670. Escaping a Soul-Crushing Environment
Minal Joshi Jaeckli
As the third generation in a row to be a first-generation immigrant, Minal brings her life experiences to her passion for engagement and finding just the right fit. She sees careers—and all of life—from myriad perspectives.
Minal Joshi Jaeckli is the founder and CEO of OpenElevator, the data-driven platform for hiring for engagement to increase profitability and growth for companies and deliver job satisfaction and a sense of contribution for employees. She’s worked on multiple continents, in various industries and functions over the last decade. Her rich background has given her a deep understanding of the value of engagement, both from when she was most passionate about her work and when she desperately wanted out from a soul-crushing environment.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Minal discovered in childhood she had two distinct sides to her personality: as a social butterfly, she made friends wherever she went, but she also had a highly technical, analytical mind. Working on her chemistry degree in college, she enjoyed tutoring her classmates, a trait one of her professors noticed and encouraged.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
In her first job after college, Minal was combining her technical acumen with her people skills at a high-tech firm in Silicon Valley, CA. “On any given day, I might be negotiating a special feature with engineering. Or, talking to manufacturing to make sure a part we agreed to would also show up in it when it left the manufacturing facility. Or, I might be talking to technical support to make sure we had the right engineer on the ground to ensure we got sign-ups for revenue. It was so fantastic, so dynamic, and it used these two sides of me.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“People are not necessarily being motivated by paychecks alone. Companies that want to have the best talent, who are engaged for the long-term, need to step up. Offer growth. Don’t call every job an opportunity—an opportunity leading where? Offer connection, a real sense of contribution. Companies are looking for employees to deliver innovation, creativity and customer service. For that, we need more than a warm body. You need the whole person to show up: personality, motivation and commitment. If you demand more, you need to deliver more.”
Steps to Success from Minal Joshi Jaeckli
1. The best way to find a strong current of good luck is to swim with great people. Find a mentor, partner, teammate or leader.
2. Build deep and enduring relationships with people for whom you would risk your life and who would risk their lives for you.
3. Listen to yourself and trust yourself to figure out what you need.
4. Design the life that would satisfy you, then develop a game plan to get there.
5. Big decisions can happen in an instant, but realization usually takes time and consistent efforts.
On Her Bookshelf
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…And Others Don’t, by Jim Collins
Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck–Why Some Thrive Despite Them All, by Jim Collins
Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies (Harper Business Essentials), by Jim Collins and Jerry J. Porras
Connecting With Minal Joshi Jaeckli
Website: www.OpenElevator.com
Facebook: facebook.com/OpenElevator/
Twitter: twitter.com/OpenElevator
Careers: Chemist, Entrepreneur
Topics: Engagement in career and company