Cisek cut her human resources chops in one of the most difficult jobs on the planet: Middle school teacher. Apparently, after dealing with dozens of moody pre-teens, the world of corporate HR seems like a relative breeze.
“Working as a teacher was incredibly helpful in terms of building resiliency as a professional and also being more adaptable,” Cisek recently told host Bill Banham on an episode of the HR Chat Show podcast.
Building a global HR strategy
As the chief human resource officer at Granicus, Cisek oversees more than 2000 employees across 10 countries. Of course, her stint as a teacher helped but she also cut her teeth as the co-founder of a SaaS startup during the dot-com era.
She credits her versatile experience with helping her now lead hiring all over the world.
“We have teams in Costa Rica, Canada, the United Kingdom, Armenia, and Spain, along with Norway, India, New Zealand, and Australia,” Cisek said. “These teams were put together through acquisitions and it adds another dimension to getting talent. There is so much globally that we can tap into to find our people.”
Mapping her journey
During the interview, Cisek also touched on the challenges and opportunities in hiring for mission-driven roles. While tech talent is in high demand, she believes the purpose behind the work makes a significant difference.
“It’s easy for candidates to understand the value of what we’re doing,” she said.
Granicus’ central mission is to help government better engage with the people they serve. The company works closely with government organizations, supporting those in positions to serve the people.
“It's a very mission-driven organization and I think it's something that differentiates us from a lot of businesses out there today.”
Building meaningful connections across a global workforce
Beyond her professional journey, Cisek is passionate about finding innovative ways to connect a global workforce.
A strong advocate for belonging and employee recognition, Cisek and her team are always looking for new ways to create meaningful connections in a remote environment. She highlighted the Cultural Ambassador Program started at Granicus that is designed to elevate employee voices and ensure that innovative ideas get the attention they deserve.
She also spearheaded a program for employees to share ideas.
“When our people see opportunities to improve what we're doing, we’ve provided a way for them to amplify that,” Cisek said. “The program can help to elevate those ideas and thoughts inside of Granicus so we can continue to improve by utilizing the different perspectives from throughout our team.”
