About Calli
Calli Adamson Bakken is an expert in employer brands. After 15 years in human resources and HR tech, she is taking a leap of faith into uncharted waters—her company, Wiggle Work, is on a mission to make workplace childcare exciting and approachable. No stranger to disrupting HR, Calli leads the DisruptHR event in Minneapolis/St. Paul and hosts a weekly LinkedIn Live, HR Breakfast USA, with her friends Sam Eaton and Toby Kheng. When she’s not working you can find her walking her westies F. Scott and Zelda, educating on life as an axolotl owner, or simply soaking in family life with her husband and four-year-old son.
Q: What will you be speaking about at DisruptHR?
A: I will be speaking about how we can better support our employees with young families.
Q: Why are you passionate about this topic?
A: The family life hit hard and fast. My first day post maternity leave fell halfway through the initial two-week COVID shutdown. To complicate matters, we were just scratching the surface of health concerns that led to a very uncomfortable and unhappy baby. Fast forward four years, we are in a great spot but my eyes have been opened to the challenges parents face as they manage their family, career, and stressors relating to each.
Q: What general business advice do you have for readers out there?
A: Your employees are your most valuable differentiator. When you create an environment where they feel valued and invested in, you will be amazed at what is possible.
Q: Can you share a specific experience that has significantly shaped your career?
A: It’s hard to think of one specific experience. I often refer to myself as a builder because most of the positions I’ve held didn’t exist before I held them. Now that I’m embarking on my own entrepreneurial journey, this feels like the most significant opportunity that I don’t take for granted.
Q: How do you stay motivated and inspired in your professional journey?
A: Impact is my most significant motivator. Reflecting back on how I fell into HR, it makes a lot of sense. FOUNDER, WIGGLE WORK I realized that if I can help shape a workplace where people feel good, productive, and accomplish amazing things, then I’ve contributed to something really meaningful.
Q: What do you think are the key traits of successful leaders today?
A: Empathy, self-awareness, adaptability, and foresight. You have to know where you want to take an organization and that only matters if you’re able to create the momentum in your team to get there.
Q: How do you handle setbacks and challenges in your career?
A: There’s a lot of nuance in any honest answer to that question. I’m learning that determining when to power through versus pivot can be really hard. Especially in the Midwest, where we place so much value on work ethic, it can be really hard to walk away from something that no longer serves you. I was once gifted a mug from a supervisor, now friend, that said “Keep Your Eye on the Prize” and that’s really the best way to describe my approach. Where do I want to get and how is this helping me get there?
Q: What advice would you give to young professionals looking to make an impact in their field?
A: Be a sponge. The more you learn and ask questions, the more doors will eventually open because you’ve built an incredible toolkit.
Q: How do you maintain a healthy work-life balance?
A: Honestly, my track record isn’t great but I’m trying to do better. Being present as a parent is really important to me. Most of my goals around work-life balance are around what I need to do so that I can show up in the ways I want to show up for my son.
Q: What are some emerging trends or technologies that excite you the most?
A: I’m really excited about everything happening in employee analytics and data right now. Historically, our industry has been a bit behind the times but it’s exciting to see traction. Our employees are our customers; we should be looking to understand them just as thoroughly as we do our customers.
Q: How do you approach personal and professional growth?
A: A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one. I think I’m a solid embodiment of the second half of this quote. I think consistent growth is really important. Sometimes it’s something that directly ties to work and sometimes the connections become more obvious later. Either way, growth is something I value highly; it’s incredibly rewarding when old and new knowledge converges to create new possibilities.
Q: Can you share an example of a project or initiative that you’re particularly proud of?
A: Bringing DisruptHR back to Minneapolis, in a short timeframe, and in such a significant way was a real highlight. It’s going to be hard to top that!
Q: What qualities do you believe are essential for fostering a positive workplace culture?
A: Trust, empathy, and communication. You aren’t always going to be on the same page or have the perfect solution. It’s healthy to acknowledge that and vital to remember the human elements. Relationships die when there’s no room for healthy, imperfect dialog.
Calli Recommends
I am obsessed with The Brainy Business. Melina Palmer is an applied behavioral economist talking about the intersection between psychology and business. She has incredibly accomplished guests and tangible takeaways.
