Leading With a Growth Mindset and Building Access to Meaningful Work

Intro: Welcome to Honestly We’re Learning, a podcast from ClearEdge, the marketing agency that also helps marketers grow their careers.

Join Leslie Vickrey and Lesly Cardec as we explore the turning points that shape a person’s professional story, the highs, the stumbles, and everything in between. We’ll bring you candid conversations with leaders and rising talent, plus our own take on what’s changing in marketing and recruiting today. Because behind every success story is a few lessons learned the hard way. And honestly, we’re all still learning.

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Leslie Vickrey: Hey, Leslie.

Lesly Cardec: Hi.

Leslie Vickrey: Hi. Ready to record our next podcast, Excited for this week’s guest.

Lesly Cardec: I know, it’s so good and we’ve only just started and I feel like I’m in a masterclass for leadership.

Leslie Vickrey: I know. It’s one of the biggest, I think, perks of doing the podcast is really getting to know different leaders and what has shaped them into who they are today. Speaking of leaders, Lesly, I want to talk to you a little bit about…I’m really excited to see hiring. So we look at trends, right? If our business is seeing an uptick, if we’re seeing companies hire marketers or invest in marketing, it’s usually a sign of recovery or people starting to invest for growth again. And you’ve seen quite an uptick in openings and marketing positions. So I thought maybe we could share what you’re seeing as one of the trend spotter topics today.

Lesly Cardec: It’s been an exciting start to the year. And it actually started at the end of, you know, towards the end of last year, starting to see an uptick, which is so great because, you know, marketing’s had a a rough couple of years. I think everyone would agree with that. And man, the caliber of talent out there is just incredible. And I feel so honored to meet so many great people and learn from them as well. But yeah, we are seeing, we are seeing an uptick.

There’s quite a few roles now. It’s interesting. Marketing’s taken, you know, different shifts over time, where generalists, not to say that generalists are bad, it’s just, you know, that was kind of like the thing. We want someone that knows enough about everything. And now, at least for in this moment, what I’m seeing now is really, really a good demand for people with specialized skills. So, you know, think about ABM, Demand Gen campaign managers, or performance marketing specialists, just really specific niche roles that I’m seeing definitely a hiring increase in interest for. So that’s been really exciting.

Fractionals continue to remain of interest, obviously, with this market. And it’s been a win-win for not just clients, but also candidates to get a quick glimpse into the inner workings of a company, variety of projects. I mean, I’m speaking to candidates that, you know, two years ago, we’re like, “No, I am just looking for full-time,” and that’s completely changed. And now they’re like, “I really want a career as a fractional because I don’t want all my eggs in one basket. I want to kind of have variety in the projects that I’m working on and get that experience and build that resume.” I think we can all agree entry-level talent, it’s been tough, especially with technology and AI and all of that. So it’s been challenging, but I am starting to see a couple of roles pick up for folks that are a couple years out of school, heavy in a digital demand skill set.

The thing that I would just say, it’s probably something that people know about, but more and more I’m hearing about, you have to embrace AI. And it’s one of those things that we hear all the time, but it’s much more of like, hey, if you’re not using AI in what you do day-in-day as a marketer, you’re not in the consideration set anymore. So it’s something that you have to embrace. Wherever you are on that scale, whether you’re a beginner or you’re an expert, you have to start embracing that and think about how you can be more efficient, how you can scale, how you can do more with this technology. So again, I’m sure folks are starting to see that in job descriptions, AI infused in that, and it’s not necessarily like…a nice to have it is something that I’ve expected. So that’s been interesting to see.

Leslie Vickrey: Yeah, I would agree 100%. And lastly, I have a really serious question for you right now. First, thank you for sharing all of those insights. But I’m wondering, are you missing the Christmas spirit? Because somehow we brought it in what we’re wearing today. A little red and green.

Lesly Cardec: I know, this was not planned!

Leslie Vickrey: No, we need some happiness and joy. And I’m feeling it based on this. Well, thanks for sharing your insights and let’s dive into this week’s guest.

