When Leslie Snavely first applied at CHG Healthcare 5 weeks into parental leave with her first child, she got a rejection in less than 24 hours. But she didn’t take no for an answer and has since spent her career working her way up the company to her current role as President.

In this episode of TheEdge, Leslie Vickrey dives into how Leslie’s midwestern roots helped her grow into the leader she is today and how she uses her lifelong love of learning to tackle every new challenge with an eye for opportunity.

Learn It, Dream It, and Work For It

“Growing up in central Ohio, I learned that it was my responsibility to take control of my life,” Leslie shared when asked how her work ethic grew from her midwestern roots. Being raised by two teachers, she knew that learning everything she could at any chance meant that doors would open for her.

She has brought that passion for learning into every facet of her life and even uses it when mentoring and leading her teams…even if their learning looks different than hers. “I’ve had to learn to really listen and understand how people learn…The people that I lead have tremendous potential and my job is to help them get to where they want to be, wherever that ‘where’ is.”

The Only Competition Is Yourself

In the conversation, Leslie shares how she maximizes her potential by knowing that the only competition she’s really up against is herself. “I don’t feel the need to out ski someone or out mountain bike someone…me doing these things comes from a place of, ‘Why wouldn’t I?’”

That doesn’t mean everything always goes according to plan!

Sometimes you have to get up and dust yourself off (literally…Leslie has dislocated her shoulder three times mountain biking, but she always gets back on the trail) and keep going after what you want.

When she first got rejected for the marketing role she applied for at CHG she had to make a decision. “In some sense, I’ve channeled in my life that ‘no’ is a reason to assess. Is it really something I want? If yes, keep persisting. And it almost turns into a challenge for me. They said no, how am I going to get them to a yes?”

Give a listen to the episode to learn what Leslie Snavely did to get that yes and how it has led to a 14-year career that reminds her every day that, “Work doesn’t just have to be work. It can be fun too.”

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