Look, Listen, Feel: Finding Your Way in New Environments

Our Conversation with Kiera DesChamps

Tiffany Vine – Account Manager, CRI 

Hello everyone and welcome to the People Part of Business podcast. My name is Tiffany Vine and I am an account manager here at Corporate Relocation International and I'm with my co-host. 

Carlos Huereca - CHRO/COO, CRI

Hello everyone, I'm Carlos Huereca, head of HR. We are thrilled to be here with Kiera DesChamps, Senior Division Vice President of Business Development at Corporate Relocation International / WellRive. Kiera, welcome and thank you for joining us. 

Kiera DesChamps – Senior Division VP of Business Development, CRI/WellRive

Thank you. I love hearing you say your last name. 

Tiffany Vine 

That's why I never introduce him. (Laughs)

Kiera DesChamps 

I don't think I've ever said your last name. That's good to know!

Tiffany Vine 

It sounds so much better coming from him. (Laughs)

Kiera DesChamps 

Right? Thank you. (Laughs) 

Carlos Huereca 

Before we end the episode, I'm going to ask you to pronounce my last name. (Laughs) 

Kiera DesChamps 

That's a test. (Laughs) 

Carlos Huereca 

Kiera, that's quite a big title. Why don't you tell us about your role at Corporate Relocation International and maybe tell us about your journey and how you got here. 

Kiera DesChamps 

Yes, there's a lot of words on that business card. We're gonna have to shorten that up a little bit! (Laughs) But yes, I am a part of a CRI. I'm so excited to be here. Just recently joined a team that I feel like I've been a part of for a long time. I feel like we've met before in some aspects, so it's kind of a good match. But my journey here...wow! My background was as a college administrator where I worked as a program department head, and I worked in the Human Services department. I'm a professional counselor, so the classes I would teach - like counseling, group therapy, substance abuse and things like that, led me to really lead out in the higher education setting. So, of course my goal was always to retire in education. My mom's an retired educator. My sisters are educators. It's just something that we've always done. But yeah, it’s kind of changed a little bit over the years. When I was working in higher education in Charlotte, at the Institution, my contract ended and so it was time for me to look at other things. So, I had just started my doctorate program in educational leadership. Some of my girlfriends called me and said, “Hey, we want to go on a girls trip!” and I'm like, “I'm kind of in-between jobs, so it might not be the right thing to do to go on a girls trip right now.” But my husband was like, “You should go. You don't take vacations. It's a great time to do it.” So, I decided to drive for Uber to earn some guilt free money, some travel money. And let me just tell you, this is not a plug for Uber or Lyft. But oh my gosh. It was the best. It was the best job I'd ever had. 

Tiffany Vine 

You can definitely put to use that counseling for sure! (Laughs) 

Kiera DesChamps 

I loved it because I got to tour Charlotte. I got to meet great people and network. I don't meet a stranger, but there was a person that got in the front seat of my car one day and I was driving her to her destination. She owned a small move management company and she and I began to talk. She was explaining to me what she did and what it was about and why she started and just that personal piece really stood out to me - the emotions and the things that the families went through and the clients went through. And I was like, oh my gosh. Anyway, we ended that trip and she kept reaching out to me, saying, “Hey, I need some support. I know you're in between jobs. I know you're overqualified.” And I said, “Yes I am!” (Laughs) 

She goes, “I know I can't afford you.” And I said, “No, you cannot!” And she's like, “But I really, really would love you to help me out a little bit.” And so really she needed somebody to build the business, grow the organization and really drive revenue. So, I just got into it. I'm not a salesperson, although I work in sales. I did begin to build the company and business and then she sold her business. Until we were acquired, I stayed on and began to build a larger footprint with move management and it's just been great ever since. 

Carlos Huereca 

Kiera, that's very interesting. You talked about empathy in the senior space. Did you find any correlation between your learning in school, in teaching, and the work that you were doing as you were venturing into supporting the senior space? 

