Jennifer Wallace, Leadership, Success & Balance

In todays episode we talk with Jen Wallace about what it takes to be successful in business, and how she approaches leadership and life. #businessdevelopment #podcast #womeninbusiness #womenleaders #logisolve #i4marketplace #businessdevelopment #businessdevelopmentskills  #businessdevelopmentstratedgy #salesdevelopment #

Logisolve i4 Marketplace, a Logisolve Company Melinda Hyde #sap #leader #changemanagement #projects #linkedin #linked-in #podcast #logisolve #i4marketplace #it #consulting #friday

Transcript

kelly99
Jennifer Wallace welcome to the Kelly Winland Podcast how are you this fine Friday I'm excited to have you on the show. It's always great to talk to you and and so today I thought jen what we talk about is.

00:05.27
Jennifer Wallace
Um, I'm doing great. Thanks Kelly thanks for having me.

00:18.15
kelly99
Is your background. Um, you have been a tremendously successful ah professional business development person and and leader in technology and and so would like to hear about how you got into technology and business development.

00:28.89
Jennifer Wallace
Um, so.

00:37.85
kelly99
And in in how you got to this point this point today take us on that journey. How how did you? How how did you get to this you know into technology.

00:48.89
Jennifer Wallace
Well you know, depending on how far you want to go back. But I think really the foundation of my life has kind of led me here right? Um, growing up in a small town with um, a father who was a prominent business leader in the community and he had the. You know the background of growing up on a farm and going through the military I think that gave me a foundation with a great respect for the community that you live in and the the business community that you're in as well as um, you know. Working hard and making sure that you're treating your customer as king always so that's always been the foundation that I've always had in my life and kind of led me to deciding to you know study business in college. Um, and so I also was heavy into athletics and. Um I was a tennis player um through high school played in college. That's what brought me to Minnesota and decided to study business and play tennis at the same time for the university of st thomas which was a great experience all around and I think for me, what. I guess led me to to deciding to get into business development is that um I you know I looked at the area of business which I knew I wanted to be in and and where did I feel like my strengths were which for me were really in working with people and helping identifying where people need help and being successful.

02:20.56
Jennifer Wallace
And finding ways to make sure that I can help them to do that and relying on building communities to um to bring in the right people to help to help our customers solve the problems that they have.

02:33.49
kelly99
Your background in athletics is really interesting to me and I'm going to get to that in a second but I want to ask you about your about your upbringing. Um, your dad was he an engineer have I heard that did I hear that right at some point.

02:45.20
Jennifer Wallace
Well, yeah, he well when he was in the in the army he was an engineer heed build roads in Vietnam so he's a Vietnam veteran. Um, so he did have ah a bit of an engineering background and then got really more into the business side of the world and he was a. Ah, president of the local community bank that we have in my hometown.

03:05.52
kelly99
Ah, okay, you know I knew there was an engineer I thought I had talking to you in the past I thought I remember something about engineering I Wonder do you think him having the engineering background and in that kind of you know analytical perspective on many things. Did that bleed over to you and maybe get you into technology. Do you think.

03:27.73
Jennifer Wallace
Yeah I think I think it all has a ah component to it I think having that background certainly helps you to have a ah healthy respect for what it takes to be successful in that space. Um, you know I think also at the time when I was. Looking to step into my career from college I was recognizing that the it industry was um, booming and a great opportunity to step into. So Although I didn't necessarily have a strong I T background in anything I was doing at the time I certainly recognized. It from a business perspective being a great opportunity to to work hard to get involved with.

04:09.51
kelly99
In in. You're a a high level athlete you were a college tennis player you're good at a lot of different sports. Um, you're a hall of fame inductee at St Thomas or something aren't you.

04:22.35
Jennifer Wallace
I Don't think so no, no, no, you know.

04:24.77
kelly99
That right I don't mean to embarrass I don't mean to embarrass you is that we have a lot of athletes around what yes you are no, we have a lot of athletes. It's It's a common thread almost when when I talk to people who have been really successful. Um, there's. There's a you know a disproportionate number of them have something like athletics in their background coming from the background of being a musician and being a terrible athlete. It's ah it's It's always a little daunting for me to ask that question because I don't necessarily want it to be true, but um, it seems like like your athletics. Plays a part. Why Why do you think you're being an athlete makes you good at business.

