360-Degree Wake-Up Call: The Feedback That Changed Everything

Now that I’ve established that I’m doing this blog thing, let me start by sharing a little about myself and how I came to be where I am today. Spoiler: it wasn’t exactly a straight line.

For a variety of reasons, the “traditional” college experience wasn’t in the cards for me. But what I lacked in a college degree, I made up for with determination, grit and a knack for seeing around corners. At 19, I landed my first “real” job at Paychex—a bright-eyed kid with no idea what lay ahead but ready to take on the world.

Here’s the funny part: I got the job because of high school algebra. During the interview process, they handed me a piece of paper with 45 math questions and gave me 15 minutes to complete as many as I could. They made it clear that no one finishes all the questions—accuracy mattered more than speed.

10 minutes later, I handed in my test. The receptionist asked if my pencil had broken. “No,” I said, “I finished.” She didn’t believe me. Then the hiring manager came out, grinning, and said, “You’re hired.”

I walked out that day certain of one thing: I was going to work for Paychex for 30 years and retire at 49. Turns out, life had other plans.

"I walked out that day certain of one thing: I was going to work for Paychex for 30 years and retire at 49. Turns out, life had other plans.."

My first role was as a Payroll Specialist. Honestly, I wasn’t great at it. After a couple of years, my husband (JB) and I decided to explore the country. We landed in Greensboro, NC, where I took a Client Service Representative (CSR) position.

For context, Payroll Specialists manually key in payroll hours all day. CSRs support clients in using the system—a role that suited me much better. I mastered the system and was quickly able to walk clients through any element from memory. I felt like I’d found my groove.

That success led to a promotion to Regional Trainer for the Mid-Atlantic. This was where I discovered a perfect intersection of my skills and passions. I was responsible for training new employees across five branches and conducting ongoing training for others. I knew the system inside and out and felt primed to excel.

Let's pause there and rewind for context. My mom passed away when I was three, leaving my dad to raise me as a single father. He had (and still has) a very clear sense of right and wrong. That black-and-white perspective was deeply ingrained in me.

"That black-and-white perspective was deeply ingrained in me."

Every performance review during my first five years at Paychex included comments like:

Lori is too black and white.

Lori’s tendency to see things in black and white causes conflict with her peers.

Lori needs to understand she can’t hold others to the same standard she holds herself to. That is not her place.

Frankly, I’m surprised they promoted me to Regional Trainer with that feedback. Looking back, I might have been the only candidate.

Six months into the role, I attended a national training in Dallas, TX. Paychex brought in a leadership development coach, Mike Cook, to facilitate 360-degree evaluations. I thought it would be just another training… until Mike handed me my evaluation.

In summary, it read:

Lori is super smart. She knows the system better than anyone I’ve ever met. And… she’s a bitch.

She doesn’t understand that I’m late to trainings sometimes because I’m stuck on the phone with a client.

She doesn’t adjust her training classes to fit our needs but expects us to adjust to her.

First, I cried. And that’s something I rarely do. Then I processed. Then I cried and processed some more.

You’ll have to wait for my next blog post to learn how I got myself from that conference room to CEO of PayNW over the course of the next eight years.  But for now, let me leave you with this: Feedback is a gift, especially if it’s bad. It’s an opportunity to learn, grow, and redefine who you want to be.

"Feedback is a gift, especially if it’s bad. It’s an opportunity to learn, grow, and redefine who you want to be."

See you in the next post! 

Gratefully,