So many women spend their lives caring for others on top of establishing and maintaining a career. Maintaining a healthy balance between the two can be difficult, but it is something many at Encompass Health – Home Health & Hospice understand. Women make up more than 85 percent of the company’s home health & hospice employees. Below, four Encompass Health – Home Health & Hospice female leaders share their advice for women looking to build their careers while having a satisfying work-life balance.
Sam Gates – Director of Education
What does success mean to you?
“I am very competitive, but more inside/with myself. It may not always show outwardly, as an ‘in your face,’ but more of a silent, ‘I can show you better than I can tell you.’ I do love to win and for me that means not just doing my part but giving more than just what is required so that I always leave a project, focus or place, better than I found it – it is my contribution to what makes us and me better. That is success.”
Any advice for young women pursuing their dream career?
“First, believe in yourself and your ability to accomplish what you set your mind out to do and then do it! Put in the work to ensure you are qualified, such as pursuing specific education, personal professional development investment and asking to shadow or be a mentee to a person that is doing what you want to do. Ultimately, I believe that God qualifies the called and that is why I have been blessed to be in the roles that I have had. Lots of prayer, hard work and personal investment, but also stepping into the role and being open to learning each day so that you are able to grow into what that role requires while still remaining true to self. Strive to bring your best self to work each day and be a leader, even if that is not in your title.”
What makes Encompass a great place to work? A great place to work for women?
“The best thing about Encompass is the opportunity for professional growth and career advancement within the company. If you desire to move into a role that better serves your heart and your love for a specific department, those opportunities are available and encouraged. I also love having a work family that I can share openly and honestly as well as pray with, and I feel that is an added bonus to my desire to come to work each day so that I can support them and make them proud of what I can contribute.”
Kristi Phillips – Regional Administrator
What does success mean to you?
“Success means achievement of a goal by several individuals. The thing is, I have never seen success as an individual accomplishment. Success is truly achieved when you teach, guide and mentor others on how to achieve their goals. Some of my biggest successes have been when I have assisted others to overcome an obstacle and achieve a goal.”
What are you most proud of?
“I am most proud of being able to work for an organization that stands on strong ethical standards and core values. Not once during my career with Encompass have I ever been asked to do something that I did not feel was right or unethical.”
Do you have any advice for young women pursuing their dream career?
“Dream big!!!!! Work hard to achieve those dreams. Always be willing to learn and when you take your eyes off yourself, you will truly be able to achieve your dreams by helping others.”
Mary Anne Romero – Branch Director
What does success mean to you?
“Success to me is being a trusted advisor and mentor to my staff and peers. It means admitting when you are wrong. There is a quote by John C. Maxwell that states, ‘Character makes trust possible, and trust is the foundation of leadership.’ I strive to meet that expectation every day.”
What are you most proud of?
“The staff that have helped me become a better leader and person. They have helped me grow as a person and as a leader. I have managed a small, medium and now a large branch while at Encompass Health and also obtained a master’s degree in Administration. Along the way I have learned from every branch I have managed and taken a piece of each one with me.”
What makes Encompass a great place to work? A great place to work from women?
“The people. They develop that atmosphere in their branches and it is a wonderful sight to see a team truly want what is best for each other and work hard together for one common goal. There are wonderful mentors here that are never too busy to help you. The women in this company lead by example. They know we face different hurdles than men and support you through that every step of the way.”
Amanda Robbins – VP of Talent Acquisition
What makes Encompass a great place to work? A great place to work for women?
“It might sound cliché, but our culture, our values and our focus on ‘providing a better way to care’ for our patients and each other, is what makes Encompass Health a great place to work, not only for women, but for men as well. Having strong female leaders within Encompass Health is what I believe to be one of the reasons we are a great place to work for women. To see women in leadership that are not only successful at work, but also in their personal lives, is very inspiring!”
What does success mean to you?
“Success to me means having a balanced life—being able to help others at work be successful and hit goals while being a present and an involved wife, mom and friend outside of the office.”
Do you have any advice for young women pursuing their dream career?
“Invest in yourself, whether that be thru increasing your education, getting a certification, reading articles, etc. Your professional development is something you have to own and be committed to before anyone else will be. Be self-aware. Own your communication and be proactive. Don’t wait for someone to reach out to you to build and develop a relationship; you have the ability to reach out and establish the relationship. Set realistic goals, and share those with others. This helps hold you accountable, and you are also more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down. Be authentic to who you are. Take feedback to make you better while being authentic to who you are. Admitting when you are wrong and leaning into your strengths and the traits that make you ‘you’ will step you up for success personally and professionally. Lastly, give yourself and others grace; know that life happens and you will experience setbacks and people will let you down, but it is how you respond and what you learn from those life moments that will matter the most and have the most impact on your future and ultimate happiness.”
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