Career Spotlight: Jamie Goodloe

Tell us about yourself – your name, company, title, and responsibilities?

I’m currently a lead consultant at Riskonnect and have been here for almost three years. In this role, I’m able to utilize my 15 years’ experience of being a practitioner to support companies of all sizes and industries in all areas of business continuity, disaster recovery, crisis response, third-party risk management, etc. My diverse experience across each of the individual practices gives me a unique and holistic perspective when building out programs to create synergies, efficiencies, and a general increase in program and tool awareness and ROI.

How did you get into the business resilience industry?

It seems many of us in my generation were introduced to the BC industry in the same way. I was minding my own business, performing an IT governance role and when the BC team came to us and indicated that while our DR plan was top notch, we needed to document a BC plan for the IT organization. Of course, since I was the newest girl on the team, I was volunteered. I tease my former colleagues that they meant to assign this body of work to me as a sort of rite of passage as the newest member of the team, but little did they know they were sparking my passion for all things continuity. The rest is history as they say, and I’ve never looked back!

Have you had any mentors? Describe the effect they have had on your career.

I cannot stress enough the value of having mentors. I’ve had many throughout the years and each has impacted my life, perspectives, and career in more ways than I could ever imagine. I think it’s important to have mentors who are not only your cheerleader, but also challenge you to step outside of your comfort zone and hold you accountable to the goals you set. Most of my mentors have now become my close and personal friends because of the bonds that were formed throughout the process.

What are some lessons learned you still leverage today?

I often wonder if other industries are as unique as this one such that the more you learn, the more you realize there is to learn. My absolute favorite part of this industry is that you get to learn about and impact literally everything a company does. And just as soon as you think you have the practice mastered for an industry or company, you switch gears, companies, leaders, etc. and find there’s more to learn and apply.

So, to speak about the lessons I’ve learned over the years is that there’s no reason to be bored. There are a multitude of types of work and things to learn or master and a BC professional should never need to be in a position where they are bored, unhappy, or not challenged – there is always something new and different to do in the community.

What aspects of working in this industry would you like to see change or evolve?

When I started in this industry, it honestly felt a bit stagnant. A BIA was a BIA. A plan was a plan. And a crisis response was a crisis response. Over the past five years, the world has thrown us more “black swan” events than ever that have forced us to challenge the status quo and think of new ways to keep resilience top of mind. With the increase in pandemics/epidemics, severe weather, social tensions, geopolitical threats, these red binders we spilled blood, sweat, and tears on very quickly went out the window and teams started coming to us more and wanting something effective that will actually be used. That’s turned our industry on its head and sent us back to the drawing board. I love the collaboration, sharing of best practices, and general forward movement that has brought to an industry that was getting a bit dry.

I’m excited to ride the innovation wave, challenge myself to learn of new threats and new ways to think about how we respond to and prepare for these. Business continuity, resiliency, or whatever we’re calling it these days is now a fast moving and exciting career to have. I’m glad I stuck it out.

What types of formal training and certifications have you pursued, and what kinds of learning and networking opportunities are you seeking to continue your professional development?

With this profession, everything is in scope. We are interacting with senior leaders and the C-suite some days, and others rolling up our sleeves to walk through a manufacturing site with the operational employees the next. Obviously, I’ll recommend the standard certifications from BCI and DRI, but I would also say, everyone in this field would benefit from developing their soft skills. Things like how to develop effective presentations, establishing and managing relationships throughout your company, effective ways to overcome objections, etc. Job specific skills are helpful, but much of what many of us have to do outside regulated industries is closer to sales and marketing, so those are areas of development I recommend folks focus on to be successful. Additionally, having those soft skills will lead to better networking and that is another huge key to success in this industry in particular.

What gets you excited about your career?

BC touches everything and the options are endless. I made the decision to become a consultant because I have a passion for really getting into learning and understanding a company and building them a very specific and customized program to support … and then starting over and doing that again. Being a consultant has allowed me to explore other industries I’ve not worked in, and this is incredible. I get to test and sharpen my BC industry knowledge, all while learning how different companies operate.

There are pros and cons to working directly for a company versus being a consultant, and I do recommend that if given the opportunity in your career path to venture out of the comfort zone and try all options to see what’s the best fit. Consulting is fast paced and demanding, but the insights and experience you gain in a role like this are invaluable!

What advice would you give to those embarking on a career in this industry?

Network. Network. Network. For one, this industry is incredibly small and niche. Knowing people is going to be the best key to help you find the best jobs. Additionally, we all do the same stuff and are impacted by the same crises, regulations, auditors, etc. If you’re going through something, someone else in the industry has already gone through it, and wouldn’t it be nice to have a “phone a friend” list you can refer to when you need some recommendations on where to start? Go to conferences. Walk the vendor booths. Sit at a table with people you don’t already know and exchange business cards. Attend local user groups and do the same. Establish a network and get known in the industry – it pays off both personally and professionally.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Melissa Muniz

Melissa Muniz is a driven professional with a respected presence within the business continuity and disaster recovery field. She utilizes more than 15 years of experience to build, enhance, and align continuity programs to meet the recoverability needs of the business. As a resilience consultant, Muniz uses her real-world experience to help clients solve problems related to recoverability, crisis management, incident response, and engagement throughout the various levels within a company’s organization.