uring the October 2020 IAPD Women in Plastics Virtual Event, keynote speaker Rania Anderson said, “80 percent of the decisions about your career are made when you are not in the room … and it takes much more than hard work.” Among all the valuable takeaways from the session, these statements made me pause and reflect on my career — from inside sales rep new to performance plastics in 2007 to associate director of training & development and member of senior management in 2019 to IAPD Pacesetter Award winner in 2020. My story is a testament to what is possible through mentorship, sponsorship, networking and volunteering.
I started in the plastics industry just 11 days after graduating from college. At that time, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, I just knew that I wanted to work and needed a job. I met Eddie Howe, business manager of Curbell Plastics, Inc. in Pittsburgh, PA, USA at a job fair and he hired me shortly after our meeting. Looking back, I couldn’t have known how pivotal a role he would play in my career.
I knew that I had a passion for people; it was always relatively easy for me to meet and connect, so that’s what I did during my visits to corporate in addition to fulfilling my duties on the focus group. One day Tracy Schiedel, who was the director of marketing at the time, invited me to lunch. I was excited and nervous. Coming from a blue-collar family, I hadn’t interacted much with anyone in the corporate world, especially at the senior management level. She must have known that I was nervous — perhaps that’s why she picked the spot she did for lunch. I don’t remember what we talked about, but I do remember that we had chili dogs and milkshakes at a picnic table outside; I also remember that this is where our relationship began. We continued to meet during my subsequent trips.
“Mentors take an interest in your career but not a stake in your success. Great mentors give advice and also candid feedback and direction,” Anderson said. Although we never referred to our relationship as a mentorship, Schiedel was and still is a mentor to me. I am beyond grateful for her continued guidance and support.
Howe and his boss, Sam Martin, saw a business need in the organization, believed in my ability to address it and had the power, influence and willingness to make it happen; this decision turbo-charged my career. And this, according to Anderson, is a sponsor. “Sponsors are not warm and fuzzy, but directed and intentional,” she said. “They need proteges to help them achieve their vision, objectives and legacy.” I think back on this moment in my career often. If I hadn’t taken the risk to articulate my strengths and aspirations that day, I am not sure what I would be doing today, but I am nearly certain that it would not be in the plastics industry.
We met regularly and our discussions progressed from how to get this initiative off the ground, to getting sponsorships, to establishing a following and a committee, to articulating our vision, mission and strategy, to providing value and focusing on our evolution. Volunteering on behalf of the Women in Plastics initiative through IAPD has been one of the most personally fulfilling experiences of my life and professionally rewarding experiences of my career. I am a better person and plastics professional for having been involved, and to be recognized as a Pacesetter in the industry in 2020 is just icing on the cake. And it never would have happened if it weren’t for the many mentors and sponsors that I have been fortunate enough to have throughout my career.
“Jinny is a strong proponent of mentorship and has benefited from being engaged as both a mentor and mentee during her career. Being a mentor has many benefits, especially if you’re open to learning from your mentees. I have learned a lot from the people I have mentored, especially Jinny,” said DelGado.
Here’s the bottom line: If you can share advice or provide support, challenge yourself to mentor someone. If you are in a position to advocate, champion for or create an opportunity, challenge yourself to sponsor someone. If you are looking to get noticed, challenge yourself to ask for an assignment that will showcase your talents and then contribute in a notable way. You can’t ask for a sponsor, but you can articulate what you do well that can help a potential sponsor further their initiatives. When they ask you to get involved, say yes. Doing so could just be the next pivotal moment in your career.