With March being Women’s History Month, PAR is proud to spotlight female leaders within our organization. Throughout the month, we will share inspiring stories to recognize and celebrate the remarkable women who contribute to the success of PAR.
Each of these profiles will explore the unique experiences and perspectives of our women leaders, shedding light on their paths to success. We will explore the challenges they've overcome, the lessons they've learned, and the impact they've had on our organization.
This week, we are proud to present Brooke Maynard. Brooke is the vice president of marketing at PAR.
Who has been the most significant inspiration in your career?
Bowing to the cliché of parental inspiration, I would have to tap my mother, Grace Treadway, as the role model who inculcated those qualities that I have drawn on for the past 20 years of my adult life. Majoring in chemistry in the 1960s, a predominantly male field in that era, opening an environmental laboratory that endured for almost two decades, obtaining licensing in flying and scuba diving, all while balancing the business/family/home relationships that can be so challenging, gave me the foundation for personal growth and satisfaction.
How did this person impact your leadership style and approach?
The path to business success that she embodied was never at the expense of fairness or integrity. Business acumen was never a strategy to circumvent dedication and perseverance. Honesty and open communication with employees, clients, and competitors made up the blueprint of her business and personal philosophy. Coupled with her ability to nurture healthy family dynamics, I have incorporated these values into my own personal and business relationships, and to her, I say thank you.
Share a significant challenge you faced in your career and how you overcame it.
With the Great Recession came large layoffs and many Americans were impacted, myself included. The organization I worked for at the time experienced a significant decrease in their annual funding and because of the shortfall, many us found ourselves suddenly unemployed.
What complicated my specific situation was that I was seven months pregnant. Even the most progressive employers were unlikely to hire me. What might have initiated a longer-than-normal maternity gap, I immediately made a plan and set in motion the opportunities that would give me valuable professional and personal development. I began studying for my APR (Accreditation in Public Relations) and succeeded in receiving my APR certification on my due date.
Shortly after the birth of my second child, I leveraged my relationships within the industry to open doors to several lucrative marketing consulting roles throughout the state of Florida, and yes, the baby came with me. These projects gave me the flexibility to focus on my family but also the ability to stay relevant and broaden my scope as a communications and marketing professional.
Looking back on this period in my life taught me many things. Chief among them was an education in humility. I understood and empathized with others who were unemployed and realized that it’s easy to let life’s unexpected challenges derail you.
Most importantly, I learned that if you find yourself underwater, start swimming.
Do you have an inspiring quote, song, or mantra that you use to remind yourself that you can get through anything?
"One of the most courageous things you can do is identify yourself, know who you are, what you believe in, and where you want to go." - Sheila Murray Bethel
How has resilience played a role in your career journey?
Resilience in the workplace is necessary throughout our career and represents one’s ability to thrive under change. While change can be difficult at times, I’ve always welcomed it as a way to try new endeavors, explore new ways of thinking, or change course.
A career in marketing means constant change as technology and the competition are ever evolving. If you’re not changing, then you’re not growing. And if you’re not growing your products, business can stagnate.
Maintaining a positive and open mindset through times of change has armed me against feelings of fear that change often brings with it. Through this methodology around resilience, I’ve been able to find profound professional satisfaction by facing change head on and solving critical problems with a successful outcome.
What advice do you have for women aspiring to leadership roles?
Any woman seeking a leadership position needs to know they don’t have to change who they are to achieve it. The values and characteristics they have developed and are part of their personal or professional ethos can be very valuable leadership assets to an organization. Take yourself seriously but bring fun to your work. Most importantly, don’t let others allow you to second guess your dreams or become discouraged when your aspirations aren’t immediately achieved.
How do you balance your professional and personal life?
A professional working woman with leadership aspirations and also being a mother of three has often collided. The pull from the corporate world and the guilt that I sometimes felt not being able to be fully present at home often plagued me earlier in my career. The late hours and early mornings coupled with raising three young children presented unique challenges as I navigated the responsibilities I had to my employer and also to my kids.
As I got older, I realized that my values and boundaries needed to be met and I was more vocal with organizations that I worked with around these personal core values. Stating them early in any interview process and reiterating them throughout my tenure has allowed me to maintain a positive work–life balance that allows me to bring my best self to work each day and be the parent and role model I aspire to be at home.
What passions or activities bring you joy and rejuvenate you outside of work?
My family will be and always has been my first priority. I get immense pleasure and pride watching my children take on new adventures and grow into positive and contributing members of their schools, competitive sport teams, and friend groups. I also enjoy traveling and experiencing new perspectives and landscapes with my family and friends.
As a self-proclaimed amateur chef, I enjoy cooking and hosting parties at our home. The nostalgia I feel when making a treasured recipe handed down from my mother or grandmother is a way I show love to those that gather at my table.
An interesting hobby is that I collect $2 dollar bills and have over 300 of them!
Catch up on previous profiles of Kristin Greco, Melissa Messer, and Jaleesa Hardy.