Jaylene Kunze worked 70-plus hours per week for five years and built a successful career, but it drained and exhausted her to the point that she needed a break. Hitting pause on your career, though, comes with risk.
“The most important risk I took as a leader was to say enough and to take a break from work for six months,” Kunze said. “We are taught if we need to take a break for ourselves that it is a sign of weakness or that we are a failure. But in reality, it was the best thing for me as it allowed me to rebalance, spend focused time on my family, and rediscover a passion for my work again.
“It allowed me to step into a new company full of challenges, eager to help with fresh ideas and, most importantly, it taught me to listen to my head and my body and to find ways to find better balance so that I could show up better for my team and the entire organization. I will never regret picking me.
Kunze was chief financial officer at Urbint, a software and tech company that predicts threats to workers and critical infrastructure to stop incidents before they happen. Urbint’s clients include many of the largest energy and infrastructure companies in North America.
Within weeks of joining Urbint, Kunze worked to adjust operations and structure to simplify the organization and drive better results for customers and employees. “In less than a quarter, the employee satisfaction and productivity metrics have vastly improved,” Kunze said. “I see this as my greatest accomplishment this year because I was able to significantly influence and improve over 150 employees’ job satisfaction and decrease regrettable attrition, create processes to improve our customer satisfaction, and help to start to drive better financial results for our investor community.”
She recently accepted a new role at Hexure, a software company serving life insurance, financial services and wealth management industries.
Kunze values consistent learning and takes steps to grow and develop her skills. She is active in several local and national CFO groups and has participated in several panels, including trends in M&A, human capital, and the role of finance and the CFO.
“I am a firm believer (that) you cannot be an expert on everything and therefore must utilize and learn from my network of experts to make the best decisions for our company,” Kunze said. “I also believe in asking questions and listening to forward-looking trends our employees have experienced and recommend.
“My goals in 2023 will be to continue to balance the challenges of the constantly changing market and building a company that is not only successful financially, but significantly increases the impact of creating a world with fewer safety incidents, protecting workers and our communities, where our employees feel valued and empowered.”
