Summary:

What do you do when your subject-matter expert walks out during an acquisition and hundreds of market-sensitive trades are on the line? In this candid conversation, Lauren shares how she shifted from panic to a repeatable playbook—mapping stakeholders, designing smart escalation paths, and preparing teams to operate confidently amid ambiguity. If you’ve ever led through change, this one hits home.

Chapters:

00:00 – Rapid growth, new role, and a brave question-asking culture

03:30 – The crisis: acquisition, trades at stake, and raising the bar for leadership

07:00 – Winning the role… and losing the SME; imposter syndrome hits hard

10:30 – From panic to plan: widen the network, define support, move fast

14:00 – Leading in ambiguity: ask better questions, find the true owners

17:30 – Champions matter: the leader who opened doors (and why that worked)

21:00 – Managing anxiety in high-stakes work: tactics that actually help

24:30 – Stakeholder maps, escalation paths, and the “unexpected” protocol

28:00 – Proactive outreach: how to make first calls less awkward (and more useful)

31:30 – Wrap and where to find Lauren

Host Alexa Beavers: linkedin.com/in/alexabeaverspmp

Guest Lauren Jenkins: linkedin.com/in/laurenhroschjenkins

Executive Producer Jim Kanichirayil: linkedin.com/in/drjimk

Music Credit: "Lost in Dreams" by Kulakovka

I was supported by one particular leader in our location who I reported into in building my network, right? So I, as I got up to speed and started becoming more comfortable with this kind of stuff, she was really helpful in guiding me, here's the next person you should try to get connected with, or trying to get me plugged in.

Alexa Beavers: when chaos hits, most leaders feel the pressure to have all the answers, me included. But what if the real power of leadership is knowing the right questions to ask and seeking out the right people to ask them. In this episode of Transformation Unfiltered, Lauren Jenkins takes us inside a career defining moment, stepping into a leadership role during a high stakes acquisition, only to have her go-to expert walk out the door with hundreds of market sensitive trades on the line, she had to quickly turn panic into a playbook when built on stakeholder clarity, smart escalation, and preparing teams to navigate the unexpected with confidence.

Her focus on cross-functional collaboration and her ability to lead through ambiguity and complexity have allowed her to rapidly scale customer support teams and successfully lead them through acquisitions and multi-year transformation efforts. Lauren is so passionate about career development that she served as a global mobility advisor and also served as a mentor to dozens of employees over the course of her career.

Outside of work, she loves traveling with her husband and spending time with her family. Lauren also enjoys volunteering with the securities industry and financial markets administration to help students learn more about the stock market. I can't wait to hear what Lauren has to say.

Welcome, Lauren to the show. We're so glad to have you here.

Lauren Jenkins: Thanks so much for having me.

Lauren Jenkins: I have spent my career in financial services and somehow found myself entering the financial services job market right around the same time as the 2008 financial crisis was happening. Quite an interesting time starting at a new company. I was at Morgan Stanley, and even just within my first few weeks of being there, it was clear, the turmoil going on internally, just so much uncertainty in terms of what was coming.

Alexa Beavers: I'm just rewinding back to that time in my career I was also in financial services and that was a really hectic time, but that went beyond financial services because it hit almost everybody in the country and beyond. And here you are earlier in your career.

Lauren Jenkins: Absolutely. Quite overwhelming, but I started in a service desk and was supporting client calls and did really well with that role and. Quickly made my way into internal support roles and then ultimately to a new area that we were opening as a result of the joint venture with Smith Barney at the time to support our stock plan business.

And our corporate clients would have the employees of their companies contacting us for support, and it could be things like trading their company shares. So it was my first foray into actual licensed market sensitive type of work. I.

Lauren Jenkins: That's exactly right. So I found myself in this new position. I was learning a lot and. Came up for a promotion to lead the team in Ohio, and I ended up being selected for that position, which was great, but it resulted in one of my key experts that I had worked most closely with actually leaving the firm.

So suddenly I found myself with all this responsibility and not any support, at least not that I could see.

Alexa Beavers: Okay, so you're a young professional. You've always done really well in your roles. You have climbed the ladder and then you move into this new area trading, and you go for kind of a leadership role in that space, you win the role. And then the person that you know you would look to as a subject matter expert leaves,

Alexa Beavers: as you were taking stock of your, new role, tell me a little bit about what kind of was that internal dialogue inside your mind as you were taking stock of what you are now in charge of?

