We pursue excellence in "How We Work" and in "The Work We Do." Here are some examples of why it's worth it:
He was patient, he was calm, he tried seeing things the way I’ve been seeing them, he was a great leader when I wasn’t being a great employee.
What were your job/career experiences like before working at Clickstop?
I really didn’t feel like I mattered as an individual. Previous employers treated me, and everyone else, like robots. They didn’t care about personal growth or families nearly as much as Clickstop. Clickstop allows flexibility, especially when it comes to my two young boys. In my role, I have the option to work from home when needed, which I think is super awesome.
How has Clickstop positively impacted your life professionally? Personally?
Clickstop cares about me as an individual and is invested in my growth. I was on anxiety/depression medications when I started, and I am so happy to say that I have been able to live my life happily without them for about 2 years or so. My confidence/awareness of my strengths have greatly improved since I have started here. There are so many incredible people who work here. We may be in different departments, but we are all team Clickstop and I think that’s really special. They paid for me to be in Leadership in Manufacturing at Kirkwood, and I attend as many of the workshops that Clickstop offers.
Describe where you are at today compared to one year ago? Five years ago? What does that experience, and growth feel like?
When I first started at Clickstop, I was a packaging specialist out in the warehouse. We had a group of about 7 that worked well and understood each other, we were a well-oiled machine. The operations and leadership team decided that it would make the most sense if packing was a part of the manufacturing team. In hindsight, that makes the most sense. However, when told the news, I hesitated.
Our team of about 7 had just moved from our original spot in the building to a new spot, which, was completely fine. It was actually bigger! It was great and we were super excited about it. When told the news that we would be moving INTO manufacturing after the initial change, I was nervous. I tried to not show my emotions but it slowly became apparent that I was hesitant of change.
We were moving locations again, under new management, with new teammates. I was nervous. Management was changing everything that I was used to, what the team was used to. I fought back out of frustration. I even applied for positions outside of the department just to run from the issues. Of course, I was not applying for the right reasons, and Clickstop knew that.
I grew more and more frustrated and kept asking myself "why".
I dug down deep to see what my real reasons were. Why was I fighting back? Why was I not understanding? Why is Clickstop making this so difficult for me? Chris B., my manager at the time, sat down with me on multiple occasions to hear me out and coached me through why we go through changes. He was patient, he was calm, he tried seeing things the way I’ve been seeing them, he was a great leader when I wasn’t being a great employee. I don’t think I fully understood what the core values were.
Through the coaching and the one on ones, I slowly realized that change, as you’ve heard, is constant. We are continuously trying to improve processes, make them more efficient and do what’s best for Team Clickstop. I was only seeing things through my lenses, not through a company perspective. I give a lot of credit to Chris for working with me through those difficult times.
Through coaching, I built confidence, understanding and perspective.
Chris helped me so much that I ended up becoming the lead for packing. After about a year in the role, Chris offered for me to go to “Leadership in Manufacturing” course at Kirkwood and graduated on April 3rd, 2019. I was so happy to be able to participate in such an amazing course. I was even more happy that Chris had gained trust in me, saw my growth and saw that I was really trying to change my mentality. The course helped me understand more of the business perspective and it also helped me grow personally.
There was a chance for me to grow even more within Clickstop and I went for it. I applied to be the Service and Sales Specialist. I was incredibly nervous at first just because I knew my history with the company. I desperately wanted to show how much I’ve grown as an employee and as a person. I shadowed, I interviewed, got a second interview...and I did it! I was offered the position. That for me was a HUGE sign that all my hard work and dedication to Team Clickstop was worth it. I am incredibly happy in the office and have made so many more relationships. I’ve continued to grow within my role and I am incredibly excited to see what’s next for me.
Finally, I felt like I had a voice, a platform, and encouragement to confidently speak up. After being uncertain and full of self-doubt, Clickstop helped me discover my convictions.
What were your job/career experiences like before working at Clickstop?
The companies I worked for were all very “corporate.” There was always a lane to stay in, a ladder to climb, a bureaucratic hoop to jump through, chain of command to answer to, etc.
There was a clear every man for himself mentality. Often at the expense of someone else.
How has Clickstop positively impacted your life professionally? Personally?
I had always known I had high expectations of people around me and I spent my life being told to bend them to make them more attainable; that I set people up to disappoint.