Today, we’re really excited to welcome Jon Grosso to the Honestly, We’re Learning conversation. Jon is the Senior Vice President and Head of Sales and Marketing at Adecco US. What stands out about Jon’s career is his breadth of experience he brings to the table. He held global and national leadership roles across field sales, enterprise sales, and operational service delivery, giving him a truly well-rounded perspective on what it takes to drive growth while staying deeply customer-centric. At Adecco, Jon also serves on the US Sales Council, working closely with sister organizations like Akkodis, LHH, and Pontoon to deliver a 360-degree portfolio of talent solutions. At the center of that work is a really clear purpose, making the future work for everyone. And while Jon leads at a high level professionally, he’s equally grounded personally. He’s a proud husband and dad, actively involved in local outreach organizations in New York, bringing that same sense of purpose and connection into how he shows up as a leader. Jon, we are thrilled to have you with us today. Welcome to the show.

Jon Grosso: Thanks so much. It’s great to be here.

Lesly Cardec: We’re so excited to have you on. Before we dive in, can you give us a quick snapshot? You obviously have a very impressive career and experience. So give us a quick snapshot of your goal today and more importantly, where you spend most of your time and energy.

Jon Grosso: Thanks so much for having me here. It’s a great opportunity. Yeah, I’m responsible today as the head of sales for all new customer acquisition, the retention of our enterprise portfolio and the strategic roadmap around growth with that same national and global portfolio. Where I spend most of my time is, first, with our customers listening. Now that’s critical, of course, right? You can do a lot of planning in a bubble with your team.

But if it doesn’t align to the customer’s roadmap, strategic objectives, what they’re trying to achieve in an organization, then, of course, you’re not aligned with them and you’re likely not going to be successful. So I spend as much time in the field as possible. In fact, after this, I’m going to be getting on the road to do just that. So I’m excited for that, it reinvigorates me, brings me energy and really inspires me to do great work. So that’s area number one. And second is then with the teams. It’s with the team sitting down, unpacking that insight from our customers and developing plans with Adecco and again through our 360 capabilities at the Adecco Group to bring value to those customers. It’s a privilege.

Lesly Cardec: Thank you, that’s perfect. And goes along alongside a lot of the things we’ve heard about how important it is to be customer-obsessed and customer-led in your strategy. So I appreciate you sharing that. I guess on the same note, what do you wish you could tell people about your role that you usually don’t?

Jon Grosso: Well, I really wish I could tell him that I was a professional baseball player. That was my childhood dream. That would be fantastic. If I could be the second baseman in the New York Yankees and tell all my friends and family, would be a dream come true. Unfortunately, that’s not what I do. I love what I do though. And again, all kidding aside, I wish I could tell them I’m responsible for making sure everyone has meaningful work and that that work allows them to provide for their families. We’re making progress in that area. We’re still working on it, but I would love to tell people in those simple words. I’m here to make sure that there’s meaningful work for everybody and again for their families to prosper. So work in progress.

Leslie Vickrey: I love the framing, Jon, and the professional baseball side of things. When I think of sports and sports analogies and what it takes to be professional, semi-professional, it could be college, high school, growing up baseball. I coached softball, played softball, was really into sports. And I think about all of the things that go into being a player, being a coach, and how that relates to what we do today. So regardless of the level of play, it’s still very similar. So you kind of get to play it out a little bit in your leadership as well. And it really, I think because it gets that identity and not just a role, it actually leads nicely into where we want to go next. So professional baseball aside, when you look back, what’s a moment, big or small, that really shaped the way you lead today. And I want to just do a quick personal plug in the sense of getting to know you and watching you as a leader and watching you with your team and watching how you work with partners as well. And always looking for sharing feedback and receiving feedback. You’re always in like a learning stance and growth mindset. And I’ve really appreciated that and getting to know you. So, again, when you think back at that moment, or small, how did you come that way? You always bring something to conversations as a leader, and I’d love to hear how that was shaped.

