Mary J Clark

According to Mary Clark, a two-time Titan and CEO of Lakeshore Talent, leaders need to be vulnerable with their teams. Clark allowed herself to be vulnerable when the pandemic hit in 2020, which allowed her and her team to navigate challenging market conditions and adjust strategies and target business opportunities that the company had not explored previously.

“We were able to keep our team intact and position the company to come out of the crisis stronger,” said Clark. “As a leadership team, we let everyone know that we understood their day may need to look a little different and offered them the flexibility to take care of themselves and their families.”

This flexibility, combined with transparency, helped to create a culture of trust. “As a leader, I believe employees need to understand why change is happening or necessary,” she said.

The changes during the pandemic included recruiting housekeeping and food service roles for healthcare clients while also launching a new division to service the thriving cannabis industry. Lakeshore Talent, a staffing and recruiting firm in Denver, continued to thrive as the team rose to the challenge and developed new processes by tapping into new pipelines of talent to service the new lines of business, said Clark.

“We knew cash flow might be an issue (during the pandemic) if we did not reduce expenses and find new revenue streams,” said Clark. “We quickly negotiated with vendors on pricing where we could and moved to sublease our office space.”

Lakeshore Talent also targeted new efforts to industries that were going to experience growth or higher volume due to the pandemic. “All of these actions put us in a strong cash position heading into 2021,” said Clark.

The changes also helped Clark to leave a positive impact on the lives of her team and her clients. “Fostering an environment that empowers and encourages employees to grow personally and professionally is the goal,” she said. “I know I’ve been successful when those individuals are key in driving Lakeshore’s success or the success of another organization.”

For Clark, loving what you do and caring about your team is the only way to lead. She also believes in creating a culture of accountability without underestimating the need for fun. “We have to invest in growth and surround ourselves with smart people who have different strengths and ways at looking at the world,” said Clark.

For her positive impact on the industry and her team, Clark has been named a two-time Titan of industry.

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