Building Others Up

When I think back to my first time serving as a performance advisor (PA), when it was actually called being a mentor, I always think about what a huge responsibility I was handed. I vividly remember thinking, “Really, my partners are entrusting me to help grow our future leaders? But I'm still growing myself!” I didn’t know how they thought I was going to make an impact on helping others grow when I wasn’t there myself. 

There were so many questions running through my head: How does one do this? Where do I start? Where is the training guide that tells me what to say for each situation and how to deliver the message without upsetting anyone? The questions were endless.

So, I took a shot at it and served the only way I knew how to: with my heart (or as we might say these days "emotional intelligence").

Now, as a PA champion, the very best advice I can offer is to be present in the moment and to be passionate about helping others succeed. As a PA, your role is so much more than filling out a performance review twice a year; you have to invest yourself in your team members, always be available for them and—most of all—keep it real.

I have been serving as a PA in some fashion for the last nine years and I have celebrated many moments of growth and development, as well as failure, with team members. With both, however, I always make sure to capture the lessons learned and most of all, be there to support my team members.

Now that I have the honor to serve as one of the firms PA Champions, I'm excited to be a resource for other PAs by sharing my many lessons learned and supporting our PAs in any way I can. There is an emotional high you will receive when seeing people grow, making connections and helping others, and for me, that is the most rewarding part of being a PA.

About the Author

Rachel is a government services manager at HORNE, where she oversees the administrative team and provides leadership in client billing. She is a servant leader who is passionate about growing and developing others.