Jon Grosso: I wish I could say I was born that way. These are, these are things I’ve been working on and there is a moment. And I hope everyone has one of these types of moments where you’re doing your job. You are a junior professional. You’re coming up the ranks. You’re putting your blood, sweat and tears into it. And someone notices that I’m not sitting in the corporate office. I’m not in the number one branch in my company at a time. I’m in a successful office. I am successful, but someone noticed. And there was an opportunity at the corporate office to present the quarterly business review for one of our top 10 customers. And my boss’s boss came to me and offered me the material to deliver that QBR to the president of the company. I couldn’t believe it. I’m a young professional in my mid twenties. And as you can imagine, I was super nervous, but the coaching I got was a little bit along the lines of what you just mentioned. It was about having a growth mindset where we’re asking you to do this for a reason. And it’s not necessarily just about presenting internally. It’s about learning. It’s about learning how to present to the C-suite, the types of questions they asked. You know, how do you work through that room? You know, how do you take that back for yourself, for your team? And if I wasn’t noticed in that moment, if I wasn’t given that opportunity, I’m pretty sure I’m not talking to you today. So it was, it was just a meeting, but it was a big moment for me. And a lot of really great learnings have come from that, that I’ve been able to, you know, pull the thread throughout my 25 year career.

Leslie Vickrey: It’s fascinating to me where sometimes we don’t realize those, what may feel like a little moment to a leader giving someone that opportunity is actually a life-changing, game-changing opportunity for that person. Growing up in my career, I worked, I started at McDonald’s Corporation and had an opportunity to help Ed Rensi at the time, the CEO of McDonald’s, an event. And I was, you know, 23, 24 years old, but that one moment in time really shaped my opportunities and exposure at that kind of global CEO level. So I can relate 100%. And one of the things for you is you will, a thousand percent I know, pay that forward. And we call it, you know, it’s one thing to be a mentor, it’s another thing to be a sponsor. Someone sponsored you to really give you that opportunity and it stretches us sometimes pretty uncomfortably.

But we know we need to be uncomfortable in those moments. So that’s a great example, kind of looking at where you got to today, but maybe share in hindsight, kind of looking at a recent challenge that has really tested you and what it taught you about yourself.

Jon Grosso: It’s interesting when you look back on your career and you think about challenges and think about recent challenges. And what I’m about to outline is really a challenge with a positive connotation to it. It’s that type of challenge. It’s not a setback and working through it. And it’s a challenge of what you mentioned earlier, my recent transition from the Akkodis brand within the Addeco group into a Addeco. And it has been a challenge in the most positive way that you can look at a challenge, and it’s like I said, stemming from opportunity. And while we work in the same group, as you can imagine, each business unit has their own identity, their own culture. Everything is air-quote different. And I heard a lot of that like, this is going to be different, Jon, this is different. And the word different started to have a negative connotation. I joined and learned that different was a really positive thing. And going back to having a growth mindset, having a lifelong learning mentality and really taking that point of view on the job. I’ve been asked to take this post for certain reasons so the business and our customers will benefit, but I’m also benefiting. The challenge was to not necessarily take the playbook, take my forehand and tennis metaphor and bring that to the new game, but to learn and be an agile leader and take different approaches. Yes, be true to who I am, my authentic self, of course, you have to do that and you learn how to do that with every new opportunity, but also adapting to the culture that I’m in. And I’ve expanded my mindset and my capability as a result of it. And, you know, I’m only maybe 14 months into this journey and I can see a lot of opportunity ahead. But when I look back most recently, you know, that, that opportunity equaled challenge and that challenge, you know, strengthened me and I like the thing strengthened our organization. So it’s really exciting. And I would encourage anyone who has an opportunity to take horizontal rotational roles to expand themselves. It’s not always about vertical promotions. There’s a lot to be learned from going to different posts, different business units, different service lines and rounding out, experience leadership competencies, cetera. So it’s, it’s great.

Lesly Cardec: I love that you keep saying the word learn because we’ve had a couple of conversations now where a lot of folks assume that folks with your title and your experience that you jump into these roles and we all know everything. You jump in there and there’s nothing else to learn and as much as you’re able to give back to the companies in your different roles and how you’ve expanded, one thing I keep hearing from you is that you’ve actually learned yourself and stretched and grown. So I think that’s a really important piece to bring up. And also just saying yes. A lot of the times when we’re given opportunities, the inside voice is, oh my gosh, no, no, no. But just jumping into that and saying yes and figuring it out, I think goes a long way. So thank you for sharing that.

