Spotlight on Jill Silloway

I've always believed that you can get a great feel for a company by getting to know the leadership. After joining Redwood over a year ago in our Marketing Department, Redwood's rapid growth signaled all the possibilities that lay ahead; what better way to get the gist of an organization's future than to have a sit-down with a member of the team leading us today?

Chief Financial Officer Jill Silloway joined the Redwood team in September 2014 after developing a close relationship with the company through her background in banking. As a member of Redwood's Executive team, she shared her thoughts with me on leadership and success in a corporate environment:

We started off discussing the most valuable thing Jill has learned from being a part of the Redwood team, at which point Jill told me that "Our core values make us a better business." Focusing on the theme of collaboration, which is reflected in several of the core values, Jill addresses the importance of teamwork. For reference, Redwood's core values are:

• Do one thing really well
• Be entrepreneurial
• Serve those you lead
• Deliver more than expected
• Communicate openly & honestly
• Instill family & team spirit
• Demonstrate integrity & authenticity
• Be nice & have fun 

When it comes to Redwood's second and third core values, the question of leadership and how best to contribute in a leadership position is a frequent concern of any professional. Jill's response to the best way to become a leader is to "Take on the functions of the next position without waiting for a promotion; establish stretch goals. Stretch your comfort zone.", which makes a lot of sense: what better way to grow than to challenge yourself?

Recognizing that stretching is not always comfortable, Jill explains that "Flexibility is a big word to me. Hopefully you're surrounded with flexible people. Focus on the end goal and make sure you agree on that goal. Communication is key."

Lastly, some sound advice on serving those you lead: "Make sure that you coach your team. It's rewarding to see a person's skill set improve. When it does, I win, too!"

Do any of Redwood's core values speak to you? Let us know in the comments!

*Written by Sharae Richmond, Digital Marketing Associate for Redwood Living