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Meet McKael Grayson

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Today we’d like to introduce you to McKael Grayson.

McKael, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I graduated college in 2015, I had so many expectations mostly expectations to succeed. I had no idea what my life’s purpose was but I knew that I wanted to change the world. I wanted to make the world a better place, I mean, who doesn’t want to change the world? Five years later, and I still don’t exactly know what I want to be when I grow up, but I’m a lot closer to finding out. My first real job out of college was working at DaVita. I had internships, previously, but my first real, big girl job, making a living, was as an Administrative Assistant. Yup, you heard that right, an Administrative Assistant was my first real job where I felt like my work was making an impact. I felt appreciated and my leaders allowed me to dabble into projects that interested me. I was determined to learn as much as I could in my role and build as many genuine relationships as I could.

My work eventually paid off and I entered into my second role at my company. I worked in Employment Strategy and learned what true grit was. This role challenged me and helped me become a better mentor, strategist, analyst, speaker, facilitator, organizer, creative… the list goes on. That role really helped me add so many skills into my career toolbox, which brings me to my current position, working on the largest strategic initiative at my company. While my career journey is still being written, the skills I’ve gained have been invaluable. Moral of the story: In every role you are serving in, give it your very best because you don’t know who’s watching. Experience takes time and starting at the beginning is part of the process.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My career has been that of trial and error. I wouldn’t describe it as smooth, actually, just the opposite. I’ve felt what it was like to have imposter syndrome. I’ve felt anxious, nervous, and out of my comfort zone, but this has all helped me in my career development. One huge struggle for me was finding my voice. I work on teams with the most brilliant people that sometimes I feel like I don’t belong. I think that I don’t have enough education or that I don’t have enough experience. When I have these thoughts or lack confidence, I remind myself of all of my accomplishments and remember that I’m on the team because I share a different perspective than my colleagues and I was hired to be the voice for others.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
I work at DaVita, a dialysis healthcare company, where we give life to our patients. I am an IT Business Analyst, working on one of the largest initiatives in the company, that will transform our ability to give patient care, through technology. I have the opportunity to train our teammates on new technology and share with our IT teams how we can make the new application a better experience for our clinical users. Like, so freaking cool! Healthcare applications can be so outdated and it’s exciting to work on a team that will allow our nurses, doctors, and patient care technicians to focus on giving more direct patient care.

What sets me apart from most is that I’m always willing to learn and be uncomfortable in order to develop. If I don’t know how to do something, I learn. When I feel out of my comfort zone, I lean in a little more, because I know that that’s the area that I need to develop. I don’t let my lack of expertise hinder me. I will find a way to get the job done. I am so proud to work for a company that considers itself a community first and a company second. When COVID-19 was introduced to the U.S., Our entire healthcare system had a difficult time keeping up with the demand of sick patients. People were losing their jobs and we were all faced with stay at home orders. While some companies could not afford to keep their employees employed, our leaders gave DaVita us an additional $200 on our bi-weekly paychecks to help our teammates financially. They also allowed sick teammates to take paid time off without using their PTO. I love my job!

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Plans for my career future include helping others find their career fulfillment and helping others succeed in their careers. Working for large corporations in a business setting is the way of life for some people. No, it’s not entrepreneurship, but it’s an alternative for most of us and it’s the way many of us make our money. My future includes sharing with others how they can progress in their business careers and making it okay to pursue corporate career fulfillment. I’m looking forward to mentoring others to help them climb the corporate ladder and giving them the tools to do so. It’s okay to work for someone/company if you believe in their “why” and if you feel like your work is contributing to a greater good.

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