I grew up in my family’s Irish Pub, and among other things (I’ll let your imagination fill in) it taught me that people, well, are human. This was such an important realization at a young age and ultimately became the foundation upon which I built my career.

Right out of Providence College, I headed to Amica, a leading national Insurance company. As part of their management track I learned the importance of customer service and taking care of people. When you have genuine care for the people you serve and the team you serve with, it can make a huge difference to the company culture, customer relationships and bottom line. I remember holding a homeowner’s hand after they had lost their home to a fire, and how customers and the general public alike, came out of the woodwork to not only acknowledge me for the gesture, but Amica for the culture and values it upheld.

My time at Amica also taught me the importance of evolution and not being blind to what needs to change—just because something worked well in the past does not mean it’s still the best solution available. It taught me to dig a little deeper.

After holding a leadership role at Amica, I decided to explore a different side of the Insurance Industry, known as Disaster Restoration. I started as a Sales Manager at ARS Restoration Specialists, focused on Business Development. In a short period of time I became the Director of Sales and Marketing and first woman on the company’s Management Team. During my fourth year with ARS, I was appointed the Chief Operating Officer. My first act as COO was to go to every office and talk to employees in every position (the origin of “The Riehl Method”). I found out what worked and what didn’t —my only requirement was that if you had a complaint about a current process or problem, it had to be followed by a potential solution. We slowly shifted the culture from blame and silos, to transparency and common goals, aligned personal performance with company performance and eliminated fear by implementing Change Without Blame.

As part of the shift, I identified hidden gems, and promoted them from within. I was able to show the women within the organization that there was a seat for them at the table, ultimately resulting in a management team made up of 50/50 men and women.

During that organizational and cultural shift, our team was able to drive operational growth, yielding an exponential increase in revenue and net profitability from 2016 to 2018. I learned that compassion and dialogue, what sometimes could be considered “soft” in the business world, actually had a measurable impact on the bottom line. The achievement of these financial milestones positioned ARS to be identified as a premier acquisition target.

In my 3rd year as COO, the owner of ARS was presented with an offer to sell his business that he couldn't refuse. This transaction would include making our ARS executive team the executive team for the acquiring company, RESCON. Seeing our company through an acquisition, taught me the importance of leadership’s role, and how critical it is to seek the perspective of every level in order to cultivate a culture of productivity, harmony and profitability.

Today, with my own consulting firm, I am dedicated to delivering these invaluable insights and tactics through The Riehl Method. I wholeheartedly believe that people can enjoy being a part of something bigger than themselves, and every member of the team can act as an owner would if given the right tools.