Jon Grosso: I have been nervous. I have had anxiety around those moments. And I was encouraged to say yes and to lean into trust. And generally, good things come of those experiences. And I’m absolutely a product of that. And again, I would encourage anyone to trust. You’re being tapped for a reason. There is a level of credibility. There’s a level of trust. And there is a plan to grow you. So it’s an opportunity you don’t want to miss. And I’ve said no once and regretted that. And I’ve since said yes every, every time so it’s been a good journey and hopefully you know future opportunities as well so yeah, thanks for asking.

Lesly Cardec: Let’s break out our crystal ball. When you think about the future of our industry that has honestly gone through so many ups and downs over the last few years, what genuinely excites you about it?

Jon Grosso: For me as the industry continues to evolve and evolve rapidly. We are an industry that’s being impacted in positive and in challenging ways by technology, automation, AI, all sorts of new transformation going on. So if I just zoom out and try to simplify it, again, it comes back to creating an unprecedented level of visibility and access to meaningful work. And meaningful work has a different definition for most people. Regardless if you are a high level professional in an IT organization or an engineering lab, you’re an accountant, you’re in a functional role, you’re potentially in a manufacturing light-industrial setting, the word meaningful is very personal. And meaningful work has not always been highly visible and access has not always been there. It’s been for privileged, for people who know, and that’s one of the transformation in our industry that I’m super excited about is that with the advent of technology and the proper utilization of technology, our industry has an ability to completely remove the veil over meaningful work. And not to say that meaningful work wasn’t available, but I don’t think that there’s been clear connection points consistently up and down the skill continuum across industries, across geographies, across gender, race, and all of the other elements that go into our global workforce. So, humans to real work through omnichannel is here right now. And there’s a really interesting journey in front of us that I’m excited to be a part of and for our company to be a part of. And leading by the way. Super exciting.

Lesly Cardec: It definitely, I think going into staffing, everyone always says, I don’t know if it’s the same for you. You know, I fell into it, right? No one purposely, well, maybe there are some, if you know of anyone, let me know. But most of the time we hear about everyone just falling into staffing. But what we do is so meaningful and just life-changing for so many people. And it’s something that you have to continuously reiterate and keep in mind because sometimes you feel so far away from the end result. But at the end of the day, that’s, that’s what we do.

On the flip side, Jon, what sort of keeps you up at night? Anything?

Jon Grosso: Of course, my dog, my kids who I asked them too much about what they’re doing, know, those types of things, but all kidding aside, it’s, the competition and it’s the customer. It’s making sure that we are delighting our customer and that we are on their hip. And if not one step ahead, that’s our job. That’s my job is to make sure that customers have a roadmap. And yeah, there’s days that you’re up at night, making sure that that’s the case, you know, competitors are fierce, we’re a fierce competitor to ours and they are to us. And there’s a lot of very strong organizations out there. So, you know, I go to sleep and waking up thinking about how to bring and extend value to my customers through, you know, legacy means, current means, and means in the future. And not just again, through a Addeco, but through every aspect of value that a Adecco Group can offer. That’s the main reason I joined a Addeco Group five years ago was to create a certain level of agility for customers, create an advantage for them through the agility that we offer and simplification at global scale. Those are the types of things that keep me up. also, when I say keep me up, I’m not always in a negative way, like excited. I can’t go so excited to wake up the next day and get back at it again. So it’s probably a little bit of both.

Leslie Vickrey: It’s a really great point. I, first of all, love your competitive spirit. And again, that could be drawn to the sports analogy too. And to our industry, quite frankly, you’ve got to be competitive to survive and thrive. And the industry that we’re doing and creating opportunities for people is so key. And one of the things I love about what you said is we are sitting in a unique position, I think right now more than ever, thanks to technology and AI and so forth, to give people who maybe didn’t have that network or that connection more equal playing ground to have that because we can reach more candidates faster. We cannot overlook candidates and leverage it to do that. So we’re in a unique position to not only provide that to the talent, but to your point to our customers and clients as well.

And having that customer obsessed mindset and that competitive spirit. I’m up late working too. Leslie knows this about me. It’s not because I have to, it’s because I love it. I thrive on it and I need it. It keeps me happy and moving. Now, yes, I could use more sleep probably, but at the end of the day, I love what I do so much that that makes me happy. And I look back on my career and I think I definitely did not get here alone, no one really gets there alone. And you already mentioned someone who really sponsored you and helped you. And I’m sure after saying no to the opportunity that you mentioned, there were plenty of mentors and advisors and in our own selves, in our own head, kind of guiding us along the way. But I’m curious to learn from you, Jon, whose voice or presence has shaped you the most as a leader?

