Our People: Heather Hansen
He was patient, he was calm, he tried seeing things the way I’ve been seeing them, and 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 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 seven 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 to change.
We were moving locations again, under new management, with new teammates. I was nervous. Management was changing everything that I was used to, and 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, and 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 the “Leadership in Manufacturing” course at Kirkwood, and graduated on April 3, 2019. I was so happy to be able to participate in such an amazing course. I was even happier 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.