We recently connected with Jenna Russell, MHA and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jenna, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
Work ethic is not something we are all just born with, it is learned through observing our environment, trying new things to find our passions, and seeking out education to develop our skills. I knew from a young age I wanted to work in a field where I helped people. The feeling I would get from getting the right answer for someone, providing them with support, showing them empathy, and finding their next steps felt like a good thing to do, and it brought me happiness. My first exposure to a positive work ethic or seeing someone who values their own hard work comes from my dad. Jim Marshall has shown me time and time again that hard work does pay off, and as I see him loving his retirement years currently, I know the time and effort he put into his family, his work, and his life has brought him the joy he has today. When I was little, I would spend hours watching my dad work in our barn, I would help by handing him tools or asking question on why we were fixing a certain part of the car, and how we were going to do it. I loved to learn, and he took every chance to answer my questions, and made me think more and more each day. During the summer, as my dad would finish up in the barn just before lunchtime, I would wait as he would go to the house to get cleaned up, and we would then get something to eat together, and then he would leave for work at the General Motors Proving Grounds, his actual job. There were days where it seemed he worked all day, and all night (literally); and yet, he still seemed to enjoy what he was doing, even when it was tiresome (and he was good at it!). His ability to have the drive and motivation to fix cars in our barn to help our neighbors, loved ones, and friends proved the value he put on his work produced the outcome he was looking for. He gave me the understanding that a little extra hard work helped our family financially for our future, but also helped me understand the importance of thinking ahead, loving what you do, and who you do it for as it would result in something you value. It seems my dad and I both value helping others and making a positive impact. So, once I figured out what I loved, I wanted to do the best job I possibly could at it knowing how fruitful it could be for me in my future, as this is what I was seeing at home. My dad supported me in so many ways: being a loving father, giving me guidance, helping me build my own work ethic, and giving me an understanding of what hard work is. He motivated me to educate myself as much as possible. He supported me to get my Bachelor’s degree in Health Administration from Eastern Michigan University, and cheered me on when I got my first job at the University of Michigan. He gave me a push to pursue my Master’s degree in Health Administration that in the long run helped get me to where I am today. Without the guidance from a dad who showed me thoughtfulness, generosity, and passion I may not be in the position I am now. The more I fell into my career, the more my passions built, which pushed me to do better and try harder. There were many nights after work I would tell my now husband of the amazing clinical research that I was able to be a part of, and I was so excited to do more! I would share my new knowledge with him, I would empathize with the patients I had worked with on clinical trials, and the tribulations they had to endure. I would discuss what our future could be if I kept working in this field, as it had so much potential. My husband is still one of my biggest supporters, always proud of the gains I make in my field, and he is always willing to talk through concerns I may have if I’m uncertain of my next steps. He has a lot of the same traits my own dad has shown me, and it has helped us build a successful and loving family together through hard work. We value our family, so the more we work on it, the better the outcome we will have, which is love. He also comes from the same line of work my dad does and has the same drive to do the best he can at what he does. Over the years he has grown so much in his passions, and to watch him now as a stay-at-home dad taking care of our two kids, I know his work ethic is the strongest it’s been, as our children are the most valuable thing to us. He is the best caregiver they could possibly have, and watching his hard work and dedication throughout our marriage has encouraged me to do the same. Currently, I work as a Regulatory Affairs Manager for the University of California San Francisco. I work remotely from Michigan, and I work with an AMAZING team. I took a chance on myself to apply to this job not knowing what to expect. I had recently given birth to our daughter and the possibility of working for a company that is located across the United States was a bit uncertain. I did know that I had the drive and motivation to learn something new, to apply the skills I’ve already fostered through the years, and the need to take the next step in my career and be part of the bigger plan. By understanding what a hard day’s work is, and putting value on my passions, I know it keeps me motivated to continue to work hard and accomplish my goals. I must thank my dad, my husband, and my family for always believing in me, so I could believe in me too. I love my job, and I can see daily that the work I put in is the value that is put out. I see the value the University has in its employees, the support my manager has in my skills, and my teams trust in me to make decisions. All these things give me power to work harder knowing that the result of all of our work provides lifesaving research for cancer patients. Even though I no longer work directly with patients, my contributions make a difference, and I know the more I put in the more they get out of it too. I may be only a small piece of the puzzle, but I value my small piece knowing hard work does make a difference.