Keep moving ahead no matter what life throws at you. It is what Katie Abby, Assistant Dean over Business Career Services and Corporate Outreach, has to say about perseverance.
Katie began her career in the healthcare staffing industry as a physician recruiter for CHG Healthcare. In 1990, she co-founded VISTA Staffing Solutions, serving first as COO and then as President before its acquisition in 2007.
She has been named one of the “30 Women to Watch” by Utah Business Magazine, is a generous donor to the David Eccles School of Business, a cancer survivor, and a self-described gym rat. She is addicted to endurance sports, an avid triathlete, and had successfully finished the Wisconsin Ironman in 2007.
Today, we get to listen to how Katie started VISTA, the things she learned in building a company, and the challenges they had to overcome.
Katie also shares her work in career services, the things they do differently from traditional university career services, and how they work together and overcome obstacles as a team.
Finally, we hear about the most significant obstacle that Katie had to overcome and how she did it through perseverance.
Perseverance for Katie
"I think perseverance does mean taking what life throws at you and maybe not reacting right away, but taking a step back to think about things because there usually is an answer or a solution or an alternative route that you can take. You just have to keep moving ahead."
Her take on the future of work
"I do think the way we work may be transforming forever. There's a lot of value in face-to-face communication and building relationships. And I think we've learned that while we certainly can continue 100% virtually, it's awfully nice to be able to be with people. So, my hope is that perhaps we transition back towards where we were before but with a more open and flexible mindset."
How she encouraged her team to persevere during last year's chaos
"It's so hard to know how good or not good a job you did, but whenever I face difficult things or challenges, it's really helpful to focus on something productive.
Just giving people the opportunity to be able to do their job, first and foremost, but then if they were having challenges or problems, whether those be personal or professional, to allow them the opportunity to say, Hey, I'm really struggling here and cut them a little slack. And it seems to have worked well."
The lesson she learned on overcoming the biggest obstacle in her life
"First and foremost, you can take your situation and either wallow in it or take your situation and say, okay, this is where we are; let's do something with it. As a family, we chose to not focus on the end of life but focus on life today and right now. And I think that that has helped me in pretty much everything since then.
Whenever I have an obstacle now, I think about its importance, and it might be important, but in comparison, how big a deal is it, really? Putting things in perspective can help you take that step back and figure out a way to keep moving forward."
Advice for people who are experiencing hard days and having difficulty moving forward
"Over the years, one of the biggest things I've learned is that we don't have to go at it alone. When I feel frustrated, I turn to so many people. I'm surrounded by incredible talent on my team. If I'm having a personal challenge or a professional challenge, I don't have to sit there and try and figure it out by myself. I have a number of people who are skilled and talented and willing and want to help.
And so that's a big piece of advice that I give to people because as a competitive person, it's sometimes really hard to ask for help, but the more you do it, and the more you realize the satisfaction and the joy you get over overcoming obstacles as a team, it becomes easier and easier to do."
