gentleman and then I had two women, one senior executive, built, you know, started and sold a number of a number of companies, and then another woman who was more of an operations expert and I would call them when I would hit some roadblocks and I would use them and bounce ideas off them, whether it was a contract problem, it was a sales issue, it was a client relationship issue, it was operational. And they were so wonderful, they made themselves available to me and they were really the reason that I was able to scale and go from just Tiffany Rossick, a single shingle, to starting to build the team and build out the company.

Speaker 1:

I love that, and I think all of our different experience weaves into how we then start laying that out for ourselves, and that takes a lot of thoughtfulness and a lot of intentionality. Yes, and that takes a lot of thoughtfulness and a lot of intentionality. Yes, well, the title of your book I love it. It's super intriguing. That's not the help I need. What was it that spurred you to write this book and who really is this book? For Sure?

Speaker 2:

And so the book was really something that happened over a period of time. Often in our day-to-day lives there are things that happen and I would think to myself and I would often say out loud things like that wasn't helpful. Or I would complain to somebody and I would say I just can't make this up. We got to write a book, make this up, we got to write a book. So one night I was regaling some story that had happened and I said this is going in my book. And one of my friends looks at me and says when are you going to stop talking about this book that you're writing and actually write it? And I was like, okay, and by the end of the evening and a few more glasses of wine later, I said you know what? I'm writing that book. This is really going to happen.

Speaker 2:

And then I was consulting another friend of mine. I told her okay, I think last night, after a couple of bottles of wine, I might've said I was writing a book. And she said to me she's like are you serious? Are you really going to write this book? And I said you know what? I think I should. I think it would be a lot of fun to write the book and tell the stories that I really wish somebody would have told me when I was in the workplace that I had that. I wish I would have been comfortable and confident enough to find someone to say, okay, tell me how this really works, because I I feel unprepared here.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and so that was the story of the book. I love that. That's hysterical because it really is. When you think about that and it it's like that wasn't really what you know. That didn't move me along and it made me think that like I had to chuckle out loud as I thought about the different ways that that's not the help I need really, like resonates with each person and then you think about you know what are. Then it leads you into what are the things that we really wish we had in the moment. And I think that is and it's all experiential, right. It's all from our wisdom and experience and when there was a deficit, when something wasn't there when we needed it, that it's like kind of fast forward. You have a sense of responsibility around. Okay, now I need to put this out there for other people.

Speaker 2:

Yes, yeah, and I can tell you that in the book I try to use some very positive examples. As I think back on my career, I was extremely fortunate to have several managers that did take the extra steps to position me for success, whether I knew it or not, or I understood it at the time or not, and so every chapter starts with a story, a true story, in which somebody really sat down and ultimately gave me the help I need. It may not have been immediate, I may not have recognized it, but it really was the very specific thing that I needed. And I look back on that and there's probably seven or eight of those transitional moments where, without that person helping me along, I don't get here.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I think there's, I think again. That too resonates very deeply with people, because as we think back, I think back to the people that that recognized or poured into me in some way, shape or another, that almost metaphorically put another paver in front of me, and then another paver in front of me, and here I am, 25 years into my career, and I'm like okay, how can I put pavers out there for somebody else? You know?

Speaker 2:

Exactly, and that's what I'm hoping this book becomes. For many of the young women that are coming into the workforce today, whether you're in your career five years, eight years, 15 years I really do feel like there's something you can take away from this book that empowers you to take whatever that next action is for you.

Speaker 1:

And your book addresses real challenges when women face at work. I'm curious as you think about navigating workplace dynamics effectively. Do you have any insights you've gained along the way of writing this book and reflecting back that you can share?

Speaker 2:

So I talk a little bit about navigating difficult managers, and I had a challenging manager situation at one point along the road and I think one of the learnings that I had was trying to figure out when to use HR and when not to use HR. So HR, while they are absolutely the people champions in the organization, at the same time they have a responsibility to protect the organization. Being very clear on what the problem is that you're describing and the help that you need from them, I think is the secret to being able to navigate HR in challenging managerial situations. In mine, I believed it was micromanagement, because I was a female and while I can't prove that and that is a very difficult thing to prove knowing and interacting with that HR person and being able to provide specific examples and where there were challenges allowed that HR person to step in in an effective way and resolve the issue.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, it's interesting that distinction that you made about HR and the sides of the line. They have to almost like toggle back and forth between. That's a great discernment. In your experience advising Fortune 1000 companies, what strategies have you found most effective for individuals to contribute to that business technology alignment, regardless of what their position may be?

