As I reflect on the close of the fiscal year and my first year at Pure Storage, Career Week is still fresh on my mind. From the quality of discussions, commitment from our leaders, and engagement from our talent, it truly was a superb experience. As we roll into Q1 and set our sights, I wanted to recap the week and its connection to driving meaningful talent development experiences, readiness, and organizational success.
Ultimately, both talent and organizations are measured by performance and results. Additionally, both have an appreciation for the experience that the journey provides, especially when ambitions are achieved. This is key. Communicating and crafting a plan to achieve ambition (company or career) is where the magic happens.
For organizations, this is called strategy. For talent, this can be categorized as an intentional development plan. (Think of it as a strategy to achieve ambition from a talent perspective.) Will it be perfect? No. Will it evolve over time? Yes. Does it take a village to achieve? Yes!
Career Week 2023 gave me every indication that we’re on the right track.
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“This is a way of life at Pure.”
That’s what I said to myself after my first Career Week at Pure. For a big company in a highly technical space, our career week felt really human.
We’re maturing our talent management philosophies as a company, and I felt that come across through the sessions and how attendees showed up. Also, the curriculum was tailored to feedback from our internal Pulse employee survey. We heard employees want to understand how to get ahead, so we leaned into that. That means the focus couldn’t be on just training but real progression.
Thus, each session was designed to offer candid, actionable advice and value:
Unleashing Growth with Rebecca Friese
How we started the week: With some deep breaths, both feet on the ground, and this awesome session with Rebecca Friese, founder of FLYN. The chat was on fire during this call—in a great way. Rebecca drilled down responses and questions to hit on what was most valuable to the group:
- How to limit beliefs, stay open-minded, and be intentional
- How to use feedback as a source of growth and a gift
- Practicing gratitude and mindfulness, especially amidst lots of multitasking and context-switching
- A framework to sort out what feedback is valuable and how to apply it
The Secret Sauce to Advancement Panel
What did I learn from hosting this panel? That our leaders here at Pure truly walk the walk. The panelists—Andy Martin, Shawn Hansen, and Mona Chu—all were candid about their own successes and challenges and shared some anecdotes I think everyone at Pure should hear. We touched on everything from the “Say:Do Ratio” and staying open to feedback to finding mentors and sponsors while building your personal brand.
Grow Your Internal Network with Niki Armstrong
Niki’s networking session was all about expanding the borders of your own personal map to open up your world to new projects, new resources, and experienced mentors. Her message: Real networking doesn’t just include your organization, it includes your entire industry. (And, yes, other companies.)
When one attendee asked how to be more authentic and vulnerable in these networking opportunities, Niki’s advice was simple (and very Pure): “Be humble. Being authentic and vulnerable is also about being yourself.”
Check out the HUB Page for more (link for internal Pure employees only).
Thank You for a Great Career Week
“The panel discussion was mind-blowingly useful.”
“A true differentiator for Pure to be celebrated.”
“Authentic storytelling and great advice.”
The feedback speaks volumes, but it’s what employees brought to the sessions that made them impactful. Thank you to the Pure team for your engagement and part in making Career Week what it was.
Here’s to a fantastic year!
Read more about Pure’s own Jason A. Riley
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