Kiera DesChamps 

Yes, absolutely. In the counseling field and the mental health space, we were taught a lot about really being a resource for the person that comes to us...a resource for our clients. I worked a lot with “at risk youth,” teenagers that were in residential care, things like that. And one of the terminologies that we used was “wraparound services.” And so, really, you “wrapped” that client or that teenager or whoever, around with support, whether it's mental health support, medical, social, spiritual, recreational, or educational support to help them be successful. One of the things I used to teach my students in my case management courses was that a case manager is only as good as their resources. So, I taught them to not just be a case manager who just gives off a list of “Here, you need to go here. You need to call these people, make that appointment, transportation is over here. This is where you can get a voucher.” Instead of doing that, we would take care of it for them and we would make the calls and set them up and schedule the appointments and help them to navigate through. So ,when I started working with this area, I was like, oh my gosh, THESE are “wraparound services”. We're here. Here's a problem to solve. And someone's coming to us that needs help, and they're already stressed. There's already so many things that they have to go through and then, little by little, we're making the list of all the different pieces that are going to be a part of their plan. So it was a very easy transition and, of course, whether you're qualified as a counselor or therapist or you've been doing this for years when you enter this industry, just be ready because that's what you're going to be doing. Whether it's just answering the phone from a client and just being somebody there to talk to. Because they don't have children or they don't have someone to talk to or be there, or it's the heavy lifting and getting them actually moved physically from one place to the other. 

Tiffany Vine 

Kiera, you might think with your background as an educator in counseling that you would be geared towards a human resources type role. Do you think it was just your natural, strategic abilities and natural sales skills that led you towards business development? 

Kiera DesChamps 

You know what? I look back every day and I never saw myself here. I just did not grow up or look at careers and say, “I want to be in the move management or the relocation industry.” It just never came. I grew up military. My dad was in the military, my husband served in the Air Force. So, we moved a little, from place to place, and then my careers have helped us to move. I organize naturally. I don't like a lot of clutter myself. I know all about the moving and the packing and I like things in order, so those are just natural things that kind of came through. I'm a talker, obviously. I'm a people connector, so it was just each thing that I've ever done that has been a stepping stone to the next. I just feel, spiritually in my faith, like God had a plan for me. I didn't know what it was, but here I am. 

Carlos Huereca 

That's awesome. Well, Kiera, we know that you are in your first 90 days of employment at Corporate Relocation. How's it going? 

Kiera DesChamps 

It's going great. I'm actually getting the chance to meet everybody. I'm just trying to spend time connecting with some of the key leaders and different departments. I’m just really trying to take an understanding of how all the pieces flow. Because whenever I get into something, I feel like the first thing I need to do is look, listen and feel. So those first 90 days are really important to me. A mentor told me this a long time ago. Never enter a space, a relationship, a friendship, a job, whatever you're doing, don't enter that space just trying to make changes right away or going in with a critical eye. Don't do that. Just really go in, connect, get to know the people. Try to understand the industry and then kind of make those notes. So I have a list of notes for you – Carlos specifically, and Tiffany. I have a Carlos and Anthony list (Laughs), but anyway I have that list that shows, step by step...here’s what I'm thinking, this is what I’m interpreting that's happening...and then how to take things to the next level, and not come in and try to make changes overnight. It's not going to work that way. And so that's what the first few days look like, and it's only been a month! 

Carlos Huereca 

I love your approach. Look, listen and feel – it's really a good approach. 

Why don't you tell us about WellRive? I know that you have been in your first couple weeks already looking at WellRive. What is WellRive and tell our audience what you're doing with that? 

Kiera DesChamps 

So, when I look at WellRive...and when you think of the name you're thinking of adventure, wellness, life, living...all the above. You get to a point that you feel like you haven't arrived because I think there's always room for growing and developing. But it's just a combination of movement and you're never just still. So, whatever parts of our life that we're going through...our college aged children, our middle-aged children, retirement...all these spaces. I feel like WellRive just kind of encompasses all of it. It encourages us to think ahead, plan ahead, take care of your family, go on some trips, live your life, have a good time. And by the way, let us take care of some of those other things that you don't have the time to take care of. Right? So, I see it as this navigation...of letting us be a part of your navigation of life. That's what WellRive is. 

As I continue to talk to people and share what I'm doing now, I just say...wow, we just have such a bigger footprint, and even larger span of services to support our clients. And it doesn't matter what age they are, we offer a full range of services to help them from beginning to end. That could be simply helping them prepare their home for the sale. We can also sell their home. We can also pack their home. We can move them. We can unpack them. We can get them all settled in. They may not want to move at all. They may just want to age in place and they may decide, “Hey, I just want some organization in my garage. I just need somebody to come organize my closet.” Guess what? We can do that for them, too. So, you don't have to be a certain age. You don't have to be moving. You could just be where you are and you just want something changed around and we can help you with those services as well. So, it’s just those wraparound services again and then we're not only helping the end user, but we can also help the employer at the same time. So, we're in there all the way. 

TAKEAWAY 

Back to the Podcast...

Tiffany Vine 

Kiera, I know in the first 90 days, one of the biggest things that you start to get a feel for is company culture. Talk to us about company culture, building a company culture, really getting employees to buy into the culture instead of just telling them what the goal of the culture is. So, give us some strategies around that. 

