Bright Ideas

Hi everyone and thanks for tuning in to my Speaker Series, Bright Ideas! I’m Jessica Duemig, founder of Bright Strategy + Solutions and InspoPros.com and it electrifies me to help people develop in their careers. If you’re listening to Bright Ideas, chances are you’re also one who reads business and personal development books and tunes in to other professional development podcasts. I do all of that too, and what I find is that it’s really easy to tell your story after you’ve hit the apex – or at least what most would consider to be the apex of your career. But what about the in between? What about the real-life part of that journey? In this podcast, I’m speaking with real professionals from different industries, from different parts of the world, at different stages in their careers. We’ll discuss everything from leadership to management and mentorship. We’ll address challenges and obstacles, indecision and settling into your personal paradigm. Some of the content will resonate directly with you; and some may be geared toward someone you know. I invite you to listen, react, comment and share at your convenience. And, as always, if you know someone who has Bright Ideas of their own that should speak with (including yourself), don’t hesitate to email me directly to brightideas@inspopros.com!Thanks for listening!

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Bright Ideas

Bright Ideas | Episode 5 | Dianne Wintermute

September 02, 2021 • Jessica Duemig • Season 1 • Episode 5

In Episode 5 of Bright Ideas, I had the distinct honor of speaking with a long-time colleague, my sister, Dianne Wintermute.

Ever since one of her first high school jobs, Dianne knew she wanted a career in the hospitality field. Dianne graduated from Palm Beach Community College (now Palm Beach State College) with an Associate’s degree in Hospitality Management, and again from the University of South Florida (GO BULLS!) with a Bachelor's in Business Management. While she studied, Dianne pursued her career goal of becoming a restaurant general manager. After years of hard work and dedication, Dianne decided the Hospitality industry wasn't for her. The demands of the industry no longer aligned with her personal life. She rechanneled her learned skills into a warehouse inventory position - one that was supposed to be a stepping stone. Gainfully employed by a company that offered the ability to learn and grow and a great work-life balance, Dianne stuck around and worked her way up to Operations Manager over the past seven years.

Dianne is a new mom to my nephew, Liam, and is a force to be reckoned with in the business world. She’s created a life for herself that has spanned two very similar but markedly distinct industries: Hospitality & Restaurant Management and Distillation.

This episode brought about a conversation of paying dues, working toward a goal, and then realizing that goals change. And, by the way, that’s ok! After all, we’re all human.

We went on to discuss that point – HUMANITY IN THE WORKPLACE. It’s so important for companies to acknowledge that aspect of their employees – and as we’ve all learned over the past almost two years, no one exists in a vacuum.

We boiled it down to three concepts:
1 - Life Happens.
2 - People are a business’s most important asset.
3 - The customer is NOT always right, nor should they always be number one.

As someone who serves as the Operations Manager for her company, Dianne also gave her advice for anyone – at any stage of their career – when it comes to the type of employee they should strive to be:
1 - Be able to pivot & multi-task and effectively deal with the stressors that brings
2 - Always be willing to learn new things
3 - Stick to your morals & ethics

She specifically highlighted the third piece of advice. “[Your morals and ethics] are what make you who you are.” Dianne said. “No job should ever ask you to compromise that part of you.”

Dianne will be the first to tell you that she isn't sure what the future holds, but she is hopeful that it will afford her the opportunity to continue learning different aspects of small business!

Connect!

Check out her LinkedIn page and follow Dianne’s progress on her passion project!

I hope you enjoy Episode 5, and as always, please feel free to join the conversation in the comments! If you would like to be involved with #BrightIdeas or know someone who would make for a great guest, please get in touch!