On the latest episode of TheEdge, our host, Leslie Vickrey, ClearEdge Marketing CEO and Founder, is joined by Kara Rogan CEO of Co-Worx Staffing. The pair discuss Kara’s path from VP to CEO, what exactly bone deep self confidence means, and the importance of balancing being a high performer while not being a perfectionist, especially as your children are watching and learning from you.

Kara began her career at Adecco, but has spent the past 17 years at CoWorx Staffing Services. After college, she stumbled on the staffing industry through a friend and began her career. After finding success and a passion for the industry at Adecco, she was approached by CoWorx to join their team. She took the leap and joined them at a pivotal time when the company was going through a re-brand and many internal changes. She began as a Director of Sales and Operations in a small market, but has slowly moved her way up to her role today as newly appointed CEO. As for advice for young women wanting to rise up to the C-suite, Kara says, “always raise your hand” which will open you up to new experiences and opportunities. 

As Kara continued to climb the corporate ladder, she began to engage with an executive coach to support her growth. Through their work together, Kara learned a term ‘bone deep self confidence’ which she shared with Leslie. It is not a term that is about self worth, but rather about being confident in your work because you know you are doing the right thing. This concept along with the idea that you do not have to be an expert in everything, has really helped her build self confidence through the years. 

While both Kara and Leslie are CEOs, they have another important job they discuss in today’s episode, being a mom to their kids. Leslie asks Kara about how you balance the importance of being a high performer, without falling into the perfection trap, especially when it comes to your kids. Kara’s shares that while she has made many mistakes figuring out what works for her family, she has found success in not pushing them in the areas that they are already hard on themselves. Instead, building the kids up in those areas. They share stories and examples of ways they have seen this play out, lessons they have learned, and how they will continue to implement these concepts at home. 

These are just a few of the topics that the pair talk about during their conversation. They talk more about how an executive coach can support you in your role and growth, the importance of health and wellness for your team,  what excites them most about the future of the staffing industry, and more.