In her role as ArchPoint Consulting’s director of client operations, Jill Landry works to provide the best organizational foundation for ArchPoint to provide the best service to customers, including data gathering, management and analysis and client/process management. Her career includes stints at Adidas, Clorox, Campbell’s and Odwalla climbing through the ranks to senior sales positions. As an Oregon native, Jill has also lived in Seattle, Boston, Raleigh, North Carolina, San Francisco and currently lives in Lafayette, Louisiana.
She earned her Bachelors in Business from Oregon State University, where she minored in Broadcast Communications. After interning with the ABC affiliate in Portland, she decided a career in broadcast journalism was not in her future. “However, in the hey day of the Nancy Kerrigan/Tonya Harding scandal, I did a story on Tonya Harding,” she said. “That work wasn’t what I loved!”
She says her Louisiana adventure has been very positive and has taught her many things. “The things people do here are different than the things they do in Oregon,” she said. “For example, on Sunday night last week, I was at Randol’s, a local restaurant. People were dancing. They dance here until they’re 90 years old,” she said. “People live a little harder here, and I love having a wider perspective. Every city I’ve lived in, I’ve seen the difference. I love having that knowledge. For the rest of my life when I think about what people are doing on a Sunday night, I’ll know they’re dancing at Randol’s. I saw a side of people here that was really good. The Southern hospitality is really real. You say that in the Northwest, but it really is the truth. I hope I will have that hospitality wherever I am.”
What is one characteristic that you believe every leader should possess?
Compassion.
Compassion enables leaders to connect with their employees and to see each employee’s strengths. It also helps leaders have a wider lens so that they can see what’s really there in strengths and skills — giving them the opportunity to focus on what’s there as much as what’s not there.
What was your first job and is there something you learned there that you still use in your work today?
My first job was strawberry picking when I was 12. I worked all summer so I could buy my dream 10-speed. At the end of the summer, I was able to buy the bike and working so hard paid off. It was the first time I had a financial goal.
Picking strawberries is a really boring job. I could talk to the people around me as we moved down the row, which made the work more enjoyable. I also learned the faster you worked the more money you made, but you couldn’t work carelessly. You still had to pick good berries. All in all, that experience really taught me about work ethic. It was not fun. It was not enjoyable. All my friends were out playing, and I got up at 4:30 every morning to go pick strawberries, a really hot and difficult job.
But I wanted that bike. I still use that same mindset in my work today.
What is a piece of advice that you were given that has impacted your career/life?
I had a manager who was reviewing me. He did not have the same outlook that I did. I was letting his judgment of me impact me negatively. Then, someone told me, “His values and your values are on completely different planes. Listen and be professional, but don’t let his judgment affect you. Be who you are.”
What advice would you give to a large group of people?
To ride the wave. Ride the highs. Get through the lows. Be flexible. Don’t let the rigidity stop you from getting out of the box you’re in. It’s not always easy, but sometimes you have to jump on and ride the wave.
What is your favorite business book? Why?
It’s old school, but I really like Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Not that I live them out every day, but I do believe that foundation he provides is really good. It provides the groundwork for working well with others. When I review it, it helps me recognize what I’m doing and what I’m not doing.
What lesson did you learn from the biggest mistake of your career?
A lot of times in business, you’re faced with sharks. It’s easy to hide and let other people’s opinions and beliefs override my own. But regardless of where I am, I have to go back to what I believe and balance my own perspective with others. It’s important to stay strong and have a voice.
What is one quirky detail about your life that would surprise those who work with you?
I wish I was a rock star on stage in front of thousands of people performing. I spent lots of money on voice lessons and tried it, but finally I had to face that I just didn’t have that kind of voice!