05:12.84
Jennifer Wallace
Um, well in my in my mind I think it's you know setting goals right? and kind of dreaming big and saying you know I I love this sport or I Love whatever it is that I'm doing and looking at those who do it? well.

05:28.73
Jennifer Wallace
And figuring out how you can how you can do that right? And so for me I grew up watching tennis players like Andre Agassiz Stefy Graf um many others who I really admired and I wanted to find a way to be able to play at a higher level. And so you kind of just analyze what it's what is it going to take to be able to do that kind of forging that path and then working really hard to practice and to to learn from the best and execute on that take advantage of opportunities as they come up to be aggressive in different ways and learn how to compete. Learn how to win learn how to um, lose and and there's just so many life lessons that go along with athletics that I think translate over into business. Um, where you know I think that whole aspect of learning how to lose sometimes. Um, helps you really to learn to be better and so I think as ah, someone who competes quite a bit in in athletics. You learn what it takes to win through losing and through and through practicing and through um, kind of going through some of those those difficult times as you're improving.

06:34.13
kelly99
Yes.

06:42.96
Jennifer Wallace
And so I think learning to win and learning to to learn are the things that keep you keep you motivated to keep going and to keep refining your your skills to be better and better because you have to continue to improve all the time you're never going to be at the top of your game and. Um, and then you stop It is continual learning continual practicing and refining and learning from the best because things change as well, right? There's different.. There's always new and different techniques that you can learn to to be better and compete with the people who are coming up and and learning those those new and modern techniques. Um, as they're learning as well. So There's always just different challenges that you can overcome and I think doing that always makes you stronger and makes you better.

07:29.24
kelly99
Yeah, the you know you said you made that comment about people coming up and in 1 thing about athletics and business I think is there's always someone that's working harder. There's always someone that's more naturally talented and so. To be competitive. You just always have to be putting in the effort and and approaching each day. It seems in a with an eye towards home am I going to get better at home am I going to make progress. How am I going to compete with with you know the the people that are out there that are undoubtedly working really really hard and are really good at what.

08:04.56
Jennifer Wallace
Yeah, that's really well said and I think there's there's a lot of things that you can do that. Don't take a lot of talent right to improve and and so making sure that you're looking at those things and doing those things as much as you can I think.

08:05.17
kelly99
What we do.

08:22.60
Jennifer Wallace
Really helps you as well if you're not naturally gifted in those ways and I think um, having that that combination of natural gifts as well as Work. You know the ability willingness to to do what it takes to work hard. That's what makes true champions. But um I think those who don't necessarily have that natural ability. Have to work harder and I think that sometimes also helps them to succeed more as well.

08:46.51
kelly99
Yeah, Amen Um, you know we're ah we're a male dominated Industry. We're an engineering and technology and so I'm always curious about the perspective of ah of a female that's in our industry. Do You think it's hard. Is it harder as a female being in our industry. Um, and do you feel like you have to work harder to to achieve the same results or do you feel like um progress has been made you know since you started or maybe. You know, maybe it's maybe you haven't noticed it at All. What's your take on that.

09:24.52
Jennifer Wallace
Yeah, you know I've been really fortunate in my career I think part of that is making choices of of where you go right? And who you're who you're working with um I have been really fortunate to feel like. I'm judged by merit and I'm judged By. You know my accomplishments and what I'm able to bring to the table and part of that is that I've chosen to work for an amazing company like La Solve white where the people who I work with um are fantastic people all around and that is why I love working there. Um, so I think part of it is choosing the communities that you that you want to be involved with right and and in this case this this business Community. You choose the people that you think are going to be great to work with and um and those who perhaps are. Ah, less than professional. Um, you know I think the way that they act reflects more on them than than it does on me so or anyone else. So I Guess the the bottom line is I feel like I've been very fortunate to not have to really feel like that's been a big impact in my career.

10:32.55
kelly99
Oh good. That's good and thank you for saying that and I certainly feel the same way about about you and all the people around us at Laja Sal we were lucky to have a great group of people so probably something I shouldn't take for granted I don't I don't take it for granted and and so.

10:44.25
Jennifer Wallace
Damage.

10:51.52
kelly99
That's great to hear you're you're a mom. You're a wife. You're a super successful leader in business. Um, how do you balance? You know how? how do you get 36 hours into the 24 hour day because it seems like you're doing. You're always doing something with your kids or with the community.

