From Part-Time to Supervisor — Exploring My Career Journey Full of Growth, Laughter, and Camaraderie

Michele Williamson, Planning Supervisor of Rentokil Terminix’s Florida and lower Alabama markets, started with the company when she was just 16 years old and still in high school. It was 1999, and she worked part-time in Inside Sales and as a scheduler before becoming a bookkeeper. Since then, she’s worked in a multitude of roles within the company. “I was soaking up every experience — good and bad — while learning the business and observing the best aspects of each leader I had worked with and for,” she recollects.

Encouragement from her previous leaders and teammates, as well as her former leader at the time of applying, compelled her to pivot to her current career as a planning supervisor. She saw it as a great opportunity to use what she’d learned all while finding new ways to serve her team in a more impactful way. Plus, the company’s objectives and goals aligned with her personal goals, she tells Fairygodboss.

“Working with strong, intelligent women has been a blessing to me in my work life and personal life,” Williamson says. “I’m humbled and beyond thankful to the examples I have had in my career with Terminix!”

In fact, this camaraderie at Rentokil Terminix has been Williamson’s favorite part of working at the company. “Working together for so many years, we have shared a lot of experiences, good and bad, and we laugh a lot, which is awesome,” says Williamson. “There have been times when it's harder to connect (virtually), but we always find a way. It's actually really great!”

Here, we caught up with Williamson to learn more about how she successfully pivoted careers, as well as the benefits and skills she gained along the journey.

How have you benefited from the skills and experience you’ve gained in your career journey?

I have always tried to take all my experiences and apply them to how I work with my team. Negative experiences taught me what not to do as a leader, while the positives help with what I aspire to do well at. Change is inevitable and leads to growth, pushing us out of our comfort zone. This helps us in business and in life. 

Tell us a bit about your current job. What’s your current role, how long have you been in this role, and what is your day-to-day like?

I have been in the Planning Supervisor role for about three years. My day-to-day is fluid overall and entails staying involved with the team so that they are able to do their tasks while also feeling comfortable reaching out when they need to. I work with my team, ensuring that I am meeting their needs for support while also having the experience and willingness to jump into the trenches when it's needed and do the work as well. I feel like all of the Planning Supervisors are “working” leaders; we not only know how the work gets done, but we also know how to do the work ourselves. It keeps all of us humble and aware of what our teams and branches actually need, areas where we can improve, and where we are able to shine. 

What do you find most rewarding and challenging about your current work?

Meeting each teammate where they are. Not all team members learn the same or work in the same way. Our department has a huge amount of knowledge, but each teammate may work a little differently. It’s rewarding to empower someone in an area in which they may have lacked confidence, helping them to get where they want to be in their work life, as well as knowing that the team feels valued. It’s a challenge to show them that they are valued and not just say it, which is something that I take very seriously. I want my team to know that I care not only about our business but also about each teammate individually. 

Looking back on your career, what would you say has been your most valuable career mistake?

Those would be the times when I was afraid to take a step out on faith and go for positions I was interested in; when I would, instead, wait for things to happen as opposed to taking action myself. I was sitting quietly before I began to understand how impactful our words and inputs actually are. 

Finally, what is your best piece of advice for other women who are thinking about making a career pivot?

Weigh your options, and talk with those whom you are close to and can trust to give you objective feedback on big decisions. Sometimes, just reaching out to one person can shift your perspective and help you be open to great things.

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