
Amy Dordek Dolinsky has been actively involved in the Chicago business
community for more than 25 years. She joined BPI Group, a global HR
consulting firm in 2009, bringing extensive experience in business
development, marketing and sales in the professional services industry.
She is the highest-ranking woman in the U.S., serving as a market
leader, national account manager, as well as a member of the operating
and management team.
In her current role, Amy manages the Midwest region as well as key
client relationships, while also spearheading account management and
marketing activities. Prior to joining BPI group, Dordek Dolinsky was a
client relationship manager for a human resources consulting firm,
Capital H Group. She was also a vice president of business development
for an accounting and finance consulting firm for 10 years earlier in
her career.
Dordek Dolinksy, along with her husband, ABC 7 Chicago’s Food Reporter
Steve Dolinsky, enjoys culinary travel around the world with their two
children, Madeline and Max.
Womenetics: You have worked in human resources. What advice would you give to women looking for a job in today’s economy?
Amy Dordek Dolinsky: The advice I would give women would be
similar to the advice I give men. First you need make sure that you
conduct an inventory of all of your accomplishments and achievements so
that you can paint a picture of who you are and what you’ve done. I also
advise people to test the market to make sure that all of what they
have to say about themselves is relevant and current. This means you
look at the job boards and postings to make sure that what you say about
yourself and your experience matches what the market is looking for in
that particular function or industry.
I also recommend that people use the various social networking tools to
their advantage, especially LinkedIn. Many people have a profile, but it
may not be complete, and they are not really using it to its full
potential. We joke that they are “on it” but not “in it.”
Also, sometimes women aren’t as good at promoting themselves or
networking to leverage their contacts. They may not want to ask for
help. I say, people love to be asked for advice and help, if you do it
in the right way. You’ll be surprised. Many people don’t realize how
helpful their networks can be and how most people today find jobs not
through job boards but through networking. I always suggest people start
with the places they feel most comfortable -- like their places of
worship, their alumni groups, their old colleagues -- and go from there.
I’ve also recommended people read an interesting article called “Six
Degrees of Lois Weisberg” by Malcolm Gladwell that was featured many
years ago in The New Yorker. It’s the article that preceded his book,
“The Tipping Point.” It offers an interesting perspective on the concept
of how connections and creating different circles of influence matter.
Womenetics: From an employer’s point of view, what makes a good candidate?
Dordek Dolinsky: A good candidate is someone who shares details
and specific examples when answering questions about themselves. I’ve
always been impressed when people share interesting and specific
examples of how they have been successful in a past position. That is
the key to what we call “behavioral interviewing:” demonstration of past
performance for a similar position.
It’s also good when people say “I” versus “we” in an interview. I always
want to know what a candidate did themselves, even if they made a
mistake or learned something versus someone who always says “we” because
I question what they actually did or the role they did or didn’t play.
A good candidate is someone who appears composed, even if they are not
on the inside. Everyone should do their research beforehand, not just on
the company but also on the person/people they are meeting. I like when
someone smiles or engages me, not just answers the questions but
creates a conversation. The most important thing is to be a good match
both for the position and for the culture. Most people fail not because
they can’t do the actual job or because they lack technical experience
but because they don’t fit the culture.
Womenetics: You co-founded TradeStar Expo, a trade show
exhibit manufacturing and consulting firm and later sold it. Do you miss
being an entrepreneur?
Dordek Dolinsky: I feel like I’ve been an entrepreneur my entire
career. Since TradeStar Expo, I have joined several organizations that
have allowed me to maintain my entrepreneurial spirit. The Johnsson
Group was a startup that I joined after TradeStar, and I helped grow
this small accounting and finance consulting to approximately $12
million and then sold it to a French consulting conglomerate. After that
I was an investor and one of the first employees of another start-up
consulting firm, Capital H Group.
Joining BPI group in growth mode in the U.S. is another exciting
opportunity where I can contribute with my experience as we expand in
the Midwest and nationally. Although I may be working for a bigger,
global organization, that spirit, that need to wear many different hats
and roll up your sleeves to make something happen never really goes away
no matter where you go. I’ve always joined organizations that have
valued that in me. My
relationship-building skills, energy and “can-do”
attitude were what they were looking for.
Womenetics: You served on the Executive Committee of
Reading is Fundamental in Chicago. I understand that you practice what
you preach and read to your children every night. Is that correct?
Dordek Dolinsky: I do still read with my children every night.
It’s a ritual even though they are 14 and 11. Now that we’re on adult
level books, I am just as hooked on the stories as my kids. My daughter
and I are racing to finish “Big Miracle” before the movie comes out
because the books are always better than the movies. More details!
Womenetics: How do you find time to participate in
leadership roles in the community, while filling a demanding
professional position and being a mother and wife?
Dordek Dolinsky: Balance is the key to life, and in the end, it’s
never perfect no matter how well I try to prioritize. I’m pretty
organized, so that helps. But I get a lot of support from my husband,
family and colleagues. It requires teamwork on every level. My kids have
developed a sense of independence that will serve them well in life.
But my husband is helping me to practice the word “no.” I’m not very
good at saying no. My husband just made me read an article about
collecting friends and letting some go. Again, it is all about balance
and understanding what is most important to you at different times of
your life.
I have learned a lot from my leadership roles in non-profit
organizations, which I’ve applied to my job or career. Sometimes this is
the leadership or career development that you don’t get in your job if
your company doesn’t offer training, and it can be incredibly
beneficial.
