RISING ICON #68: Autumn Way
What name do you prefer to be called?
Autumn, although I will answer to Amber, April, Summer etc. lol
What are your pronouns?
she/her
Where did you grow up?
Bakersfield, CA
What city are you currently based in?
St. Louis Park, MN
How do you typically introduce yourself to new people?
I’m Autumn Way, CEO of People Possibility. I help businesses create a work environment where their people actually want to show up and do the work.
What’s one thing you wish more people knew about you?
I feel like I’m constantly evolving. Who I am today is not who I was 6 months ago and I love this version of me. Building People Possibility requires regular assessment of who I am and if I’m aligned with what I’m creating. It’s the most reflective I have ever been.
Who do you help?
Businesses with employees that have no or limited HR support.
What are you building now?
A catalyst to disrupt societal expectations of what work should be.
What were you building ten years ago today?
A team of leaders that cared for their employees beyond productivity.
What do you predict of yourself 10 years from now?
A known thought leader and keynote speaker in leadership and workplace experience.
What’s a fact or statistic you wish everyone knew about your industry?
According to Gallup, only 44% of employees know what is expected of them at work.
Why do you believe the work you do matters?
We spend so much of our life working. Too much of our life working and we all deserve that time to feel better. Especially if you are working for someone else. You should feel compensated and valued for who you are and what you bring to the table.
Who is your mentor and what is the best advice they’ve given you?
My former boss David Dicristofaro. He told me the most important job of a leader is to take care of my people. When we are doing what is right for our people, it’s what is right for our business.
What piece of content about you or your company are you most proud of?
The first presentation I gave at a women’s leadership conference as a business owner. I’ve given talks/presentations etc in the past, but it wasn’t my content and it was always on behalf of my previous organization. This was my content. It was raw and almost therapeutic to share my story. The subject was about assertive communication and the primary takeaway was: women are magical human beings so remember who you are and know your worth.
What publication do you hope to appear in next?
WPO Membership Directory…one day soon.
Who would you love to be interviewed by?
I would want a previous team member or client to interview me. They are the ones I do this for. If one of them wants to interview me for whatever platform they have, it would be the biggest compliment.
If you had to give a TEDTalk tomorrow, what would the title be?
We all Deserve Better at Work
What award would mean the most to win?
Coming from corporate, I struggle a bit with awards because many times there is a sponsorship attached to the application. It would have to be an award that someone else nominated me for and was selected completely on the nomination and impact I had.
What makes zero sense to you?
40 hour work weeks
What’s a word in your industry you hope gets re-evaluated?
HR-it has such a negative vibe to it and diminishes people to “resources” for a business. People are so much more. It’s actually kind of gross when you think about it.
What game are you changing?
The work, aka capitalism game.
What’s the next thing you’re a part of that you want to invite more people to participate in?
The HOW Conference in Minneapolis 9/17/24. One day conference to level up women business owners.
Where can we follow you online?
www.linkedin.com/in/autumn-way
www.peoplepossibility.com
What’s one thing that makes every leader better?
Love. For themselves and others.
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We’re grateful to each Rising ICON for their transformative work. Thank you, Autumn, for sharing your story!
LAUREL is a media relations partner for bold leadership. For nearly a decade, we’ve helped leaders build effective strategies for scale and growth specializing in key opinion leadership and go-to-market strategy for emerging brands. To follow along with the RISING ICONS series, nominate a leader or subscribe to our weekly email newsletter. To accelerate your own rise, get our free guide to elevating your leadership profile, FIT(lite). RISING ICONS is made possible by grant funding from Knight Foundation.
“We spend so much of our life working. Too much of our life working and we all deserve that time to feel better.”
Notice: It’s important for our readers to understand the origin of the interview content. The featured ICON contributed responses that were not edited from the original submission. All claims are made solely by the contributor and do not reflect the views of LAUREL or its partners. Thank you for supporting innovation leaders. We’re convinced, the future is bold.
