Kristy Willis began her staffing journey earlier than most. She kick-started her career in college while balancing work as a recruiter for Adia with an evening catering assistant role. But from the moment she sat at her desk she knew she was in the right place, recalling a moment of falling in love with the industry due to it’s overwhelming value of getting people to work and changing lives every day. She was hooked!
After graduation, Kristy continued to develop her career in staffing when she discovered an itch for sales. She set her sights on a newly created SVP role, but was devastated when the CEO and President agreed that she wasn’t ready, instead giving her a list of areas for growth. While sitting in the discomfort of rejection on a flight home, Kristy stumbled upon a motivational speaker that encouraged her to go after what she wanted and to not take no for an answer. So naturally, being her own career champion, Kristy respectfully challenged their decisions, ultimately selling herself so well that the executive team had no choice but to reconsider. The job was hers!
Fast forward to now and she’s Chief Sales Officer of workforce solutions company TrueBlue’s PeopleReady Division. In her role, she spearheads the sales department of the on-demand and project side of the business. She shares that PeopleReady’s work combined with the other two divisions of the company PeopleScout and Staff Management allowed TrueBlue to put nearly half a million people to work in 2020, reminding Kristy why she started in the industry to begin with.
As the conversation continues, Kristy and Leslie also discuss how attempting to be everything to everyone can make you a less effective leader, her advice for up and comers in the industry, and her philosophy of “applying it and trying it.” They also discuss how taking risks help us find our voice and confidence! We hope you enjoy this episode.
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