Lauren Jenkins: So part of me was very excited and very much feeling like all of my hard work is paid off. I'm being recognized. Certainly tons of people were cheering for me, but on the other. Side of the coin I was having imposter syndrome. I was very worried that maybe I've gotten myself in over my head and being the person that other people were looking to for expertise at a level that I had not previously been depended on or looked to for.

What would I have noticed if I was hanging out with you at the lunchroom that day? What would I have noticed on the outside?

Lauren Jenkins: That's a great question. I think one of the things that I've always prided myself in, even from the start of my career, was building relationships. And so I had relationships with a lot of people within the team I was managing, and the interactions that I was having around that time were so positive and hearing from people who would say things like, you deserved it.

And so I know that people observed the stress that I was going through, but I really was trying to make sure that I wasn't causing panic in everyone around me.

Alexa Beavers: So you felt a huge sense of responsibility to be able to carry the load and a lot of support around you. Nonetheless, it was a daunting task.

Lauren Jenkins: Absolutely.

Alexa Beavers: Yeah, forgive me if I'm gonna make an observation. You just lit up as you talked about the relationships and how you had people around you that were cheering you on and then you said something about the things you had to do and that was stressful.

Your whole face changed. So tell me a little bit about what was stressful about being in new territory for you.

And so part of it was just volume. There were so many, and I didn't really have people around me that I could pull in on this effort because we were just starting to build out the operation and my experts were really mostly people at my level as peers. And then I lost the one that, that was most knowledgeable in this area.

And so I really found myself trying to navigate this without someone who had been alongside me really teaching me this stuff. As I was coming into this new area and learning these new systems,

Alexa Beavers: a real curve ball for you.

Lauren Jenkins: it really was.

Lauren Jenkins: Yeah, so you know, basically that individual had decided that they didn't see the opportunity in the situation anymore, and it was very sad to see them depart. And then I was just sitting there going, oh my gosh, this is all on my shoulders. I'm going to cause, potentially cause trade losses, I'm gonna get fired.

I was going straight to worst case scenario mode. And then obviously I reached a point where I, I. That wasn't productive. I wasn't getting done what I needed to get done by panicking. So I took a step back and I reached outside of the I Media team that I was working with, and I identified other stakeholders that I was not yet familiar with who could help me and help answer the questions I had.

I was doing the task that was assigned to me, but I was not given the context of who my support system would be in completing that task.

Lauren Jenkins: Yeah, it's, it is a really tough thing and I, in that particular circumstance. I was running out of time

there. There were tasks that I needed to complete and I needed to complete them quickly, and I knew that if I wasted too much time panicking and swirling and not actually getting to the answers that I needed, that I simply was not going to be able to complete the task.

And then we really would have potential, financial implications.

Lauren Jenkins: one of the big things that I have learned as I have continued on in my career is. E, especially working in very large companies like I have, there are often resources out there that you may just not be aware of yet. And when you're first starting out, you often only know the things that are put in front of you and the contexts that are put in front of you.

And as you shift into leadership, it's. Less of following through on what's put in front of you and actually being the one to map that out for other people, figure out who can help you. I think it was an aha moment for me as I was fairly early on in my leadership journey, it's not always going to be spelled out very clearly who you can go to if you have questions.

Alexa Beavers: That takes courage. I think that sometimes, getting to a question instead of having the answers takes a process. So what gave you the big idea to go to somebody and say, do you know? Do you know somebody who does?

Lauren Jenkins: I think part of it was just realizing that the people that I was going to, that I thought had all the answers. Just had the right resources to go to. Yes, there were very knowledgeable people and there were certainly lots of things that they could answer off the top of their heads, but they also felt very comfortable that they had people they could go to and ask or escalate to if they were ever in doubt.

So tell me a little bit about what being a leader during this time for you meant.

Lauren Jenkins: Yes, so I found this to be true during that acquisition and very much so in acquisitions since when you have two. Big companies coming together, and in some cases it's multiple companies coming together. There is always going to be some ambiguity or some confusion that needs to be addressed, and sometimes that isn't discovered until you actually have the conversations and asked the questions.

Alexa Beavers: When you think about the types of questions that were helpful to you along the way, what were they?

