Meet Colleen Vucinovich

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Colleen Vucinovich a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Colleen, so happy to have you with us today and there is so much we want to ask you about. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others developed certain skills or qualities that we are struggling with can be helpful. Along those lines, we’d love to hear from you about how you developed your ability to take risk?

My dad was a risk-taker who modelled entrepreneurship and encouraged secondary education. Risk-taking is enabled by the capacity to manage uncertainty and stress; some have the stomach for it, others don’t. Risk-taking is also powered by an environment where failure is not punished or stigmatized; where failing fast is a natural outcome on the path to success.
In graduate school, I took a course in strategic risk management that changed my perspective from viewing stress and uncertainty as inevitable to understanding that risk is managed based on its impact and probability. I use scenario planning as an invaluable tool for assessing risk.
Though honestly, sometimes we just have to take the plunge and trust the process of unfoldment.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

As the Founder of Company Spirit, I work closely with leaders and managers to unlock the potential of their team members, fostering a culture of excellence and fulfillment. Our unique workshop enables individual team members to identify their worth and their value to the team and connect these to their career objectives and life aspirations. It’s unorthodox and builds core competency, creating strategic advantage for organizations. Our process is informed by organizational effectiveness expertise and a deep love for engaging the heart, mind, and soul to make work fulfilling and meaningful. Fulfilled people are productive and purposeful.
Our workshops are available to individual clients seeking mindful professional development and to organizations looking to build team collaboration and performance. We conduct corporate workshops either off-site or on-site throughout the US. Private, small group workshops are offered monthly in the St. Louis region.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I have had four distinct careers. While there was some overlap, I would not have moved from one to the other without being open-minded and willing to consider opportunities on the periphery.
Vision is probably my most significant skill. While holding to the vision, it is tempered by a capacity to pivot when new information becomes available.
Mindfulness is a defining quality in my journey. A willingness to be quiet and aware; to sense and respond to stimuli in the physical and metaphysical realm. I practice it daily.
I have two core areas of expertise: makeup artistry and organizational effectiveness. On the surface, there is no connection, but both require me to be in a person’s personal space, to observe, and to be detail-oriented. I am equally passionate about each of these and grew from one to the other. Cosmetics were my bridge. I moved from motion picture makeup artist to retail artistry to creating and commercializing a makeup brand. Graduate school was the catalyst for discovering my affinity for organizational effectiveness and was the bridge to my next career: associate professor of business.
My advice: imagine, envision, listen, and respond. Focus on industries and functional areas that interest you. Be willing to consider things that don’t seem like the perfect fit. Every experience is valuable for what you learn from it. Trust your gut. You will know in less than four weeks if it is the right thing for you. Be strategic, not emotional, about moving on.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

Due to challenging circumstances, my parents made the difficult decision to send me to boarding school at a very young age. I was away from home for three months at a time from the age of 6 1/2 to 11. I grew into a fiercely independent, self-reliant, and strong-willed person. A parenting nightmare, actually! The separation anxiety caused a severe stutter that took many years to heal. Therapy, unconditional love from my partner, and a spiritual foundation laid by my mother all worked together to enable me to emerge as a deeply compassionate, resilient, and self-possessed woman. All my leadership qualities can be attributed to this defining childhood experience, which was supported by the spiritual introspection my mother facilitated during my early adulthood. My willingness to view the experience with a positive mindset and recognize its contribution to my leadership potential ensured a positive impact. It’s not what happens to us; it’s the motive and how we respond to it that really matter.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.company-spirit.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/company-spirit/?viewAsMember=true