Deanna Baumgardner started Employers Advantage LLC in August of 2010 to provide small businesses with a viable option for Human Resources support that fits the specific needs of a small business and non-profits. As a small business owner herself, she understands the impact that having the right resources and support can have on the company and the employees.
Deanna has a HR generalist background and extensive experience in creating and establishing the Human Resources function for a variety of organizations and small businesses. Over the past 14 years, Deanna has built Employers Advantage LLC into an organization of 10 employees supporting clients HR needs across the country. She has also served in a variety of volunteer capacities in her community and continues to be committed to the small business community and providing the support they need.
Company: Employers Advantage LLC
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company
Deanna Baumgardner: I have a solid background in Human Resources and a passion for small businesses, so I combined the two and started Employers Advantage LLC. At Employers Advantage, we provide fractional and outsourced HR support to small businesses and non-profits across the US. We have a team of seasoned HR professionals that take a personal interest in each client that they work with so that we can understand the nuisance and uniqueness of each company we work with and then are able to tailor the HR services accordingly. We strive to provide HR support with our clients, not to our clients.
Can you share a time when your business faced a significant challenge? How did you navigate through it?
Deanna Baumgardner: Certainly the pandemic and working through COVID was a significant challenge that we faced, along with so many other companies. Not only were we dealing with navigating through the pandemic ourselves as individuals with our families, but as a small business and a HR service provider. The impact of the pandemic on HR policies and regulations was really significant so we had to quickly learn all of the temporary regulations that were enacted, determine what each of those mean for our clients and them implement and support them. At the same time, we are getting calls from clients asking how do they conduct layoffs, furloughs and shut downs. If companies don’t have employees, they don’t need HR and then we are losing our business. We also had a pipeline of prospective new clients that all halted and didn’t move forward.
To get through this, I was purposeful and diligent about being the one that was filtering through all of the new information that was getting thrown at us and then breaking that down to the team so they can best support the clients and not worry about missing anything. I maintained all employees on payroll, whether they had work to do or not because we did lose some clients and some clients paused their operations for periods of time leaving us with limited opportunity to support them. I provided open forum and safe spaces for people to talk about what they are experiencing, feeling or thinking about as we all tried to find new ways of functioning. I was very transparent with the team about what may or may not happen with us as an organization given that if our clients are closing and laying off, we can’t be blind to the fact that it could happen here. At the same time, I assured them that I was prepared for a certain period of time to maintain operation and I was open with them about what I was doing to steer the organization in the right direction.
How has a failure or apparent failure set you up for later success?
Deanna Baumgardner: Failure is great because that’s how you learn. I don’t know much this aligns with failure, but one of my favorite quotes is “a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor” – Franklin Roosevelt. That is something that I keep in mind every time we face an obstacle or a challenge to the business. Provided you take the time to reflect on a perceived failure and understand what happened, what you could have done differently, better, etc. It allows you to better prepare for and even foresee and prevent future issues, leading to more success.
How do you build a resilient team? What qualities do you look for in your team members?
Deanna Baumgardner: I think I am pretty lucky here because I think HR people are resilient just because of the nature of the work that we do, so to have a team of seasoned HR professionals in hard times is a real win. The other thing is, one of our Core Values as a company is to Focus on Outcomes. That way we don’t get too stuck in the problem and dwell in the negativity that can happen when you sit in the problem. We are outcome driven and I think people that have that quality and can understand that concept really helps drive resiliency.
How do you maintain your personal resilience during tough times?
Deanna Baumgardner: I stay focused on that quote I mentioned, “a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor” and I keep that in mind. I visualize getting on the other side of the storm and having accomplished the issue in front of me. I also focus on maintaining and supporting both my physical and mental health so that I have a better chance at being able to best support my team.
What strategies do you use to manage stress and maintain focus during a crisis?
Deanna Baumgardner: I go back to our company Core Values, our “Why” of what we do and each individual on the team. Staying focused on the bigger picture, the why and the humans that make all of this possible are absolutely key. Certainly I am human and there are times that it seems unbearable, and that’s ok, but you have to regroup and get back on track and that’s how I do it. I also give myself and the team grace and think about it what’s really important versus what we think might be (or feel) important to us.
How do you communicate with your team during a crisis?
Deanna Baumgardner: I am very transparent with what is happening with the business. At the same time, I ask them what they are feeling, thinking and what ideas they have. So, I am both telling them what they need to hear from me but I am also listening to what their saying.
Even outside of the pandemic, there have been various periods of economic uncertainty outside of our company and we all hear the news or read about layoffs. It’s human nature for anyone to wonder what that means for them and their jobs so I try to pay attention to what’s happening outside of our organization as well and talk to the team about that. I’ve let them know exactly how much cash we have in reserves and that were we are financially so they have one less thing to worry about.
What advice would you give to other CEOs on building resilience in their organizations?
Deanna Baumgardner: It starts with building trust within your organization and showing a genuine interest in the people that you work with. That comes from transparent communication about the growth and strategic direction of the company, paying attention to details and proving that the team can count on you. It’s certainly a lead by example situation. The team will take your lead. If you’re not invested or interested in them or the company, they won’t be either. If they see you invested and interested in the growth and strategic direction of the company and everyone is focused on the same goal, they will take that ride with you.
How do you prepare your business for potential future crises?
Deanna Baumgardner: Cash! This is obviously just one piece of the puzzle, but having a cash reserve to maintain payroll and operations in a crisis is imperative. The other is having protocols and procedures for the business that we can lean on as somewhere to start to determine what to do next.
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned about leadership in times of crisis?
Deanna Baumgardner: People really do feed off of your energy as the leader, so it is important to do whatever you need to do to take care of yourself so you can show up appropriately for the team.
