Krista Kirk is the Chief People Officer at the Endocrine Society, an innovative global community focused on improving patient care, shaping effective policy, and ensuring the future of its field.
About the Company
Krista Kirk is the Chief People Officer at the Endocrine Society, an innovative global community focused on improving patient care, shaping effective policy, and ensuring the future of its field.
The Endocrine Society unites, leads, and grows the endocrine community to accelerate scientific breakthroughs and improve health worldwide.
Its 18,000 members from 119 countries are not only on the frontier of research discoveries, but they also apply this knowledge in the treatment of patients with hundreds of debilitating hormone-related diseases and conditions such as diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, thyroid disorders, and infertility.
The Endocrine Society advances hormone research and excellence in the clinical practice of endocrinology by providing education, broadening the understanding of the critical role hormones play in health, and advocating on behalf of the global community.
Its core values of innovation, excellence, stewardship, and community drive its inclusive culture, which supports its members’ important work and internal team.
The Challenge
“Coming out of the pandemic, we were a hundred percent virtual for two years,” Krista remembers.
“Some people started leaving, and we were having a workload issue. We [were] also in a position where we wanted to start to innovate and provide new products and services to our members.
“So to alleviate bandwidth, our CEO heard about BELAY through one of our business consultants. We first hired an Executive Assistant to the CEO and then three Executive Assistants for our executive team.
“And we’ve never looked back. It’s been fantastic.”
Alex Hesson was one of the hired BELAY Virtual Assistants and is now Endocrine Society’s full-time Grants Administrator.
The Solution
“[BELAY] had a laser focus on what [its] value proposition was in terms of the executive assistants [they] recruit throughout the nation,” Krista says. “We knew that [BELAY would do] the heavy lift. We didn't have to think that hard about it.”
Alex, who had 12 years of experience in recruiting before joining BELAY, found the process impressive.
“When I was going through the recruiting process with BELAY, I thought it was pretty brilliant,” Alex adds. “The way [BELAY] recruit[s] people, ask[s] for a video statement first to make sure people can present well on camera [and] that we have good email etiquette. I thought that was a great first hoop to jump through.
“I was very impressed with the recruiting process and how [BELAY is] able to zero in on the perfect candidate through that process.”
Once the onboarding process was in full swing, Krista began to experience immediate relief.
“[Alex] jumped right in and took initiative,” Krista says. “I never felt like I had to follow up with anything. She was proactive, [and] kept me in the loop. I didn't have to follow up or check up on anything. She was always about 10 steps ahead of me.
“It was immediate, immediate relief. Alex is a seasoned professional with her experience, and so we were getting a lot of knowledge, skills, and experience beyond what the world called for. That's been the game changer for us. That's why we had to hold on to Alex.”
The Result
“I felt a connection right away,” Alex says. “Krista has the management style that I prefer. She just gave me some points and let me roll with it, and that's what I liked. That's how I worked best. I felt trusted from the very beginning, and that allowed me to be comfortable in what I was doing.
“We've partnered on several projects and now I know what she wants ahead of time. I don't wait for her to ask me to do it. I just do it because that's what we've done. And so the partnership is just very easy.”
What is the secret to this connection Alex and Krista formed? We’ll let Krista answer that.
“When Alex came on, we carved out time and invested time in getting to know each other on a personal level,” Krista explains. “Because we did that, and we got a connection quickly, Alex has been able to anticipate my needs, how I think [and] where I fall short.
“Investing in the relationship pays off big time. We're not the same. We're very different in our approach. And so that's kind of the magic, too. We complement each other and understand each other, and that helps a lot.
“[We gave Alex] opportunity and leverage[d] her strengths. And that was the impetus of the change. We knew we could get a lot more from Alex than just working on my schedule. And so that's kind of fast-forward to where we are today.
“We can't say enough about her. We're glowing. Everybody loves Alex Hesson.”
Alex and Krista have a rapport that Krista credits to BELAY’s business model.
“Our Client Success Consultant [is] invested in who we are and what we're looking for,” Krista says. “It says a lot about the matching ability that [BELAY has]. It's been a game changer for the Endocrine Society.
“We're a $30 million organization, [with] 86 employees serving 18,000 members across the globe. We are stretched thin, and just having BELAY as a business partner in this regard [has] been a game changer for everyone.
“Our staff is asking when we have bandwidth issues, ‘Can we get a BELAY Virtual Assistant?’ We get it regularly. It’s alleviated our workloads to focus on strategy and what we need to do — and knowing we have trusted partners who are invested in us as well.”