Woman of the Week ~ Traci Dunn

Our Woman of the Week now includes career advice, insights, and feedback from our clients and friends.  Meet Traci Dunn, Chief People Officer, WellBe Senior Medical.

Traci’s Top 3 Pieces of Career Advice:

Best Career Advice I’ve Received: Never run from – always run to!  Early in my career, I was working in an environment that was not ideal, from the work, the boss, and the team so I decided to look for a new role.  As I was evaluating new opportunities, everything was great because it was better than my current job, but it wasn’t ideal.  My mentor told me, don’t just run from that job, run towards the right opportunity for you!  So instead of taking the first offer, I took the time to get crisp on the conditions I needed to be at my best and waited for that opportunity.  When it came, I ran as fast as I could.

Most Fun Job I’ve Had: Being a campus recruiter for Andersen Consulting (it was that long ago).  It was so much fun being a part of such a pivotal time in someone’s life.  It was also a lot of fun selling a career in consulting not only to the students but also to their professors and advisors.  It’s been a joy to watch them soar in their careers!

Most Stressful Time In My Career: During COVID managing homeschooling my 4-year-old at the time, providing caregiving support to my terminally ill mother, while having DEI in my remit, and helping my organization navigate their response to the social unrest post the murder of George Floyd.  It was such a difficult time trying to reconcile my feelings as a mother raising a Black boy, a daughter losing her mother and a leader trying to make a difference in my workplace.  One thing that helped in those moments and that I continue to use today is the power of storytelling.  I wasn’t afraid to authentically share how I was feeling and that storytelling helped me process my feelings and be of service to others.

Best Investment In My Career: Executive coaching with Executive Elements. 😊 I still leverage the tools you gave me.