Messy in the Middle- Episode 3: Kira La Forgia’s Messy Middle
On episode 3 of the podcast, I had the chance to interview HR expert, Kira La Forgia! Kira has a decade of experience in people operations in the corporate world. She is no stranger to the sensitive issues involved in the human side of running a business! There is a lot to learn from hiring, onboarding, training, and managing performance of over 500 employees for a multi-million dollar business.
The good news is – she learned it all so you don’t have to! Kira founded Paradigm to bridge the gap between corporate HR policies and the modern needs of online business entrepreneurs.
The Breakdown
Kira didn’t start consulting for online businesses until the pandemic hit in 2020. She recognized that managing a remote team is totally different than managing a team in-person! A lot of businesses didn’t want to replicate corporate practices into their online businesses. The best part? She got to connect with people everywhere and help them do business in their own way.
Her Messy Middle
Since a large part of Kira’s work is helping other people through their own messy middles, as she went through her own messy middle (and still is) imposter syndrome has been very real. But the best leaders and managers are vulnerable and ready to learn, and are open to new perspectives. She noted that talking herself off that imposter syndrome ledge gets easier as she acknowledges that everyone feels this way. What’s important is that we hold each other accountable to be the best versions of ourselves. This comes with acknowledging our shortcomings, and remaining open to feedback.
Kira will be the first person to tell you, she won’t pretend to have it all together. Honesty is the best thing to solidify a position of authority. Like anyone else, she feels burnt out! She said, “I’m writing a blog about how to delegate, but I can’t delegate!” She noted that a lot of experts you see online still struggle with the things they are trying to educate their audience about!
For Kira, creating her online business and being in her messy middle allowed her to relate to the clients she connects with one a daily basis. It wasn’t just some marketing strategy, she understands what they are going through and can really relate to them. In this phase she said, “you’ve proven your success but there are a lot of exciting things you can do and create when you’re in the messy middle.”
Learn More
Follow Kira on Instagram or check out her website to learn more about The Paradigm!
