Meet the BuildHERs: Kimberley Dayton
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While eating a bowl of cereal at her kitchen table, Kimberley Dayton asked herself a question that would shape the rest of her leadership career.
“What matters more, my discomfort or their success?”
Early in her career, Kimberley was avoiding a difficult conversation with an employee she had known before becoming their manager. She was uncomfortable and had delayed it as long as she could. But that morning, she made a choice. “Either you care enough to have the conversation, or you don’t.”
Kimberley had the conversation, and it transformed how she viewed leadership. Instead of treating difficult feedback as something negative, she learned to approach it as, “I care enough about you to have this conversation.” The experience ultimately created a more trusting relationship. Decades later, she and that former employee are still in touch.
Now vice president of operations at Intake Solutions of America, Kimberley has spent more than three decades building people-centered organizations through coaching, empathy and strategic systems. She’ll bring that experience to BuildHER as a member of the Women Leading in Charlotte executive panel.
Kimberley would also like to retire one classic piece of leadership advice: “Never let ’em see you sweat.” She tried being extra tough and hiding every struggle, but “it failed miserably.” Today, she believes allowing others to see the work and tension behind success can build trust.
Her advice for women who want more visibility is refreshingly straightforward. “Share what you’re doing. Share what you’re working on.” That includes the challenges, not only the victories, because, as Kimberley says, “You learn so much in the not winning.”
Join Kimberley at BuildHER on Nov. 13 for the Women Leading in Charlotte executive panel and learn how to advocate for yourself, embrace new opportunities and bet on your potential.
Meet More BuildHERs
Keep getting to know the women of BuildHER through the stories, experiences and unexpected details that make each of them unique.