Wisdom Unlocked 🔓✨ Career Lessons from Leading Women: A Conversation with Jeannine Sommer
- Could you start by introducing yourself — your name and what you do?
Jeannine Sommer — Senior Vice President, Search Quality & Operations and Managing Associate at DSG Global.
I am responsible for implementing firmwide practices and processes, ensuring the continued delivery of quality search work. I am working to build a cohesive, productive team culture that supports the firm in all search execution. I also serve as the resource manager for the corporate and functional practices, acquiring, managing, developing, and supporting recruiting and research resources.
2. How did your career begin, and how did you get to where you are today?
I have been in Executive Recruitment for 28 years, it has been an amazing ride and I have worked internally setting up the Executive Recruitment function at Cablevision as well as at search firms including Bishop Partners, Norman Broadbent, Carlsen Resources, and Diversified Search Group. I have been with DSG for 10 years and have risen through the ranks to obtain a Senior leadership role overseeing search operations and quality for the firm. It took a lot of hard work but I can truly say it was worth it. I have a 20-year-old daughter and when she tells me “Mom, I am so impressed by how far you have gotten in your career and how hard you work” it makes me smile to know how much I have impacted her.
3. How have you seen the workplace shift since you started your career? What are the most significant changes you’ve observed?
The workplace has undergone significant transformations over the past 20-plus years due to advancements in technology and changes in social norms.
The rise of remote and hybrid work has created significant change in the workplace. Technological advancements in collaboration tools and digital communication platforms have enabled employees to work from virtually anywhere. As a result, companies are increasingly embracing hybrid models that allow flexibility in work location.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) — Awareness around diversity, belonging, and inclusion has increased considerably. Companies are increasingly committed to creating diverse and inclusive workplaces, with efforts around gender equality, racial diversity, and equitable hiring practices becoming more prominent.
Generation Shift in the Workforce — Millennials and Gen Z workers now make up a significant portion of the workforce. This generational shift has brought changes in expectations around flexibility, working for a purpose, social responsibility, and career development. Younger generations value purpose-driven work and are more open to changing jobs if their needs aren’t met.
4. Storytime! We’d love to hear about a pivotal moment or decision that shaped your career. It can be a success or a challenge — what stands out to you, and how have you changed because of it?
Attending the Betsy Magness Leadership Institute was game-changing for me and my career. It was an eye-opening experience that allowed me to look at what was most important to me in my career and personal life. The women I met were inspirational and many became trusted confidantes and friends (including Kim Martin). I can honestly say BMLI taught me how to be a leader and to recognize the value of empowering employees rather than micromanaging. I learned how to build trust, provide autonomy, and encourage decision-making at all levels. BMLI also helped me to be a better coach and mentor for my teams.
5. Navigating work-life balance can be challenging and often more difficult for women. How have you managed this throughout your career?
This is a tough one for me, I have always put so much emphasis on my career and how it defined me. I learned along the way that my children and family were too important to put on the back burner, so I figured out a way to take the time needed to spend with them and nurture those relationships. It was not easy and it took me years to figure it out but with the help of great mentors and bosses, I was able to find a way to make it work.
6. We encourage everyone, particularly women, to seek mentorship and guidance from leaders in their fields. Who has been your mentor along your journey, and how have they influenced your career?
I have been lucky enough to have a few mentors throughout my career, the first and most important was my mother, she taught me that being a working mom is ok and that no matter what she would always be there for me. She taught me work ethic and the importance of woman standing on their own two feet. She had a very successful 52-year career and I can not remember a time she was not there for my brother and I.
Ann Carlsen and Tracy O’Such are also mentors of mine they taught me the business of search and how to build relationships with people that will last a lifetime.
Judee Von Seldeneck, Aileen Alexander, Megan Shattuck, and Leslie Mazza are all mentors to me as well. Each teaches me different things about myself, pushing me to learn new ways of doing things and how to be a leader.
I have been lucky enough to still have all of these women in my life and appreciate all they have done for me.
7. What’s one piece of advice you would give your younger self when you were starting?
It is ok to not have all the answers when you are starting out in your career. Life is a journey and everyone’s timeline is different. Allow yourself the freedom to explore and change directions if needed. Trust that the path you take is the one you were meant to be on. I graduated college with a degree in education and thought I was going to be a teacher and I look back now and realize I took a path that was better suited for me.