People often ask me how I do it, especially women who may be thinking of
starting a family but are at critical moments in their careers. There
is never a perfect time for anything. If you plan too much, you’ll never
get things done, so I always tell women to just go for it. You’ll
figure it out later.
I promise that people will figure out the balance that is right for them.
I have to try to keep this quote in mind: “Women need real moments of
solitude and self-reflection to balance out how much of ourselves we
give away.” -
Barbara de Angelis
And also: “You will never find time for anything. If you want time you must make it.” -
Charles Buxton
Womenetics: What keeps you up at night?
Dordek Dolinsky: The sounds of sirens in the city keep me up at
night! No, seriously, what keeps me up at night is worrying about
balance and finding the time for everything. Quality time with my
husband, kids, family is most important. I go to bed mentally checking
everything off in my head from the day and then planning for the day
ahead, and that often keeps me from getting a good night’s sleep. I
always hope that I’m the best I can be for everyone in my life, and it
sometimes creates expectations that I can’t always meet. I can’t wait
for the device that pulls things out of your head and does them for you
so that I could focus on the most important things and let the little
things go.
Womenetics: What do you most hope for your children?
Dordek Dolinsky: I want my children to be confident and
independent. I want them to contribute in a way that makes a difference
but also be able to support themselves. We always joke about the fact
that they are going to work as soon as they are legally able! It’s such
good experience for kids to learn from work. I meet with so many young
people who are job hunting, and I love when someone comes in and is
self-assured, prepared, articulate and a go-getter.
My kids have gone to Montessori school (where play and lessons are all
called “work”), and I love the idea of educating my kids to be part of a
global community where independence, freedom within limits and respect
for others is emphasized. We just had a parent-teacher conference for
our daughter, and we said it was one of the best experiences we have
ever had as parents because the teacher told us that she’s a kind,
hardworking, whole person who may struggle in math, but given her many
other talents, she just needs to let it go. She’ll do great things
regardless.
What great advice: play to your strengths, and let the other stuff go.
Womenetics: What are your hobbies?
Dordek Dolinsky: I love to travel with my family and experience
the culinary and cultural experiences that each city and country has to
offer. I’m small in stature so I like to/have to work out with a trainer
and do enjoy hot yoga at Core Power Yoga. This all enables me to keep
up with the food and cocktail adventures in my life.
Womenetics: Who was the biggest influence in your life?
Dordek Dolinsky: My parents and my first boss, Marilyn Lissner.
My parents get top billing, certainly, as they simply are the best
parents in the world. You can ask anyone who knows them. They were
present and involved (to this day), wise, energetic, supportive and gave
all three of their children a ton of self-confidence. We weren’t
coddled but were loved and told we could do anything we set our minds
to, but it would take work. I was and am a high-energy person, and they
helped me channel it appropriately. They joked that I was a little
tornado that they knew some day would make a positive impact. They made
sure of it!
Following closely behind my parents was my first boss, mentor and now
friend -- Marilyn Lissner. She was one of the first women in commercial
real estate. Most women stayed in residential. She and her partner were
two of the first women brokers and the only women I had ever met that
wore pantsuits. That was pretty provocative in the late 80s and early
90s as those were still the days of “Dress for Success” where women wore
skirts and jackets.
She has a great mind for business but leveraged her experience as a
teacher and mom to her clients' advantage. Everyone who has worked with
me knows some of my Marilyn stories because she said things like, “Make
sure you get the agreement in writing because you want to protect your
client if you should get hit by a bus.” Such a Jewish mother thing to
say! Or, “If you don’t get a meeting with that person someone else will -
don’t be afraid and just make the call. What’s the worst that can
happen? They can just say no.” So many things like that stay with me
today.
Marilyn taught me how to be tough yet kind, a client advocate and, above
all, to maintain one’s integrity. Clients love her because she goes the
extra mile for them and does a little mothering/nurturing along the
way. I’m sure many people in the commercial real estate industry would
say that they have learned from her. I mentioned her to an old friend
recently, and we both smiled when talking about her. She’s still in the
business and going strong.
Womenetics: I understand that you host a huge pig roast in your backyard in the summer. Why?
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The 6th Annual Pig & Pinot |
Dordek Dolinsky: We host an event that’s now called “Pig &
Pinot” at the end of August every summer. We started it to celebrate my
husband’s birthday, which is the end of August. Last year was the 6th
Annual Pig & Pinot. It all started with this crazy pig roast box
called The La Caja China.
My husband’s good friend, Rick Cooper, has one of these boxes, and he
and my husband wanted to try to cook a pig in this box with a few chef
friends. Rick is a music industry professional and an investor in
several Chicago restaurants, which is how he met my husband. Also
because of my husband’s job, we eat out at many restaurants and have
become friends with chefs and restaurant industry professionals both
here in Chicago and nationally.
Another reason we originally hosted the pig roast was to entertain the
chefs in our home. They so often entertain us and because at the core,
every chef truly loves to feed people. We wanted to repay the favor and
feed them! So the first year we ended up hosting about 100 people –
mostly friends, neighbors and restaurant and music industry people – and
it’s grown from there.
Two years ago it became too big, and we had about 500 people. People we
invited then invited their friends and so on. It was crazy. We do the
entire event in the alley behind our house which is why we can entertain
such a large group. The invite says, “You bring the wine (Pinot or
other). We’ll bring the swine (sides, etc.).” Pastry chefs sometimes
bring cupcakes or cookies, mixologists bring cocktails and on and on.
It’s become this huge, crazy almost pot luck-like event.