Participant Spotlight | Hannah Reinhard
Ceresa Community Manager Emily Worthington talks with Hannah Reinhard about her time as a Ceresa Accelerator participant, where she received 1:1 coaching & mentoring that helped her confidence and leadership skills. The Ceresa Accelerator program is an energizing nine-month guided program with self-work, 360 feedback, executive coaching, and a deeply personalized match to a world-class external mentor.
How did you become involved in the Ceresa Accelerator program?
I was accepted into the second cohort for the LBJ Women's Campaign School; part of the program was the Ceresa program. The LBJ Women's Campaign School is a nonpartisan, non-profit organization providing women with the tools and skills necessary to either run for office or to run campaigns. To do either one, you really need to have steadfast confidence in your own ability to lead others. This professional development was integral to the program itself.
What were your top three goals of the program?
The first professional goal I set was to be a campaign manager. I’d worked on campaigns and had leadership roles, but I'd never overseen the entirety of the campaign. During this election cycle, my boss was confident enough of my abilities that he asked me to be his campaign manager. So being a campaign manager is one of my hats right now, and I manifested that with Ceresa.
The second goal I also accomplished; in the upcoming legislative session, I will be serving as my boss's Chief of Staff. That's something that I've known that I wanted for years. When I was first hired, I said: “I want to work for you. I want this to be my career. I need this set of experiences. I'm in it for the long haul.”
I have worked my way up from intern to legislative assistant to senior legislative assistant to currently legislative director, and then it'll be Chief of Staff; I couldn't be happier about it.
At one point, I approached my boss with my 360-degree feedback [from the Ceresa program] after practicing with some of the tools we learned with Ceresa about asking for what we want, and I said: "Sir, I need to have a conversation with you. I need to know if I'm being considered for this role. If I'm not, I am asking you why, because here's validation that I am the best choice for this." He looked and me and said, "Ma'am, of course, you will be my Chief of Staff this folder is unnecessary.” Even though it was unnecessary, I’m still glad l prepared using the Ceresa tools.
The third was important for my overall well-being was to move to a better apartment. I never thought material possessions would make such a like, big difference, but it is nice to come home at the end of the day and see my stuff and be comfy.
If you could use one word to describe your relationship with your mentor, what would it be?
My relationship with Drew [my mentor] was very meaningful; exactly what I needed because it wasn't just professional development that he assisted me with but also personal growth. We were able to share parallels in our journeys in the world of politics, which can be very cutthroat and difficult to navigate. Drew and I are similar in that we didn't have the kind of support system that many people in politics have. The ability to be frank and open with him about my struggles with my family and my lack of a support system was what I needed.
Drew helped me with my confidence. I was open with Drew about suffering from imposter syndrome. Drew helped me to stand up for myself, push back, ask for more compensation, and in general, have the tough conversations I dreaded.
Can you describe a specific professional challenge that your mentor helped you navigate?
I generally struggled to think that I was deserving, and without Drew’s support, I don’t think I would’ve felt good about going to my boss and pushing to be considered for Chief of Staff. It really made all the difference in the world.
[T]he mentorship pairing with professionals in our field and those that can relate to our background really set this experience apart. When we're all young and stumbling around in our twenties, we are looking for guidance, and to have someone that relates to us in the way that we need; that's invaluable.
How was your Ceresa experience different from other professional development experiences that you may have had in the past?
I’ve participated in professional development courses and programs through school and other organizations, but the mentorship pairing with professionals in our field and those that can relate to our background really set this experience apart.
When we're all young and stumbling around in our twenties, we are looking for guidance, and to have someone that relates to us in the way that we need; that's invaluable.
The 360-degree feedback exercise was powerful. You get the chance to deeply reflect and asses your shortcomings and your strengths. I remember taking an evening to review my results and saying to myself: "Okay, I'm going get real with myself."
I mentioned struggling a lot with imposter syndrome, and seeing my colleagues and my friends and my family say: "Well, Hannah's always professional and Hannah's always doing this” and so on… helped me start to bridge that into feeling more confident.
You know I had a 10-year plan to be Chief of Staff; that quickly became a 5-year plan, and now it became a 2-year plan. Everything just moved up so quickly, and I know part of the reason was the Ceresa experience and my boss noticing a change - in how I present myself when I'm speaking on behalf of the office, how I interact with others, how I manage our interns - everything to make him feel confident I'm going be able to lead his office.
What is exciting you most as you kind of move forward post-Accelerator?
I couldn't be happier for the upcoming legislative session. I am looking forward to taking on that mantle as Chief of Staff. You know I had a 10-year plan to be Chief of Staff; that quickly became a 5-year plan, and now it became a 2-year plan.
Everything just moved up so quickly, and I know that part of that was the Ceresa experience and my boss noticing a change - in how I present myself when I'm speaking on behalf of the office, how I interact with others, how I manage our interns - everything to make him feel confident I'm going be able to lead his office.
I’m excited about the professional opportunities that open for me and the trials and tribulations that are going to come all of which will help me to become a better leader.
After Chief of Staff - I don't know - that was my 10-year plan(!) and everything moved so quickly. Running for office has always seemed like a dream; now with the skills, I’ve been given I really feel like the sky's limit. I'm excited for everything that is to come.
What would you say to organizations that are considering sponsoring their employees in the accelerator program?
It's well worth it, and I think this could benefit anyone from early career employees to managers. We aren’t always honest with ourselves, or we’re hypercritical, but Ceresa guides you through this difficult process of taking a step back and looking at yourself holistically.
Early career employees would benefit from the guidance as they consider “What do I want my future to be? What role do I want to play in this company? How should I go forward?”
Managers could benefit by learning how to adjust their leadership style to what their employees need maybe that’s to be a better listener, maybe that’s to be a trusted confidant.
I feel really lucky that this was sponsored by the LBJ campaign school; it was invaluable.