We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Reese Cisneros. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Reese below.
Reese, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
My optimism comes from playing sports since I was 4 years old! Sports have been a big part of my life, teaching me discipline, giving motivation to keep going, the connection to people, the ability to be a part of a team and community, knowing that others are in it with you. I have always used what I learned from coaches, teammates, all the wins and losses and taken that into my work life. There is alway the next play – you can’t let one play stop you from giving it your all the rest of the “game” or time you have working on something.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am an event venue and restaurant consultant, helping hospitality groups create spaces with purpose, intention, while also fostering a healthy working environment for their teams to maintain a healthy and efficient work life balance. Everyone is capable of building a confident, energized, effective team and I’m here to help pin point exactly what you need to grow your event business. I want to empower and build up the next generation of hospitality professionals so we can make our industry stronger and more stable than ever. That begins and ends with collaboration, communication and empathy.
I am also a freelance event producer and wedding planner. Production work includes festivals, corporate meetings, conferences, social events, birthdays, and reunions. My current clients include Alamo Drafthouse Fantastic Fest, Cosmic Coffee & Beer Garden, MaieB Hospitality and Little Ola’s Biscuits, Juliet Italian Kitchen.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1.Open and honest communication 2. Asking for help when you need it and asking in the right way
3. Owning your mistakes
Always be honest with where you are, what you’re working on, what is preventing you from getting the task done, etc. That can be from keeping your clients informed to keeping yourself honest about your bandwidth. The more open you are, the more trust you build.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you’re finding some obstacles. Sometimes just asking one simple questions or asking a colleague to proof read something can go a long way – they see it from the outside perspective and can give you a chance to see it a different way to open up more creativity.
Acknowledge your mistakes, own up to it, explain why and then immediately after, give solutions to how and why it won’t happen again. People respect this kind of ownership more when you’re just honest and offer a sincere apology, not an explanation or excuse. Own it and then move on.
What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?
In my opinion, I think focusing and mastering a skill is extremely important and one of the most valuable things you can do in your career. When you develop a strong skill set, the other things will come along naturally and you will build those strengths. Instead of putting 10-20% into 5-10 things, go all in and then the other skills will follow. Being a jack of all trades is appealing (and fun at times), but it can sometimes hinder growth and movement because others will *think* you can already do it, so it leaves less room for personal and career growth.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.strategiesbyreese.com
- Instagram: @strategiesbyreese
- Facebook: Strategies by Reese
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/reese-cisneros
Image Credits
Keelyn Costello Media John Cain Photography
