Jen Mooney

Sometimes, an hour is not enough. 

That’s often the case when I meet up with old friends and colleagues on the Reconnect Roadshow. The time seems to fly by and before you know it we are saying goodbye midway through the conversation.

That’s how it was when I caught up with Jen Mooney recently at Hitchcock Cafe in Pioneer Square. Jen and I worked together when she was the Group Project Director at The Garrigan Lyman Group. Jen ran the PM team during one of the agency’s busiest, most-challenging times. I always admired her leadership, smarts, and constant professionalism.

It’s been nearly seven years since I’d last seen Jen. It was like no time had passed at all, and also a lifetime, if you know what I mean. We didn’t talk much shop, it was mostly about family and old colleagues, but I did glean a few LinkedIn takeaways:

1) Purpose + pay: Formative supports purpose-driven brands. That mission has made the work rewarding for employees and helped recruit and retain great people versus the high-salaried competition of Seattle’s top employers. So, if you can’t pay top dollar, think about your mission (or, at the very least, how to communicate what you do in a way that inspires).

2) Biz dev is the engine: There are many aspects to running a small business, but perhaps none more important than business development. When that part is underperforming, everything else suffers; quality, culture, morale, growth. Effective biz dev and account management (i.e. building and nurturing relationships) are the engine for everything.

3) Miracles happen. Even if you don’t believe in a higher power, there’s no denying that unexplained blessings occur that defy logic or reason. Jen and I have both experienced this in the past year. Perhaps we can’t explain it, but we can’t help but be grateful.

Jen was so gracious to listen to me and hear about what I’ve been up to during our visit. I could have spent the next hour hearing more about her future plans. I guess we have a good reason to get coffee again soon. Thanks Jen for taking the time to catch up!

#leadership #people #purpose  #businessdevelopment #coffee #thankyou