Jon Grosso: I’m really fortunate that my, my family is the answer to that. And I’d say more specifically my father. So I’m a second generation American, both my parents are first generation, meaning that all four of my grandparents are immigrants. That’s part of how and what has shaped my view of world work is knowing that four people, you know, came to Ellis Island in New York, walked off without knowing any English and were able to create a life for themselves. And it wasn’t always easy. So I’ve learned a lot of life fundamentals from my father, you know, the things that a lot of people learn from their family members and mentors, know, hard work, how to really deal with success and defeat. And to be equally good in those days of defeat than you are when things are going well. It’s easy, or should be, easy to be good when the going’s good. It’s a little bit different when the going’s tough, you know.

Making deposits in people before you make withdrawals. I have a tendency sometimes to, as you mentioned, being competitive, you just go for it. Yeah, you go right for it. And that’s not always the right approach. He was a master in knowing when to move forward, move a step side and make sure that people feel good along the way. And that wasn’t modern management back when, you know, I was growing up. That’s modern management today. Maybe we’re from a similar, you know, demographic that it was really about push leadership.

And I have to sometimes, you know, be mindful of pull versus push leadership. He was the first person that taught me about pull leadership? It’s really fantastic. You’ve taught me all sorts of other things too, including how to collect a accounts receivable from customers on my first paper route. I wasn’t sure how do that. And people get advice from them. So a lot of out of life lessons, both again, through success and through defeat.

Leslie Vickrey: Well, cash is king as they say, so good lesson to learn upfront, but what a blessing to have that leadership lesson at such a young age and throughout your life from your dad. And I agree that hard work ethic, that grit that comes with it, it shapes who we are as leaders 100%.

Lesly Cardec: I mentioned a little bit about breaking out our crystal ball, but there’s so much noise in our industry right now. It’s just lot going on, technology-wise, lots of shifts. If you personally could shift one conversation that’s happening, change how people think or talk about the work we do, what would it be?

Jon Grosso: There is a trend in our industry where overall spend has been on a multi-year decline coming out of the pandemic. Certain segments were on a growth trend. As an example, IT had a wild growth phase and then had really plateaued and then went the other direction. And the industry in general has been very sluggish. So there is a narrative out there that it’s really difficult to grow and that modest growth, even flat, is the new growth. I’ve heard that quote, executive meetings outside of my organization talking to peers and being in councils and whatnot. I don’t view it that way at all. Getting back to the competitive mindset and the growth mindset, Lesly, I look at it is that this is an enormous space. There is so many competitors and really structured differently from the global modelists, like a Addeco Group down to your single proprietors with two or three colleagues there. It’s still about service. This industry, from my point of view, when I talk to individuals asking for guidance in this industry is that you can grow significantly by adding value to your customers. Ask yourself, am I adding value? Did I add value today? This week? Last month? Last year? I gotta be really reflective. It’s easy to say, sure, I did that. You got to really ask yourself, how did I differentiate myself?

And through differentiation and excellent service delivery, growth is possible, wild growth is possible. And we experienced that last year. We intend to do it again, based on being obsessed, having a customer centricity mindset and really executing that, not just talking about it in meetings, putting your money where your mouth is with investment, putting resources behind that and rallying behind customers.

And that doesn’t mean that it’s, you’re always going to be greening the scorecard, but when you shade into yellow, you put the right process in place, you bring the right resources, you stand by those commitments that you made and you actually deliver and customers remember that because not everyone handles their business that way. There’s a lot of empty promises in our industry and most service industries, including ours. So I’m a firm believer you do what you say, and when you do that and you even go a step further, and you deliver more than what was asked. That’s recognized and rewarded long-term. I debunk the narrative that our industry is not growing. You got to take matters in your own hands, know, extend that value, know, extend the grit, deliver excellent service and your customers will speak your praises and you’ll get new customers.

Leslie Vickrey: Mm-hmm. I love that mindset. You’re not settling and going for what people are saying flat is the new growth.

