Today we’d like to introduce you to Malia Campbell.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
It took me years to discover the world of Human Resources, Organizational Development and Organizational Design. I had no idea that my professional career today existed when I was trying to figure out where to focus my studies in college. I came close to majoring in psychology, teaching and interior design but ultimately earned a double major in Advertising and Spanish.
After graduating, I spent about a year as a Marketing Associate with an environmental consulting firm. From there, I landed a marketing and business development position with a video production agency. It was a small company at the time and I worked with the Marketing Director to grow our client base and project work in a variety of ways. I loved meeting with potential clients, asking questions to understand their needs, studying their business models, and then working with our in-house team to design concepts, treatments and budgets. I felt so much pride when I was able to win client projects that I knew my team would enjoy working on.
As our agency expanded its client-base and caliber of work, I began to take a special interest in our internal operations and organizational culture. I began asking questions like, “How can we ensure we are growing in a way that is sustainable? How can we continue to develop our creative capabilities? What new roles will we need in the future? What aspects of our culture are our greatest strengths and what do we need to change that is holding us back?”
During this period, I also began to design and lead a summer internship program for the agency and discovered a passion for recruiting, interviewing, onboarding, training and coaching. We didn’t have anyone in a formal HR role at the agency so there was a lot of opportunity in front of me. I eventually became the Director of Employee Engagement and built the foundations of an HR department from the ground up. Over the course of about six years, I tackled all things HR and organizational development for the agency.
When my husband and I were getting ready to start our family, I decided to take a step back from my professional career so that I could be with our son. When he turned one, I transitioned to independent consulting work and started supporting a handful of small businesses that prioritize sustainable growth and employee well-being. The flexibility of consulting work granted me the time and freedom to balance a fulfilling personal and professional life.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
When I transitioned into Human Resources, I had to teach myself the ropes while simultaneously building out a department and position. I was not an expert in the area of work that I was leading and that was very challenging. My clients became my peers and I put a lot of pressure on myself to do great work for them and to make a positive impact on their daily experiences. I was conducting extensive HR and organizational design research and while that helped immensely, it was also a continuous reminder of how much more I needed to learn. Every new research topic opened up a whole new arena that I knew nothing about! The pressure I put on myself coupled with feelings of imposter syndrome in those early years was a tough combination.
I participated in a manager development training course around that time and learned that at work, our confidence levels are in-part tied to our level of knowledge and expertise. I was not yet an expert in my field so I learned to give myself some grace. I also had a lot of support and understanding from the team and leadership. Time was my friend and I focused on making small improvements for the agency at first. Gradually, I found my footing and began making bigger changes and transformations. I also worked hard to find mentors outside of the organization that I met with on a monthly basis. I was able to receive feedback, wisdom, stories and coaching from amazing women in HR who held senior-level and leadership roles. Their time and generosity truly changed my life.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I think of myself as part detective, part designer and part facilitator. As a Strategic Human Resources and Organizational Development Consultant, I typically partner with small companies that have experienced exciting growth or that desire some type of change and want to ensure they evolve in a way that is healthy and right for them. I’m passionate about building creative, resilient, high-performing organizations and teams.
All of my internships and full-time jobs have been with small businesses. I love working with these organizations and a lot of them don’t have someone in a full-time HR role or their HR department is spread thin. I can operate as a fractional HR partner to build out or improve upon policies, benefits, systems, management infrastructures, processes, training programs and career development pathways. I can also jump into specific needs like recruiting, hiring, onboarding, employer branding and general employee communications. I love to design and improve company gatherings and traditions. I often serve as a coach or mentor for leaders and managers. I enjoy sparring with them, offering advice on communication best practices or employee relations, cheering them on, and calling attention to unhealthy behaviors or habits when needed.
I also have a special interest in manager development support and have designed a number of trainings and processes to help these groups succeed. An employee’s experience with their manager can make or break their experience at work. When employees have a manager who understands, values and supports them, there is a direct tie to that individual’s engagement, creativity and impact. Creativity is about our ability to solve challenges and imagine new ideas. We are faced with hundreds of challenges each week at work. Psychological safety, connection, respect, belonging and trust are foundational components of a creative culture and managers play such a pivotal role in the establishment of these conditions and norms.
How do you define success?
Professionally, my goal is to build resilience within organizations so that they can weather any storm. I feel successful when I am able to empower others within and across a business to make a positive impact that they might not have been able to make the year, month, week or day prior. If I can build someone’s confidence, skill-set or capacity to do the work they love in an environment that helps them thrive, I feel successful. This extends to freelancers, contractors and job-seekers as well. I feel successful when I can help create opportunities, connections and possibility for the inspiring people in our community.
Personally, success means that I am treating the special people and relationships in my life with kindness, compassion, honesty and love. I hope that the way I treat those around me and the relationships that I prioritize will leave things a little bit better than when I got here. More than anything, I want to be the best mom in the world for my son.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://maliacampbell.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/malialcampbell/
- Other: [email protected]