11:11.48
kelly99
The city of St Paul you're really involved with you know? Yeah, those different kind of ah what not kowanis club but kind of things like that. So how how do you balance all that stuff.

11:21.68
Jennifer Wallace
You know I think for me, it's you know, kind of goes back to what I was saying before right? you you kind of look at what you want out of life and what what you want to achieve and how you want your life to be. And for me um, I've always dreamed of having ah a great successful career and um, a wonderful loving relationship and family. Um, and I've also grown up with the with the idea that giving back to your community is. Vitally important for all of the different aspects of your life and so for me, um I needed to look at all those things that were very important to me and find a way to make them happen right? find a way to make it all make it all Work. Um. I Truly believe that you know the selection of your life partner is pretty critical to making all of that work right? finding a true partner that is going to work with you to make that whole balance work. Um, that's a big deal and I think also instilling all of those same values into your children. Is really important as well and I'm a big believer in leading by example and so I want my children to see that I that my husband and I believe in giving back to our community and volunteering and participating in youth development and youth coach. You know, athletic coaching all of those things that.

12:52.91
Jennifer Wallace
Um, help them to see what makes a true vital community work and so fitting all of that in along with being you know, having a successful career is challenging for sure. But um, time management and having a great village around you. Building that village around you with your your children's friends and family and athletic teammates and arranging a lot of carpools and things like that finding ways to make it work is um is great and you also want to find a way to make all of those things fit together and still be. Happy and energetic and um, able to um have a lot of fun as Well. I think is really important to making it all worth it right? making all of that hard work that you put in worth it by enjoying all of the different aspects of it making great friends doing volunteer work and um. It it all comes together and it's you know it becomes a great life. It definitely moves quickly. But again I think having that community around you um that you enjoy really makes it very very meaningful.

14:03.60
kelly99
Yeah I'm a little older than you I'm I'm a lot older than you and so I've been through I've been through the kids in the sports and and those really are the you know some of the most rewarding. Times of of my life when you know spending time in the car driving to practices coaching and the people you meet in those events are are some friends that you know I've kept you know for 2030 years now since my kids have been young and um and so I I share that experience with you and.

14:37.67
Jennifer Wallace
Um, yeah.

14:37.97
kelly99
And it's pretty fantastic. Of course, there's a lot of good. You know life has a lot ah lot of great new moments and a lot of challenges that come along with all those great new moments too in my experience so just to to because I'm.

14:49.55
Jennifer Wallace
Absolutely.

14:56.32
kelly99
Trying to a little bit make this um focused on um, what it's like to be a woman in technology I Want to ask? Yeah,, we'll we'll ignore our boys you and I both have boys and we both have a girl. Um, what would you give what kind of advice would you give to young women. Who are in college um or younger and and they think they maybe want to get into to technology is there ah is there a particular router or do you just say go to college you know, figure out what you want to do and go for it.

15:26.11
Jennifer Wallace
Yeah I think part of it is trying to figure out what you're naturally good at right? What what is it? where do you have skills that you can improve that you enjoy so figuring out what you're good at what you like to do. Um, recognizing that oftentimes the more difficult path can be the more rewarding path. Um I think it can be intimidating to get into to stem and into business. Um for many different reasons. It can be a tougher path. But I think it's well worth the hard work that you put in to it. So Um I think finding that finding that niche for yourself finding different ways to stand out with the skills and the the expertise that you bring to the table and really honing in on.

16:19.86
Jennifer Wallace
Developing those skills in the areas of your of where your strengths are is really important I think Also um, identifying opportunities that are put in front of you and taking them and really take those opportunities and put your all into it. No matter what they are and I think also all the way along the line. It's so important to network with your peers to network with other people who have similar interests and who have similar goals in mind work with them. Talk with them get to know them relate with them the more. Relationships that you can develop along the way with people who have similar interests as you and similar goals as you I think is really critical to um, building that community that will ultimately be your peers your customers. And the people who who need to rely on you moving forward and so playing to your strengths and um, making sure that you're you're creating those great relationships along the way and not being afraid of the more difficult path.

17:31.40
kelly99
Jennifer Wallace that is some great life advice and some great professional advice. Thank you so much for being on the Kelly Winland Podcast

17:40.36
Jennifer Wallace
It's my pleasure. Thanks for having me Kelly.