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I currently serve as the Regulatory Affairs Manager at the University of California San Francisco. I manage a fantastic group of Senior Regulatory Analysts for the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, where we focus on writing consent forms, submitting Institutional Review Board applications, and obtaining approvals in order for clinical research to be open for the patients at the University. That is a very short answer to what myself and our team does, the amount of hours we spend on a clinical trial, the amount of review and revisions we make, and the importance we place on having easy to read consent documents for our patients is immeasurable. Clinical research has a lot of moving parts, and each part has to do their very best in the shortest amount of time in order to provide life saving trials to our cancer patients. Our piece of the puzzle is very detail oriented, something that many people shy away from, but it takes a very keen and dedicated eye to complete the work as thorough as possible. Our hard work and dedication provides faster turn around times in order for study teams to open trials to patients faster and safer. When I came into this role, my team was already very well established, many having years of experience in this very department, with lots of knowledge to share. We spent the first year of my role getting to know each other more, building trust and relationships, and working together to make our workflows efficient and clear. There is always a work in progress when dealing with process improvement, but watching my team entrust in me to put new or modified workflows into place has shown me that my work is valued and appreciated. I value their hard work and dedication, and I make a point to take on submissions myself to support their workloads, as I want to ensure they can continue to be motivated daily, and not feel burnt out. I enjoy working through new complex issues together, finding the resources to fix the problem, and providing guidance to those who need to work through new processes. They are one of the best teams I have had the opportunity to work with, and I look forward to the year to come!
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?
Three qualities and/or skills that were most impactful on my professional journey would be the ability to search for answers FIRST before asking for help, learning different types of communication methods and which ones are most useful for you and your team, and developing a prioritization model that works best for you. I have found that anyone can be taught how to do a job, but it is these underlying skills and qualities that drive work ethic and motivation. These skills at times are hard to learn and develop, and may take trial and error to get them right. For those who are early in their careers I would say focusing on finding your resources (google can be an amazing tool!), learning what it means to communicate (who is your audience? what are you presenting? are you in person or virtual? how does your audience best absorbs and respond?), and maintaining your passion by setting priorities (calendaring, to do lists, developing priority scores, or educating yourself on project management and how that applies to your work). These all take time, and some take hands on experience to get a feel for what is right. I also had the great opportunity to take part in management courses, encouraged by my manager and provided by my work. Ask questions to your leadership about what opportunities are available to you, and how you can get them if they aren’t built into your workforce.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
We all feel overwhelmed at times, even when working in the best job we could possibly imagine. It’s a part of life, in all facets, and at times may be difficult to identify and address. When I hit my peak and feel the pressures of not having enough hours in the day to complete what I need, I try to refocus and see what is the most important first, what takes priority. This applies to many aspects of my life, not just work. When I am able to reorganize my list, I address which ones have the most urgency and require my direct attention first (sometimes this even means checking something off the list that is easy and quick to do, and focus the longer needed attention later on if possible). I look through my list and see if there is anything that can be delegated to others, this is helpful when you have a great support team (at work and at home!). Lastly, whenever possible, I disconnect from technology, and when I can I go take a walk. Getting some time outdoors away from the ever growing to-do list has shown to be a real refresh for me; Even in my home life with two crazy kids running around, it has given me a sense of decompression in order to jump back in and keep pushing through. In today’s professional world many of us are stuck behind a computer for MANY hours of the day, and some of us find skipping lunch or working through lunch means we can accomplish more; but we do sacrifice personally when we do this. Invest in yourself and give yourself a break when possible, you deserve it.
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