And usually, once you know who those experts are, you can throw just about any question that you have at them, and they'll either know the answer or they'll know who else they can connect you with.

Alexa Beavers: I talk to a lot of people who put a lot of weight on themselves to have the answers. What was it like not to have the answers?

Lauren Jenkins: That was absolutely me to a TI think before I encountered the situation is like I need to be the person that has all the answers. And this was a huge learning opportunity for me because. I'm never going to have all the answers, I think is what I finally realized in that moment. I was coming from, I would say, an areas of our business.

Alexa Beavers: That's powerful. I think being tied into the system, the network, the human beings around you and having a little bit of courage to say, I don't have all the answers, do you or do you know somebody that does, can really make a huge difference. When you were doing that, what kinds of things were in place that made it safe to do that?

Because some places you might get reprimanded for not having the answers.

Lauren Jenkins: Yeah, it's a very good point. The situation that we were in was really just a period of rapid growth and so I didn't feel like, I didn't feel like there were, would be negative impacts if I went around and started asking questions because there were a lot of people doing that for a lot of different reasons at that point in time.

To more of the leadership levels. So I would say, where there is support in the organization, it can be hugely helpful, not just at dealing with the task at hand, but also from a personal perspective, having that support to build your network.

Alexa Beavers: Yeah. So not only did you go out and you went out and asked the questions, but you found somebody that had a, was it a different point in the organization, had a different perspective and could connect you in different ways, and championed that a little bit.

Lauren Jenkins: Yes, exactly.

Alexa Beavers: That's great. How did you find that person?

Everybody wants to find a champion, I think, or should try to.

But then you're gonna have some people that give you the answer. They also tell you where to find it, and they tell you who the expert is. You should ask. That's probably somebody I'm gonna keep asking. And I'm also gonna make sure that I am very grateful to that person so that they keep helping me.

Tell me more about what made you so conscientious at that moment?

Lauren Jenkins: Honestly, it's, I'm not sure that I had that kind of clarity at the time. I think as I have moved forward in my career, I've often found myself looking to other people and saying, I really want to emulate, or I really do not want to emulate the behaviors and. Just from a practical perspective, right? I wanna be the person that is giving you all the information so that you can self-service.

Next time you have a question, if you have one or you know who your resource is, like I, I wanna equip you with all of that information upfront rather than you having to come back and keep. Asking more questions, and so it was just natural for me to say that's the kind of person I want to be.

And so that's generally gonna be the kind of people that I gravitate to.

Lauren Jenkins: So I think one of the other pieces that I take away from this and apply to this day is just maintaining composure while also being authentic. So it has to be a balance because. We don't wanna necessarily bring every stressful thing that comes across our desks to our team and say, Hey, you should be stressed about this too.

Alexa Beavers: That's powerful. I think a lot of. Us may in a moment where we're not feeling so composed, really struggle to find the composure, and that can make us feel stiff or not authentic. So any tips you have, whether it's habits or guideposts for folks that are trying to walk that balance between composure and authenticity.

Alexa Beavers: How did you find them? It sounds like they're ingrained in your habits now. Tell me how you found that.

Alexa Beavers: So a little reality checking, and finding yourself where you are not trying to race. I love the idea of coming back to your breath and your body to find, okay. Because it can really feel like an out of body experience when you're panicking.

Lauren Jenkins: It can.

Alexa Beavers: That's powerful. I think that, even the most.

Collaborative of leaders can carry a big weight on their shoulders. And so it's really important to have those kind of ways to ground yourself and help yourself to be at your best. And I'm so glad that you shared that with us.

Lauren Jenkins: Of course.

Alexa Beavers: so walking the line between composure and being authentic, reaching into your network, all of those things probably helped you to get to where you are today.

Can you tell me how that has shaped you as a leader and kind of the three big takeaways you have from those times?

It is one of the biggest things that I stress as a leader is. We're all in this together. If there's something that is on your plate that you're having trouble figuring out, it is on all of us to work together and find the right people to help us get an answer or address the problem. Having a clear stakeholder mapping for the teams, places they can go to escalate.

Being very thoughtful about change management and if we're gonna change the tools and systems, making sure everybody feels very well prepared. And then, there's always gonna be some element of unexpected. So just expect the unexpected, that there's gonna be things that come up that maybe don't fit into that stakeholder mapping.

