At Work With...Alison Murphy | Director & Podcast Host @ Engage For Good

1. Tell me a bit about yourself? (Where are you from? What you do? One peculiar fact about you?)

I’m a third-culture kid. I was born in London, grew up in Mexico City, studied abroad in Chile and Mexico, spent a year and a half in Asia, and have travelled to 6 continents. When I moved back to the States at age 10, it was like I was experiencing it for the first time. My parents are American, as am I, but I didn't understand American culture (or sentence structure!) for quite some time.?

I’m the Director of Events & Program Development at Engage for Good, where I lead a talented team that helps corporate social impact leaders advance their campaigns, careers, and organizations through professional development and networking opportunities. I also host the Engage for Good podcast, the longest-running podcast in the social impact space. Now in its 14th season with over 450 episodes, I’ve interviewed leaders from Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, Expedia Group, Google, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Save the Children, Subaru, Ulta Beauty, UNICEF, Visible, Walgreens, Whirlpool, and more.?

Regardless of where I’ve worked, for the past 9 years, my focus has been building cultures and practices that enable people to thrive personally and professionally. In a nutshell, I lead complex initiatives and business-critical projects from a people lens and advocate for workplace wellbeing, people-first leadership, and making work more human.

One peculiar fact about me - I love writing handwritten letters and postcards. So for my recent birthday, I got a wax seal stamp kit, and I’m super excited to start using it!

2. How do you motivate yourself to give your 100% at work? What gets Alli out of bed in the mornings?

Giving 100% at work means I need to be taking care of myself first. It’s the saying, “you can’t pour from an empty cup.” For me, that means getting good sleep, eating well, having boundaries at work, exercising (for the physical?and?mental health benefits), spending quality time with family and friends, getting outside, finding joy in small things, and making sure I have alone time to recharge.?

What gets me out of bed in the mornings is a combo of amazing 6 am dance classes, reading a great book by the fire before work, having an incredible team, and knowing that I get to connect corporate social impact leaders to the people, tools, and resources that’ll help them advance their careers, campaigns, and organizations. Bonus points if I get to have a conversation that connects wellbeing & social impact!

3. How did you decide to pursue the career that you are working in today? What was the pivotal moment?

A few years ago, I quit my job, packed up my life, and freelanced while traveling through Asia for a year and a half with my now husband. When I returned to the States, I knew I wanted to do something that made a difference and supported businesses to do good. So, with a background in marketing and events, I cold emailed someone at Water.org and learned about this thing called “cause marketing.” I was hooked.?

From there, I had informational interviews with people across sectors until I landed on someone that said, “have you heard of Engage for Good?”. I had!?

She put me in contact with their Communications Director, and the rest is history. That person became my boss and mentor, and as I continued to learn and grow, I joined her as co-host of the Engage for Good podcast. When she moved to a new organization, I stepped into her former role, became a Director, and took over as podcast host.?

4. What are you most proud of in your career journey so far?

Two things: leading a team and giving a main-stage presentation to 500 people.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to lead a team. In sports, internships, and friend groups, I gravitated to a leadership position but hadn’t yet had the opportunity in a full-time job. So when I was presented with the option, I was super excited and really nervous! Unfortunately, Gallup research shows that only 1 in 10 people possess the talent to manage*, and about 3 in 10 are coachable to be a great manager. Yikes!?

I’m still learning as I go, but I’ve done a lot of research, worked with a coach and a mentor, and continually asked for feedback. I’m proud of how I lead, and of the continual learning I’ve done and will continue to do to make sure I can be the best leader I can be.

I never volunteered to read in school. When I gave my senior thesis presentation, I spoke way too fast. When I got married, my husband talked, and I didn’t. Fast forward to last May… I gave a speech to 500 people in Atlanta on peak performance and wellbeing. If you’d told me years ago that I’d be on stage, I never would have believed it. I’m super proud of getting to that point, and excited that I enjoyed it and want to speak more!?

5. If you could start all over again, what would you do differently?

Maybe it’s cliche, but I wouldn’t go back and change anything because what I’ve learned and experienced has made me who I am today - even the parts that are messy, uncomfortable, and downright hard.

As a thought exercise, I would have started focusing on my wellbeing at work sooner, learned how to have tough conversations earlier, gotten clear about my value, and ensured I was being paid accordingly instead of not bringing it up.?

My approach to this question is to use past experiences to determine what I’d like to do differently in the future. Right now, that means two main things —?

1) Continuing to hone my authentic leadership style - one that, as Jacinda Ardern said, is kind and strong, empathetic and decisive, and optimistic and focused. One that’s people-first. Even if it doesn’t fit the traditional mold!?

2) To expand my travels into not just vacation trips but digital nomad trips too. Ever since we came back from Asia, my husband and I have talked about working abroad for a few months a year, and while Covid made that impossible for a while, we’d like to make it a reality now. First up, Costa Rica & then Nicaragua!

6. Lastly, what do you think is the most important attribute a leader should have in today's generation?

This is tough! Today’s business environment is a challenging one with inflation, war, climate change, the great resignation/reshuffling, the highest rate of active disengagement since 2018**, layoffs, and more.?

Today’s leader needs to focus on long-term growth, not just short-term profit, and while doing so, needs to create psychologically safe environments, champion JEDI programming, lead with empathy, create cultures that centre wellbeing and a whole-human approach, and have strong mental fitness and self-awareness. Then they have to top it all off with the ability to adapt and change as new needs arise.?

*https://www.gallup.com/workplace/236579/one-people-possess-talent-manage.aspx?

**https://www.gallup.com/workplace/468233/employee-engagement-needs-rebound-2023.aspx