What shapes you? The goals you yearn to achieve. Everyday interests that keep you occupied. Hobbies that spark joy. Wisdom from past experiences and inspiration from those in your inner circle. Those all certainly do.
This past year, we focused on digging deep and prioritized getting to know one another during a very disconnected time. We gathered around a (tiny) campfire, had rapid-fire conversations over bubbly cocktails, and more recently, started exploring who inspires us and shaped us into who we are today.
In this ongoing series, we’re asking our team to invite their inspiration to a firm-wide call for a short interview, giving us the opportunity to get to know our coworkers in a completely new way. We held our first Bring Your Inspiration to Work Day a few weeks ago and learned a lot.
Daniel Larner’s inspiration: his lovely parents
Daniel brought his parents, Paul and Rosita, to our meeting. We not only heard funny stories about Daniel from his childhood, but we also received some memorable advice from his father:
“I’ve always tried to encourage young people to find something that inspires them and have the courage to go after it.”
He then told our team to look for positive opportunities in seemingly negative situations:
“Adverse events are not nearly as adverse as one commonly is prone to believe — sometimes something can surprise you in a good way even if it appears to be bad.”
Reggie Moore’s inspiration: a cherished friend
Reggie’s inspiration was a longtime friend and colleague, Michael Click. Click, as Reggie calls him, confirmed what we already know: Reggie is wonderful at forging and fostering relationships, a Rockstar at managing projects, and one of the smartest people we know.
He also shared a bit of information we didn’t know: Reggie went by “The Mayor” in his last role. And trust me, that’s going to stick at SingleStone, too!
Sara Marcus’s inspiration: a mentor and friend
Sara’s inspiration was Casey Estep, a former colleague and forever friend. Sara shared how Casey instilled the belief in her to always be authentic to yourself and you don’t always have to be buttoned up at work—you can be your true self and a badass at your job. Casey shared stories about her time working with Sara and how they became such great friends.
It’s been said countless times already, but I’ll echo the sentiment again: this year has been hard. We’ve been charged to push forward with work and life despite the uncertainty that clouds us. We’ve been balancing a lot. Without the people who inspire us, keep us grounded, encourage us to continue pressing forward, and remain our sounding boards and our rocks...things would come crashing down.
We’re excited to continue this series and get to know the people who inspire our incredible team. We’re honored to lift them up, give them the platform they deserve, say THANK YOU, and above all, we can’t wait to continue connecting and learning from one another.