{"id":51860,"date":"2022-10-20T11:17:19","date_gmt":"2022-10-20T18:17:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=51860"},"modified":"2022-10-21T11:41:53","modified_gmt":"2022-10-21T18:41:53","slug":"the-road-to-pathshare-hr-services-proves-validating-for-greatamerica-difference-maker-sally-brause","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/the-week-in-imaging-twii\/editors-blog\/2022\/10\/the-road-to-pathshare-hr-services-proves-validating-for-greatamerica-difference-maker-sally-brause\/","title":{"rendered":"The Road to PathShare HR Services Proves Validating for GreatAmerica Difference Maker Sally Brause"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Sally Brause<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The adage \u201cChoose a job you love, and you\u2019ll never have to work a day in your life\u201d has been variously attributed to many sages, led by Confucius, and modified by countless others. Its origin matters not; clearly, it\u2019s wise advice that transcends time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It may be said that Sally Brause retired not long after joining GreatAmerica Financial Services more than 20 years ago, and her \u201ctoiling\u201d days have long since passed. As the director of human resources consulting and the dean of GreatAmerica\u2019s PathShare HR Services offering, Brause has found her professional Xanadu, an unbridled happy place where she loves, not likes, her work. PathShare truly ignited her passion for helping customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs hokey as it may sound, for me it\u2019s really about helping leaders run successful businesses,\u201d said Brause, a 2022 ENX Magazine Difference Maker. \u201cWhen people go to work in an environment they love, doing what they love to do, they\u2019re more productive. And when that happens, everybody wins\u2014the employee, the business, and their clients. And it makes you happy when you go home at night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI help dealers look at it from an organizational perspective, to consider what they want to achieve and show them the right path to take through people, processes and systems. I get to be a part of showing them the way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HR Impact<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brause worked with organizations including Rockwell Collins, The Ertl Company and Glaxo before finding her forever work home at GreatAmerica in 2001. The Coe College and St. Ambrose University graduate began as an HR director for GreatAmerica before going into sales, training and development. That provided her exposure to the dealer community. But when the dealer principals discovered Brause\u2019s background, the conversations invariably turned from financing to HR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t long before Brause communicated her desire to focus on HR and organization development services for the dealer community. Her boss was intrigued by the idea, as it aligned with GreatAmerica\u2019s mission to help drive dealers\u2019 success, so Brause was asked to put together a business plan and present it to senior leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the course of the last 15 years, this focus on helping dealers address their HR and organization development challenges has proven to be Brause\u2019s calling. \u201cI care immensely about the people and the organizations with whom I get to work, plus I have a fairly decent business mind,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brause has benefitted from the wisdom of many industry professionals at GreatAmerica, including Jennie Fisher, the senior vice president and general manager of the office equipment group. \u201cJennie is a role model from an overall leadership perspective,\u201d Brause said. \u201cShe understands the industry and what\u2019s important to our customers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also cited veteran consultant Mike Riordan, who employs a client approach that she feels worthy of emulating. \u201cHe\u2019s able to build a level of trust with his dealers,\u201d Brause noted. \u201cHe has great insight into how to build a business plan and build a model to help customers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personal Touch<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the benefits of the near-normal resumption of business activity is the opportunity to be working in a more face-to-face fashion, which Brause believes is a key to establishing stronger connections with her team and clients alike. Having to touch base with partners through remote conferencing was a necessary evil, but it\u2019s not as impactful as being in the same room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In-person presentations, she says, are more effective at gauging how content is being received. Being on the laptop end of a meeting just doesn\u2019t provide that instant feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI need to be in the room, I\u2019ve got to read the body language,\u201d Brause said. \u201cIt allows me to pick up on the energy. It\u2019s not the same when you have to do a video.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

As 2022 turns to 2023, Brause will be focusing on ways to help dealers find their better business selves, and one of the key initiatives toward that end is implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) within the dealer community. \u201cI\u2019ve been able to see the impact that the system has had on a number of dealers with whom we work,\u201d Brause noted. \u201cBeing able to help dealers in that regard is going to be a strong focus moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continuous education is the key building block for Brause\u2019s personal future growth. She ascribes to the belief that unless you are moving forward, you\u2019re essentially falling behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe must continue to have our foot on the gas pedal and be moving forward, making things better,\u201d she said. \u201cThe challenge for us is how do we keep moving forward, and it comes back to researching, growing and innovating.