Connecting with Alison Omens

How have relationships influenced your professional development and leadership style?

One of my deepest held beliefs, and the focus of my own career, is that everyone should have dignity at work. That, first and foremost, means seeing each worker as a full person with hopes and needs, a family and community, and a whole, rich life. Said another way, centering workplace dignity means that relationships are at the heart of how I approach work. At the core of relationships is respect. So I aim to lead and work with others by starting with respect - including recognizing people’s expertise, perspective, and voice. At the end of the day, we spend so much time at work, it’s a privilege to work with people who share my purpose and desire for meaningful relationships.

Do you have any tips for maintaining and building strong relationships?

The three things I come back to are: 1. Be curious. Rarely can we know what’s driving another person, even when we know them, and so understanding what they’re thinking and how they’re reacting is critical. 2. Be honest. It’s hard, if not impossible, to build strong relationships without showing people who you are, and how you feel about things, including things that are tough, or disagreements, or misunderstandings. 3. Be vulnerable. Honesty and trust are difficult without shared vulnerability, and it’s a leader’s responsibility to model that vulnerability.

How have you intentionally built inclusiveness into your circles?

As we know, building inclusion takes work, every day. That means really working to understand other people’s perspectives, and creating the space to voice them. It means ensuring that we have a diversity of voices and experiences - in every facet of life, and that we celebrate those differences. And it means taking real time to understand others’ views, and being comfortable with being uncomfortable. I’ve also learned how important it is to ensure I’m not hearing the same things from a few voices every day, so I’m intentional about the news I consume, authors I read, even Instagram accounts I follow, so differences in thinking and perspective actively reminds me to continue to encourage inclusiveness.

What community or communities are you proud to be a part of?

I co-founded a group for women called Smash Squad (as in smashing the glass ceiling) at the end of 2017. My co-founder and I felt like we were missing a community for women helping women as they enter bigger leadership opportunities in their career. At its peak, it grew to 200 women across the country, and we hosted in-person gatherings to explore leadership opportunities and challenges. One of my favorite things about it is that we start every conversation with a “brag” - it could be professional or personal, but something each person was proud of, in a space that was unapologetically going to support success without caveat.

In the last two years, I’ve also taken up cold water swimming with a group called the North Fork Polar Bears. There are about 150 of us, and each Sunday, about 30 of us go in the winter water, which ranges from 34 to 45 degrees, whether it’s snowing, sleeting, or sunny. Since taking up this endeavor, I’m newly reminded of the importance of community. And I find that with that community, I’m far more able to say yes to staying in a few minutes longer, or going when it’s miserable outside, and that’s translated into other parts of my life. I can swim in 35 degree water when it’s snowing? I can do this hard thing in front of me.

Who’s a Connector that's made a difference in your life?

There are many people who’ve shown me the power of connection. At every point of my career, I’ve been privileged to be around people who believe in building community, and have shown me the practical steps to getting there (hint - being nice isn’t enough!). It’s hard to name only one, but Jean Oelwang is someone who comes to mind. She’s the founding CEO and President of Virgin Unite , and is JUST Capital ’s Board Emeritus Chair. I first met her when I worked in the Obama Administration, and through the years, she always shows up with a commitment to support and engage that’s so meaningful. She’s someone who deeply believes in the power of connection, and wrote a book a couple of years ago called Partnering. Her view of the world, that through partnerships, each individual is able to accomplish things that weren’t possible on their own, has significantly influenced me.

It's an honor to feature inspiring change-makers across industries who share their stories and words of wisdom about how to build meaningful relationships. Catch up on #CONNECTED with our previous guests, including Daisy Auger-Domínguez (she/her/ella) , Kathryn Finney , Cate Luzio , and more!

Susan McPherson is a serial connector, seasoned communicator and founder and CEO of McPherson Strategies, a communications consultancy focused on the intersection of brands and social impact. She is the author of The Lost Art of Connecting: The Gather, Ask, Do Method for Building Meaningful Relationships.

Follow Susan on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram and order her new book, The Lost Art of Connecting, also available on Kindle and Audiobook.