Kiera DesChamps 

I think the first thing as I was contemplating continuing on in this type of industry was just that first connection that I had with Anthony (Horton, CEO of CRI). I’d never met him and didn't know anything about him. Just that first connection - it was very easy. We could have a conversation. There wasn't any type of agenda. It wasn't pushy or anything like that. It was just conversations. And so, I walked away from that feeling like, OK, this feels good so far. Then I met Carlos. (Laughs) 

Tiffany Vine 

And that didn't scare you off? (Laughs)

Kiera DesChamps 

(Laughs) I think the key thing when you have culture and you want to show that is when you have your CEO or your leader start to bring somebody else in for you to talk to. Where it's not just one person making a decision. It's like, “OK, you can have a conversation with me. I'm CEO. But you know what? I want you also to have a conversation with someone else. Talk to some other people so you can start to get a 360 view of what's happening." And I think that's so important because then you start to get the buy in, you start to feel like, OK, this isn't scary. I can start talking to other people and they're not sitting there going, “No, no, no. You can only talk to this person.” So I think that's key in the beginning. That stuck to me. But also, just the welcoming from the team, just being able to talk to everybody. Everybody I've met so far has been very willing to share what they do and how long they've been there. They’ll give you documents or show you different things – that says a lot and it didn't matter if it was in–house in Dallas or people I've talked to in our Minnesota market or in California - they've just been very welcoming and that's important.  

The other thing I’ve really liked is coming into the CRI office and seeing the colors on the wall and the murals...things like that...where you have some of that mission that's being shown...that “service obsessed.” It’s just really being able to gather people together. And then of course, you had your all-call Team rally, which is also important. I came on a good week! 

I mean, you guys already had the building set up. That was for me. (Laughs) And then you had your murals already painted, then you had your all-team rally...  

Tiffany Vine 

We pulled out all the stops for you!

Kiera DesChamps 

That was perfect! Being able to come into that environment was very welcoming. And then being able to see the highlights and the team recognitions during the call...all of those things were just great. And I just knew immediately I was in the right place. I think I'm probably the loudest in the office, so I’ve had to really kind of tone it down because everybody really seems like they are working and they are taking care of clients and I'm the person who randomly walks into the office and I break out in song or something. I forget that we're here to work and I’ve got to stay focused! (Laughs) 

Carlos Huereca 

That’s great. It's great that you’ve had a good time and we did see you posting a selfie on LinkedIn with the mural - right in front of the murals -  that was great.  

Kiera DesChamps 

Absolutely. I got it! I don't know Kirsten (Boatto, CRI's Director of Marketing) knows or not, but we’ve gotten a couple thousand impressions off of that selfie. And it was only half a day. So, people were paying attention. 

Carlos Huereca 

That's awesome. Kiera, if I can take you back...earlier, you mentioned that you have experience in acquisitions and if I recall correctly, I think you've been on both ends - being the company acquiring and also being the company that's getting acquired. Tell us about your experience in acquisitions and what you've learned through that process.  

Kiera DesChamps 

Yeah, change is inevitable. You get comfortable. We had a good thing going. We had our own system set up - all of the above - and then you start to hear about acquisitions and change and you start to hear words like “corporate” and “streamlining processes” - those words are scary to people who've #1- left the corporate world, and that's why they left the corporate world in the first place and began to open up their own businesses. So those are scary terms, but #2, that means there's going to be some uncomfortable feelings and decisions and things like that are coming. And that's hard for anybody to face - when you know change is coming. “I'm going to either have to make some decisions or do something else.” There’s so many unknowns when there's any kind of acquisition conversations so you just don't know and you start to feel like you don't have control anymore...you don't have the oversight of what’s happening.  

So, I’ve known all of those feelings -  I've felt them myself - but then there's that integration that begins to happen. The trust in learning about the leaders, learning about who these people are that are coming in to take over your company, and really understanding what their vision was. During my last acquisition, I had high respect for the people who were acquiring us because they were at a level that I wanted to get to in our business. And so then I stepped back and said, “Wow, well, these people have done it, and they've been a part of this and I need to learn to respect and learn and step back and go, OK, there's some things I need to learn from this and I want to grow.” And so for me, I took that perspective. But then there are other people who may see that and go, “That's a lot of work (Laughs) I've done that before and I did that with my first career or I did the hustle." So, you have another perspective. 