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the personal side, Brause and her husband, Bill, have been married for 33 years and have two grown daughters, Amanda and Amy. They own a lake home in northern Minnesota, where she loves to enjoy the great outdoors and unwind. Brause also enjoys spending time with her two dogs and catching up with family and friends.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The adage \u201cChoose a job you love, and you\u2019ll never have to work a day in your life\u201d has been variously attributed to many sages, led by Confucius, and modified by countless others. Its origin matters not; clearly, it\u2019s wise advice that transcends time. It may be said that Sally Brause retired not long after joining GreatAmerica Financial Services more than 20 years ago, and her \u201ctoiling\u201d days have long since passed. As the director of human resources consulting and the dean of GreatAmerica\u2019s PathShare HR Services offering, Brause has found her professional Xanadu, an unbridled happy place where she loves, not likes, her work. PathShare truly ignited her passion for helping customers. \u201cAs hokey as it may sound, for me it\u2019s really about helping leaders run successful businesses,\u201d said Brause, a 2022 ENX Magazine Difference Maker. \u201cWhen people go to work in an environment they love, doing what they love to do, they\u2019re more productive. And when that happens, everybody wins\u2014the employee, the business, and their clients. And it makes you happy when you go home at night. \u201cI help dealers look at it from an organizational perspective, to consider what they want to achieve and show them the right path to take through people, processes and systems. I get to be a part of showing them the way.\u201d HR Impact Brause worked with organizations including Rockwell Collins, The Ertl Company and Glaxo before finding her forever work home at GreatAmerica in 2001. The Coe College and St. Ambrose University graduate began as an HR director for GreatAmerica before going into sales, training and development. That provided her exposure to the dealer community. But when the dealer principals discovered Brause\u2019s background, the conversations invariably turned from financing to HR. It wasn\u2019t long before Brause communicated her desire to focus on HR and organization development services for the dealer community. Her boss was intrigued by the idea, as it aligned with GreatAmerica\u2019s mission to help drive dealers\u2019 success, so Brause was asked to put together a business plan and present it to senior leadership. During the course of the last 15 years, this focus on helping dealers address their HR and organization development challenges has proven to be Brause\u2019s calling. \u201cI care immensely about the people and the organizations with whom I get to work, plus I have a fairly decent business mind,\u201d she said. Brause has benefitted from the wisdom of many industry professionals at GreatAmerica, including Jennie Fisher, the senior vice president and general manager of the office equipment group. \u201cJennie is a role model from an overall leadership perspective,\u201d Brause said. \u201cShe understands the industry and what\u2019s important to our customers.\u201d She also cited veteran consultant Mike Riordan, who employs a client approach that she feels worthy of emulating. \u201cHe\u2019s able to build a level of trust with his dealers,\u201d Brause noted. \u201cHe has great insight into how to build a business plan and build a model to help customers.\u201d Personal Touch One of the benefits of the near-normal resumption of business activity is the opportunity to be working in a more face-to-face fashion, which Brause believes is a key to establishing stronger connections with her team and clients alike. Having to touch base with partners through remote conferencing was a necessary evil, but it\u2019s not as impactful as being in the same room. In-person presentations, she says, are more effective at gauging how content is being received. Being on the laptop end of a meeting just doesn\u2019t provide that instant feedback. \u201cI need to be in the room, I\u2019ve got to read the body language,\u201d Brause said. \u201cIt allows me to pick up on the energy. It\u2019s not the same when you have to do a video.\u201d As 2022 turns to 2023, Brause will be focusing on ways to help dealers find their better business selves, and one of the key initiatives toward that end is implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) within the dealer community. \u201cI\u2019ve been able to see the impact that the system has had on a number of dealers with whom we work,\u201d Brause noted. \u201cBeing able to help dealers in that regard is going to be a strong focus moving forward.\u201d Continuous education is the key building block for Brause\u2019s personal future growth. She ascribes to the belief that unless you are moving forward, you\u2019re essentially falling behind. \u201cWe must continue to have our foot on the gas pedal and be moving forward, making things better,\u201d she said. \u201cThe challenge for us is how do we keep moving forward, and it comes back to researching, growing and innovating.\u201d On the personal side, Brause and her husband, Bill, have been married for 33 years and have two grown daughters, Amanda and Amy. They own a lake home in northern Minnesota, where she loves to enjoy the great outdoors and unwind. Brause also enjoys spending time with her two dogs and catching up with family and friends.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":49588,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3626,80,1650,82,84,1638],"tags":[2691],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51860"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51860"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51860\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51877,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51860\/revisions\/51877"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49588"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51860"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51860"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51860"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}