Lesly Cardec: How many times have you heard that?

Jon Grosso: It’s a little scary. So yeah, at a level that may be at the most highest level, the data accurate, but when you get down into the opportunities, there’s there’s a lot there. Customers need excellent service providers, thought leaders, investors and innovators. So yeah, there’s a lot of opportunity for all of us.

Leslie Vickrey: Well, thank you for sharing, Jon. It’s been a thoughtful conversation. And before we wrap, Jon, where is it best for listeners to connect with you if they wanna follow along or ask you any additional questions?

Jon Grosso: Absolutely invite you to my, my LinkedIn page. You can find me on LinkedIn, connect with me, message me, I’m happy to to discuss any these topics. I think this is a great platform. Thanks again for inviting me and I’m looking forward to watching some of the other guests that you have on So I’ll be I’ll be staying in tune

Leslie Vickrey: Thank you. Thanks again for spending time with us. Really appreciate it.

Lesly Cardec: Thank you, Jon.

Jon Grosso: Have a great day.

Lesly Cardec: Amazing. He’s so good. You can tell when he speaks, he’s just a really great leader and someone who really deposits. We talk about deposits. That’s one of the things that we want to talk about is just feeding into your leaders and giving them opportunities. And it’s one of the things that I loved what he said. What was it, Leslie? It was deposit before you take or pull…

Leslie Vickrey: Deposits invest before you pull out so that push-pull leadership that he learned from his dad actually.

Lesly Cardec: It’s so great and such a good reminder in any market really is just make sure you lead with value first, not the ask. I really have felt that stood out and I’ve heard it before, but it’s been some time. So was a nice reminder to hear it.

Leslie Vickrey: Yeah, I think so too. I think so too.

Lesly Cardec: What about you? What stood out for you?

Leslie Vickrey: So one of the topics for me was around sponsorship. So he mentioned early on in his career where a leader had given him an opportunity to present a couple levels up and knowing that that kind of really changed the trajectory for him. And he actually said, I maybe wouldn’t be here with you today if that didn’t happen, so remembering that while people need mentors, they also need sponsors and that’s people who say your name when you’re not in the room. They give you those opportunities for speaking, for presenting in a leadership capacity the way that his leader did. So to me, sponsor kind of takes that mentorship piece to that next level. And I love that reminder. It’s a reminder for you and I too as leaders that those small things to us that may seem like a small gesture to someone to take a lead in kicking off a meeting or attending a meeting or presenting at a meeting really can be a game changer for that person and give them the confidence to step into that opportunity.

Lesly Cardec: That goes so well into the other one that stood out for me was just saying yes. I can speak from personal experience that in my head I want to say no a lot. And half the time, you know, even to this day when we’ve spoken with other guests, even myself, it’s like, gosh, am I even good enough to do this? Or why would someone want to listen to me type of thinking? But…you have to say yes and just go for it. And it’s just so important to do that because the more you do that, the more comfortable you get and it’s all about reps.

Leslie Vickrey: Right.

Lesly Cardec: You only say yes every once in a while. It’s not going to become something that you’re used to and comfortable with. So I’m a big firm believer in that and actually saw something. I don’t know, it just made me feel better. It said something that, you know, when your heart’s beating because you’re scared or nervous, it’s actually an inside applause that’s happening.

Leslie Vickrey: Oh, I love that!

Lesly Cardec: You know, it may seem kooky to folks, but I’m like, okay, I’ll just go with that. When my heart is beating, I’m sweating, and my stomach hurts. It’s my inner, cheerleader saying, get a hold of yourself.

Leslie Vickrey: I love that Lesly. That’s a great story. Well, I hope the listeners, I know they will take away as much as we did from this week’s guest. Again, the importance of the push-pull, setting the direction, making decisions, but also creating space for people when they need it. Sponsoring others, in addition to mentorship, give them those opportunities.

He said he regretted a no once. So saying yes and you know, listening to your body cheer you on with that nervousness is your inner, inner applause. So I guess that’s a wrap.

Lesly Cardec: That’s a wrap!

Leslie Vickrey: If something resonated, we hope it gives you a little permission to pause and reflect and lead with a little bit more honesty this week.

Lesly Cardec: So great, we’ll see you next time.

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