SHANNON BAKER-RUFFELL: VP HERITAGE RENOVATIONS WINDOWS & DOORS, TOP 20 UNDER 40 RECIPIENT
We had the pleasure to interview Shannon Ruffell for this article.
Past work experience
Shannon went to the University of Western Ontario where she started in finance and focused in human resources in her second year. She got a role in her field right out of graduation in human resources. She had the opportunity to do everything in her first job which was a good experience. She then moved into insurance where she did human resources. She became the manager and was in charge of all of Ontario and Hawaii, where she grew human resources in those two environments. She then moved to Toronto and worked as a consultant in human resources for small to medium sized organizations for six years. She was able to work with a range of companies from those who didn’t have any policies which had to be built from ground up, to large companies without a specialist. She learned more in this role than if she stayed at one company. As a consultant, she saw many different industries, saw what worked and didn’t, and tried out different specialties. Next she worked at a fortune 500 company where she was in charge of human resources for all of Canada. This was the first time she worked with a U.S. team, and was able to see their perspective and advocate for the Canadian perspective. She then purchased a small business with her brother in London and have been in business for the past 6 years. Her business experienced explosive growth, tripled the amount of employees, and expanded their facility. She utilized her career experience and used metrics analysis, forecasting, and trend analysis in her business. She also took lessons from her career and adapted them for this entrepreneurial role.
Why HR?
Human resources touches all departments, whereas other industries are siloed to their own department. It allows you to hear the issues other departments have. Human resources will allow you to be successful in any type of role, in or outside of human resources.
What was the most unexpected obstacle you had to face in your career?
In her current role as an entrepreneur, it is a very male dominated industry. Through her efforts she was able to change the face of what a successful entrepreneur could look like in this industry. She continuously proved herself and her company - she won the top 20 under 40 award and her company won seven awards this year. She also created the first window and door collegiate level course with Fanshawe in Canada. She says it is important to not listen to naysayers and critics and believe you’re on the right track.
Do you find it difficult being a female entrepreneur?
She doesn’t feel too strongly about it being difficult for female entrepreneurs. Sometimes people will look at her brother, but many people can pick up on dynamics and recognize a strong female voice. She finds it difficult not only being a female, but also being younger. When they moved their store, a lot of people questioned and doubted them, but they believed in their vision and it has worked out so well for them. You can make it happen even if it didn’t work for someone else who is older.
What did you do to find mentors and build your support team?
Mentors have been very important in her career. She had three mentors who had a significant impact in her career journey. She found people who helped her, shared their vision, and were a part of her journey and successes. She sought out people who shared their life and business experiences. She also sought out people with similar values. This included looking for those who are successful and do things the right way (i.e. integrity based leadership, building the right team, treating people right). As you grow in your career, sometimes the first mentor might not help propel you to the next level. She still stays in touch with every mentor she’s had.
Any advice for students beginning their career journey?
Take risks! When you’re young you might not know exactly what you want to do. Don’t look at the job you want today, but the job you want two or three jobs from today. Ask yourself what are the paths you have to follow to get to this job. You need to pick the job that will propel you to the next level until you get to your end goal. It is important to look ahead and learn as much as you can from every opportunity.
What are the most important skills of effective leaders?
1) Tenacity: Learn to handle harder better. Continue to push through whatever obstacle and learn from it. The most successful people reflect and see what they could have done better, use this to solve the next problem. 2) Integrity: It is important you do things in your career that you never have to second guess. She knows she always acts the same way. Always do right by yourself, your team and your customers.