Speaker 2:

Being open-minded. So the hardest hurdle for most organizations to get past is the people hurdle. There's a lot of behavior change that's involved, and so for individuals that are the most successful in organizations that are trying to drive change in some way, it's the ones that come to the table with an open mind and an I'm willing to try it attitude.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I would definitely second that, having done a number of like technology overhauls or re-implementing something company-wide, it is one of the most painstaking processes you can do because there is so much resistance to it and I think, being able to get people's buy-in and giving the why behind why you're making that change. But I think, at the end of the day, it's that you know the book who moved my cheese? Right, it doesn't matter how big or how small that cheese is, it was my cheese and you moved it.

Speaker 2:

That is such a great book and it plays out almost every time in a technology project that we run.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, but there is. There always seems to be that resistance to just doing something different, and I think that's human nature, right. It's like having to learn something a little bit different, or even making that shift, like I mentioned early on, which was going from a more of a kind of a paper side of things paper charting to electronic charting. Well, nowadays I think there actually still are some companies who are paper charting out there and I think that it's probably way more difficult to navigate moving from paper to electronic today versus, you know, 10 years ago. Navigate all the changes and the hardship and then at least then you're up and running. So, but definitely still challenges out there, for sure.

Speaker 2:

And I would tie that to you know career opportunity. So so there are parts of the book and I can and I can kind of focus on my own career a little bit here too and say I created opportunities for myself and established myself as a trailblazer in brand new projects, efforts and technologies that had never had a roadmap, nobody had ever done it before, because I wasn't afraid to fail and I was willing to at least try, and that created a whole bunch of career opportunities for me. Where new projects, new technologies, some VP would walk into my office and say, hey, we've never done this before. I have no idea how it's going to go. It's probably going to be super difficult and you're going to spend a lot of time doing it. What do you think? And then I'll do it.

Speaker 1:

But that's such a great point, though, is being the one you know in a time or an era of resistance and kind of pushback, and being the one to be open to exploring what that looks like, and then not only the process of being someone who's open to it right and learning new things, but then you're garnering the wisdom of that whole process. You become kind of a super user, if you will, or that trailblazer for that technology or whatever, and so I think people should pay attention to that when looking from a career growth perspective being open to those new things and being the one willing to kind of take the flag, plant it in something new, but also the skillset that we get in offering the buy-in right, offering kind of the vision around it, and being able to have people who haven't seen it yet, haven't done it yet, actually lock arms with you to make it successful.

Speaker 2:

Yes, yeah, the relationship building. There's no better relationship than the one that's forged through those difficult times, that trial and error, because you've rolled up the sleeves, you've kind of been in the trench with them for a little while. Whether they're going to be your best friend or not, or the personalities maybe don't match, there's a respect that you garner from having that shared experience.

Speaker 1:

Right, absolutely yeah, and that in itself what that does to your resume is huge. But then it additionally can create career opportunities for you, for growth within your company, or it may just give you an additional set of skills that you know. If you continue to grow, maybe elsewhere, correct. Well, I think one of the things that people are really challenged with I think it's challenging and causes some major anxiety in folks is conversations around compensation. What approaches have you seen work well for that? Thinking outside of the box in regards to additional compensation opportunities outside of your annual review?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, this one has a few different spider webs around it. I think one way to strengthen that compensation conversation is having real goals and objectives, and it kind of ties into that performance review. Oftentimes we and I don't necessarily say that it's a female problem, but we sort of shrug off those performance reviews, thinking that it's a little bit fluffy and it's inconvenient. But having very specific metrics and putting numbers that the business cares about inside of that performance review and demonstrating how you're moving the business forward with numbers is really important. Whether you're asking for more money in your performance review cycle or being opportunistic when something else opens up between performance review cycles, you still need to have the numbers Right, and so that's one area. As far as being creative and crafty, I think it depends on the type of company that you're in and the environment that you're in.