For me, it was career growth. For me, it was exciting. Oh change? Great! But to someone else, it was, “Uh, you're not putting me on a stand up call every day at 8' o clock in the morning!” That's a whole different conversation. So, you have to be able to understand that there's different people coming, right? There's different people, different perspectives. And then be able to honor that. It's OK, right? We don't judge people - hey, if this is something that you're like, “no way. I don't wanna do it.” It's OK. What can I do for you during this time to help you in your career? Whatever you want to do - your goals - versus this person who’s like, “Heck yeah, let's do it. Let's try it. Let's see what happens.” Then I have something for you as well. So, I think there's that trust factor, integrating, blending of cultures...I call it herding cats. I've always said that about my sales team - trying to rein everybody in for a meeting.  

Carlos Huereca 

Well, to your point earlier about your first 90 days of employment - going through the step process of “listen, look and feel” and I really appreciate your perspective on integration and genuinely caring for someone else's perspective. That makes it a lot easier to build that trust that you're referring to and just get everyone on the same path. 

Kiera DesChamps 

Absolutely. And especially in the move management side of the “house”, because I know that's where our acquisitions have been most recently. It's no different than when we work with clients. It's no different than us working with a 75-year-old who has been living in this home, or this couple that has been living in this home for years. Well, now we're trying to get them to transition to something else where they have great food and it's a luxury community and it's all these great things and we know it's safer and they've got 24 hour healthcare and all these things. But it's getting them from here to there - there's mental pieces, the emotional, mental, physical. There's so many pieces that go along with that.  

So, being able to honor all the work and all the things they did in this stage of their life - their home, memories, all the above, and still be able to hold on to that as they transition over or move or relocate over to their new space. So, it's no different. I look at it like...we've got to remember that people in acquisition, they've been doing this for a long time. They have a certain way. They have a certain culture, all of those things. And we just have to be able to honor that. But at the same time, we also have a business to run. So how do we now transition that over to be, “OK. We've done this. Now it's time to move things forward.” But you're still gonna have to hold on to some traditions. 

Tiffany Vine 

Well, that’s such a delicate balance, being respectful of people's aversion to change while still getting them where you need them to be from a business operational standpoint. And it does take a gentle hand sometimes, and so it's got to be a difficult balance. 

Carlos Huereca 

Kiera, we know that you're really passionate about women in leadership and I am too. I have a 13-year-old daughter and I almost take it as a personal commitment to make sure by the time she enters the workforce, she enters the workforce in a place where there's more possibilities, more opportunities. Tell us about your passion for women in leadership. 

Kiera DesChamps 

Ohh wow, yeah -  it's a huge passion of mine because sometimes we're so misunderstood as women. Our “passion” comes out as being aggressive or being too bossy or different things like that. But now there’s just so many ways for our voices to be heard and to be led and I just think as a woman, I've always felt like my responsibility is not only just for women, but especially for women, and to help empower them, but also pull them up at the same time.  

My biggest thing is, “If you win, I'm winning. And I want you to win! What can I do to support you? What resources, access, or privileges do I have that I can also share with you?” I have two granddaughters. I raised two sons, but now I have two granddaughters. I’ve got these little independent ladies and I've been trying to empower them to speak and have a voice. Even though they're three and four, their voices are very heard, believe me, (laughs) but to be able to really channel them from a young age. Set healthy boundaries. Speak up for yourself. Don't worry about what the other people are saying. Stay on tasks, things like that. But even as women, as adults, it's still hard to walk in a room and not be intimidated when it's a room full of men because then you're like, “Am I supposed to be here? Are they judging me? Am I being too forceful or am I doing this or that?” We still have that, right? But being able to really help women to understand that we have a right to be here as well. Like in the musical, Hamilton, “I wanna be in the room where it happens.” We're supposed to be in the room where it happens. As a matter of fact, we're gonna start creating those rooms, and we're gonna invite YOU in. 

Carlos Huereca 

I love that. 

Kiera DesChamps 

So that's important. And then just the diversity and equity inclusion, just making sure there's space for everyone and if there's not space right now, making sure there's some type of succession or some type of path so that you can get there. 

Carlos Huereca 

I love that. I often say that it's not just about having a chair in the room, but having a voice in the room. To empower women. I guess being from an underrepresented group, I feel the same about having the right representation in the boardrooms and senior leadership roles. So I certainly appreciate your perspective and your impression. 

Kiera DesChamps 

Oh yeah. Absolutely. 

Carlos Huereca 

Well, Kiera, thank you for your time. This has been a great episode. We appreciate it and we look forward to seeing all the contributions that you're going to have for the business. 

Kiera DesChamps 

Thank you. I'm so excited. We have to start a women's leadership / mentorship program. 

Tiffany Vine 

I love that! 

Carlos Huereca 

Let's do it. 

Kiera DesChamps 

Thank you so much for having me and I'm looking forward to everything else that comes.