A One-on-One Interview With A Talent Development Professional, Alycia Angle

I was nervous, with the oh-so-classic and resonant fear of not sounding prepared enough, smart enough, or skilled enough. Once Alycia appeared on my screen, however, I knew I would be in good hands, and my fear vanished.

Alycia Angle, Talent Development Partner at Texas Instruments, has an incredible story of how she was introduced to the world of talent development and professional coaching in the workplace. Coming out of a less-than-perfect job at a marketing company during her first years after college (check out this episode of the 20/20 Perspective podcast for her full story), Alycia quit and spent the next year traveling throughout Asia. She learned that a job should not make you miserable, and in fact, your company should empower you to be the best, most confident employee you can be. When Alycia returned to the U.S., she completed a Masters in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and began her journey in the Human Resources field. Alycia now coaches executives, conducts talent reviews, and uses data-driven strategies to find the next leadership talent in her company. 

I don’t know about you, but even writing about her career makes me tingle with excitement- how cool is she that she gets to empower others at work, FOR WORK?

During our conversation, I was struck by the ease and comfort in which Alycia spoke. Given that she helps others gain strength and leadership in public speaking and presentations, I shouldn’t have been surprised, but while we talked, she deftly turned the tables on the interview, asking about me and what my dreams/goals were. 

Alycia left me with more wisdom than I ever could have imagined receiving in our conversation, but she shared five pieces of advice that truly stuck out. I did not know I needed to hear this, but boy, am I so grateful I was there to listen.  

1. One of the highest value skills in this field is the ability to build true connections, relating quickly and authentically to others. 

“You never know where a relationship or connection will lead you,” Alycia says, “so you might as well keep connecting and learning from them and yourself.” Alycia explained that she connects with at least one new person a week since she never wants to stop learning from others. The “hard” skills in Talent Development and HR (Excel, PowerPoint, pivot tables, V-lookup, surveys, etc.) are important for gathering data on employees and clients, but telling a story with the data is ultimately the most important part of the job, especially when you’re looking for the next leader in your company.

I needed to hear that the “soft” skills are needed just as much as the hard skills in this field.

2. There is always room to grow and do more.

Alycia shared that it is important to keep growing and learning in her work, whether that's connecting with new people, building new skills, or developing more areas of expertise. Even as a Mid-Level Master (my title, not hers!), Alycia explained that she doesn’t feel like an expert in her work because of an ever present hunger for more knowledge.

I appreciated hearing that my learning won’t stop if I don’t want it to. I feel comforted knowing that I will always have control over what I want to learn, even as I get better and better at my job.

3. Your hobbies can be work-related, but they don’t necessarily have to turn into work - unless you want it to. 

Alycia has some pretty cool stuff going on for her on the side too. She is a podcast host on the 20/20 Perspective with my boss Dan Newman, she is a coach, and has even emceed a TEDx event, sharing stories and motivating interactions with the audience between speakers. Alycia has developed herself as not only a person with a job, but a person with a true, well-rounded identity that shapes her outgoing, witty personality. Her hobby work is similar to her job; she speaks on failure on her podcast, holds deep conversations with individuals looking to personally grow, and does public speaking for fun. 

I was very happy to hear that Alycia still finds time for hobbies that are similar to her work, but for pleasure. It got me thinking… maybe I’ll try to host a TEDx event. Future Alycia/Margo collaboration? 

4. You might not find everything you want in ONE job, but you always have the chance to find more jobs with the other stuff you want.

This piece of advice changed my entire perspective on finding a job in HR/Employee Engagement. 

Before our interview, my plan was to find the perfect job, one where I could be the person who creates “fun” in the office with training, events, and workshops for employees. I also wanted to be able to travel a lot, have a work-life balance, and also have room for growth in the company. Oh, and leave on Fridays at 2 pm so I can work on my Instagram influencer side hustle. 

Yeah. I’m now seeing how this is a little unrealistic. I definitely needed to hear that.

Alycia pointed out that you are not supposed to have your dream job out of college, or even your third or fourth job as a working adult. “Each job will have its merits,” Alycia shared, “and their challenges. You have the choice -granted stability and savings- to change jobs if you want to, to find that next checkmark on your list of criteria for the perfect job.” That is what Alycia had done throughout her career, especially after her marketing job in her 20s. She had continuously sought out opportunities that are on her list of wants, not being afraid to move between companies and jobs to experience what motivated her the most. 

And Alycia’s final piece of advice?

5. “Follow your own energy, and you’ll start to find patterns.”

Alycia told me that every week I should write down what went well this week and why, whether it was in my job, my personal life, or anywhere in between. She explained that through this practice, I will start to find patterns in what I truly value in my work and find the energy that guides me each day. Following that energy will lead to me success, happiness, and joy in most of what I do. 

It was apparent from the interview that Alycia follows her energy, but she surprised me when she shared a sneak peek at what her energy is telling her: to start a business meshing her passions for travel, learning, and fitness with working professionals in international retreats designed to re-inspire people in their work and come back to their jobs with fresh energy. 

Wow.

Alycia’s creativity reminded me that my dreams do not have to fit in the little box I have decided they need to cram into. It takes a Mid-Level Master to know that you are allowed to make decisions for yourself, learn constantly by growing, and empower others throughout the process of empowering yourself.

My conversation with Alycia helped me understand my potential, inspiring me to never look at my life as stagnant or incapable of adventure, validating me in my professional choices.

By sharing her determination of opportunity, and bringing her heart to our conversation, Alycia reminded me of why I want to join this work in the first place: to meet people like her.

So how can you meet Alycia? Email her at Hello@alyciaangle.com, find her on LinkedIn, or check out her on Instagram at @leashdawg.