In our inaugural column featuring interviews with industry leaders, we talk with Beth Delano, Chief Operating Officer of Paramount Staffing. Beth spoke to Diane Doyne, TerraFirma Vice President of Client Services.
Q: What’s the first thing you do every day when you wake up?
Last year I started a fantastic habit: meditating for 10 or 15 minutes when I wake up every day. I’m not saying is started because of COVID, but it just coincided with that. It’s been a good centering for me personally. It just gives me that few minutes, and then I think about what I have to do that day. Then I jump out of bed and get my coffee.
Q. Who is the most important person you talk to every day?
I don’t think there’s any one person who is most important. Really, I try to align with the person in front of me at the time. When you’re talking with someone at work or in your personal life, you need to be present in that conversation, so that person knows and understands how important they are to you in that moment. I really work hard to be present in every conversation.
Q. What new tools or activities have you recently discovered that you can’t live without?
That’s easy: Microsoft Teams. I couldn’t live without Teams now. Way to go, Microsoft! It’s just been such a great tool, and I like that it’s incredibly easy to connect with everyone instantly. If you think about it, it really has kept us socially connected. The video portion of it makes a big difference—not that I always like looking at myself and seeing what I look like—but it does make interactions more personal. I know there are discussions around whether you should turn on your video every time…there are very few times that I don’t turn my camera on, and I never use a fake background, because it is what it is!
Q. Any lessons learned from 2021?
For me, the lesson was that life is changing around us all the time. It’s going to happen. You can’t control it. So, life isn’t a race. And you would think for somebody my age, I would have learned that lesson years ago, especially having kids and all that goes with that. But I honestly just learned that lesson! We can take our time—it isn’t a race. And until I got to that point last year, I don’t think I was being present for people, like with my kids or at work, as much as I should have been, because I was always thinking of the next thing, moving ahead. We all have a limited time here, and I made the decision that I’m going to work to live and I’m not going to live to work.
Q. What makes you hopeful about the future?
I’ve been hopeful the whole time! Maybe it’s ignorant bliss…but I’m hopeful because there’s so much good. I believe in people and I have a God, and I’m just astounded by nature around me. Just everything gives me hope. I firmly believe that people are good and want to do good. I think in the staffing industry, that’s just part of our DNA. I’ve said this a thousand times: the moment that I stop believing in people, I’ll just need to go home. The belief that people are good and the world is a beautiful place keeps me healthy.
Q. How do you spend your spare time?
I’m not sure what 2022 is going to be in terms of my spare time. I moved to Chicago from Louisville, and during the summer here, there are so many outdoor activities. And then, all of a sudden, Chicago basically closes when it starts to get cold, and everybody goes inside! So, I’m learning to play tennis (which I can do indoors). I also spend time with friends and family, including my wonderful granddaughter. And I love to cook—I cook full meals almost every night, from scratch. I try new recipes constantly; red curry one night, a new pork chop recipe the next. It’s very therapeutic!