Alexa Beavers: I love that you're talking a little bit about expecting the unexpected. It's an oxymoron, but it sounds like you've even built plans for, what are we gonna do when something comes our way? We weren't expecting. How did you come to that? That's very, it's a great idea.

Lauren Jenkins: Yeah, and it's not because you don't know what you're potentially going to encounter. You could drive yourself crazy. Trying to think about all the possibilities. The important part is that you define a path. So if you come up with something. Come up with an issue that doesn't fit within the structure and guidelines that we've talked about.

You can reach out to this person or you can reach out to me. And sometimes it's different depending on maybe what topic it's related to, but giving them some guidelines for. Who are the experts you would pull in to try to get a decision on this or to try to get some clarification on who owns it and who can give us the answer.

Alexa Beavers: Yeah, so you're not saying it's an if then chart because that would be exhausting and nearly impossible, but rather leaning into the community that you have around you, finding people that might know, or people that might know, people who might know, and having the faith to rely on the human system alongside the other systems that you guys have set up.

Lauren Jenkins: Absolutely.

Alexa Beavers: Yeah. So as you've led people with that, tell me a little bit about how they react. What is it like to be on your team?

And there may sometimes be things that come up where we simply don't have a solution or an answer for it, but what we can do is work together to come up with an appropriate response in that situation. It's really important to me that my team feels supported and again, that they don't ever feel like everything is all on their shoulders.

So being on my team, I would hope they would say, feels like a place where we're all working towards the same goals and we're all supporting each other and achieving those goals.

Alexa Beavers: That sounds like a great team to be on.

Lauren Jenkins: Thank you.

Alexa Beavers: I think one of the things I really love about what you said is to focus on what you have in front of you. We might not have the answers, we might not be able to change, the bigger economic picture, but what we do have is we have each other, we have.

Lauren Jenkins: So I. I think the biggest thing that I did not do in that, coming into that role that I have done in roles since is take some time right out of the gate to start introducing yourself to and building relationships with stakeholders, especially the ones that are not face-to-face. You can't just grab a copy coffee with them.

Let's talk about how we're going to work together. Let's talk about what kind of questions you might be able to help answer for me. So that way. Before you even get to having to map your stakeholders, you've already gotten the input from the stakeholders themselves on what they can be helpful with.

Alexa Beavers: You're proactively setting up your community, getting to know people. And I think, you mentioned in a large distributed company, but even in organizations that may not be that large and distributed we're, if we're having folks that are working different hybrid work schedules, it's very important today to proactively. Cultivate those relationships. How do you make that call? That seems hard to some people. I think to me, sometimes calling somebody you've never met before, maybe they have a fancy couple of letters after their name. How do you do that?

It can be an awkward conversation if you go into it and it's just hi, my name and what's your name? And that's it. You wanna have a little bit of. Discussion points ready in terms of questions you may have about that person's scope or how they can work with you or help you? I find that once you start getting them going a little bit on that stuff, the conversation flows pretty naturally.

I.

Alexa Beavers: What are some of the favorite things that you've asked people?

Experts they may have access to. And then just getting a clear sense of their scope and even sometimes asking them, who are your stakeholders? Who do you go to when you have something that you can't resolve? And that can help expand that network even more broadly.

Alexa Beavers: it's like you're pulling a little thread and it keeps on going.

Lauren Jenkins: Yes,

Alexa Beavers: That's amazing. Now I know people are gonna wanna pick your brain at some point about how did you do that and how can I do that? So where can people find you, Lauren?

Lauren Jenkins: Yes, you can find me on LinkedIn. I am linkedin.com/lauren Harash jenkins. Harash is H-R-O-S-C-H.

So you could be here to share it with us today.

Lauren Jenkins: It was wonderful to be here. Thank you.

Alexa Beavers: So folks, if you loved this episode as much as I did, I encourage you to listen to Transformation Unfiltered. The things that really stood out to me today about what Lauren shared is, do what you can do. Don't try to think about what you can't do, because you'll have a long list and it's pretty disempowering.

So when Lauren brought that to light, I was like, you know what? I could use that. Even today. So a great reminder. Focus on what you have, but not what you don't. That spirit of an abundance will really take you a long way and really leaning into the people around you. We're humans and humans are creatures that are social, and Lauren has exhibited that, hey, she didn't have to do it all alone, and she doesn't do it all alone.

We'll look forward to seeing you then.