Clickstop has shown me that the right people, who care enough, will aspire to and reach for the loftiest expectations – and often meet or exceed them.
After years of being timid and afraid to speak up, I began to share my thoughts and opinions. At Clickstop, we’re expected to do just that, and I was able to carry that outside of these walls into my personal life as well.
Finally, I felt like I had a voice, a platform, and encouragement to confidently speak up. After being uncertain and full of self-doubt, Clickstop helped me discover my convictions.
Clickstop sees traits like positivity, empathy, and connectedness as strengths not weaknesses. And after years of being told I was being too sensitive, my peers at Clickstop made me feel validated. I’ve learned how not to be so sensitive to the things that don’t warrant those feelings and to separate them (though this is ongoing work).
I’ve become more decisive and possess greater strength of will. I had always been an “it’s up to you” kind of person, and I am no longer afraid to ask for what I want, or to ask myself the question and pursue the answer.
Previously, I hadn’t seen hard work rewarded in other places quite the same as I’d seen seniority, well-played office politics, and even brown-nosing rewarded. Clickstop is different. The ones who roll up their sleeves and enthusiastically throw themselves into the work are recognized and rewarded; it motivates me to work even harder
Describe where you are at today compared to one year ago….five years ago. What does that experience, and growth feel like?
5 years ago, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I wasn’t even working in marketing yet, had a young family, and wasn’t sure what I wanted to do or what would make me happy. I had interest in a lot of things and was talented at absolutely nothing. It was about this time I embarked on a major life change, re-enrolling in grad school, moving across the country, getting a job in corporate fashion marketing, and never really knowing if I was making an impact.
Fast forward a few years and a few moves/jobs…
A year and a half ago I joined Clickstop as the Social Marketing Manager. I saw a need on the team for someone to unite the collective vision around how we produced meaningful content and, despite having no formal copywriting experience I went for it. I was made the Content Director after about 4 months. A couple months after that I became the VP of Creative Services, leading both content and creative teams, and a couple months after that I became the Interim CMO. 90 days of Interim led to becoming the full time CMO, and I’ve been in this seat for 1 year.
Change has been constant. Some of it has happened to me, and some of it has happened because of me. But growth has happened throughout all of it because of my curiosity, willingness to learn, to be wrong, to fail, and above all to hustle. Clickstop rewards each of those things in a way most organizations don’t, and that has made it easier to integrate into the rest of my life as well.
Working at Clickstop instilled me with the mentality of taking ownership and being intentional in everything that I do.
What were your job/career experiences like before working at Clickstop?
Before Clickstop I had a few jobs that I saw as a necessary evil to pay my bills and survive. I saw them as jobs, not careers; that changed when I came to Clickstop.
Tell us about your journey at Clickstop.
I have had several different roles since starting at Clickstop in 2013. When I first started, I was a part-time Shipping Associate. To be honest, I knew next to nothing about Clickstop. What drew me here was its reputation as a “cool” place to work and the short driving distance from my house. After a few weeks I started to get comfortable with my role and the Clickstop Culture; I started to understand why it was so cool!
The first thing that excited me was how the Core Values were intertwined into our culture and expectations; they weren’t just words on a page. This culture created a positive working environment that made me feel like I was in the driver’s seat of my career for the first time, and I was surrounded by a highway full of Clickstoppers with the same mentality!
This really changed the way I viewed things inside and outside of work; I became more intentional with how I spent my time. I was going to wisely use my time here working towards a brighter future. I had a goal; I wanted to become full-time to feel more secure and open-up more doors of opportunity.
On my first anniversary, I was moved to full time and promoted to team lead. It would have been easy to get complacent, after all I had just reached the main goal that I had for a year. But someone used an analogy that this was just a billboard I was passing in long journey at Clickstop; there was plenty of road ahead filled with billboards that I was ready to drive towards.
How has the journey strengthened you?
Working at Clickstop instilled me with the mentality of taking ownership and being intentional in everything that I do. This has served me well in my career at Clickstop and in my personal life. Set a high goal, push yourself to reach it (especially when its tough), celebrate the win, set another high goal, and repeat.
This process has pushed me to do things that I never thought I could do inside and outside of work. It is the engine that drives me every day to reach my goals, no matter how daunting they seem. I have led teams, worked in areas that I thought were out of my league, developed my personal Core Values, and much more. I truly believe that I wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t come to Clickstop.