Speaker 2:

Bigger companies tend to have more rules. They're a lot more rigid. It requires layers of approvals to be creative. It's not impossible, but it requires layers of approvals, approval to be creative. They also tend to lead the market in creative incentive structures. So bigger companies have that advantage for them. If you're in a medium or smaller company, I think you've probably got the most opportunity to be creative, to ask for things, for more time off, for more vacation time, for seminars or other educational support, without having to go through as many hurdles. So one example that I'm I knew of, I had a friend who really enjoyed volunteering. So as part of her additional compensation she was allowed one day a month so essentially eight hours of time off to go and volunteer, and whether that's making lasagnas or working in a food bank or whatever, that was to her that was time that the company essentially paid for for her to go and do that work. That was valuable and important to her.

Speaker 1:

And it's about being creative right, and it should be mutually beneficial. Because if you're showing up with a solid performance and being able to think outside of the box I know from an executive coaching perspective, when I have clients who approach me about executive coaching, you know I'll often say have you thought about talking to your company about maybe not even paying for all of it, but maybe for paying part of it? And sometimes companies pick up the entire bill for it. Because when you have that focus of high performance coaching, they're like, okay, wait a second. This is definitely going to be mutually beneficial. And so I think being able to be open and creative and just have the conversation At the end of the day there may be some no's, Maybe this isn't aligned, but then inside of every no, somewhere inside of so many no's, is going to be a yes. And I think being creative with the lens of how can it mutually benefit myself and my organization, definitely a way to go.

Speaker 2:

I want to point out something that you said about the yeses and the no's. The question not asked is always no. So one of the ways in which I was additionally compensated in the workplace was by being allowed to be a coach of my kids' sports teams. Now, nowhere in my wildest imagination career path plan did I ever intend to be an ice hockey coach. But the need presented itself and I was going to have to leave work early anyway to get them to whatever practices they were going to. But I found that if I talked to my employer and I said, hey, I actually want to coach this team which means we're going to practice these days at these times that I'm going to need to leave early for this that they were willing to do that. They thought that was a great leadership opportunity and a great way to represent the organization and in one case, one instance, they actually sponsored the team.

Speaker 1:

That's awesome, yeah, and I mean, and think about that. Right, If we get back to the place where we are focusing on. When I speak in different conferences, I often reference this commercial and I don't know if you'll remember it, but it was a milk commercial and it said happy cows make happy milk. And I think about that relative to employee satisfaction and fulfillment. And if we have people who are fulfilled and satisfied in their role because they're able to have some flexibility around, being able to coach and having the flexibility to get off a little bit early, Guess what? It's not that they're not working their full hours, it's not that they're not putting in all the effort they are and they're showing up happier. Guess what? Happier, more fulfilled employees equates to higher productivity, higher revenue. All of those things go hand in hand. And so I think when from an organization or employer shift in lens to see that I think they're way more open to it, this is where we hit the pause button.

Speaker 1:

I hope you enjoyed part one of my interview with Tiffany Rosick. Make sure to join us next week for part two, where we talk through rebuilding after layoffs and career setbacks, leveraging skills from outside work, preparing for board service and staying relevant in a rapidly changing world. Hope to see you back next week. Thank you so much for listening and for being here on this journey with me. I hope you'll stick around If you liked this episode.

Speaker 1:

It would mean the world for me if you would rate and review the podcast or share it with someone you know. Many need to hear this message. I love to hear from you all and want you to know that you can leave me a voicemail directly. If you go to my website, evokegreatnesscom, and go to the contact me tab, you'll just hit the big old orange button and record your message. I love the feedback and comments that I've been getting, so please keep them coming. I'll leave you with the wise words of author Robin Sharma Greatness comes by doing a few small and smart things each and every day. It comes from taking little steps consistently. It comes from making a few small chips against everything in your professional and personal life that is ordinary, so that a day eventually arrives when all that's left is the extraordinary.

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