This month we get to sneak a peek into the life of Dawn Barchus, a member of our accounting team in the Schaumburg office. Read below to find out what makes her laugh, and how her green thumb shows up early every year. Thanks, Dawn for letting us get to know you better!
What’s your title and how long have you been in the incentive industry and Motivation Excellence?
I have been with Motivation Excellence for 7 months as an Accounting Assistant part-time. This has been my first exposure to the Incentive Industry. It is very interesting learning about the strategies that can be implemented to improve employee performance and work-life satisfaction.
What does your job entail?
My duties include the processing of Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable collections, and various accounting duties as needed.
What’s something special about the people you work with you’d like to share?
I always thought I would like to work from home, but everyone at work is so nice, I enjoy coming into the office.
What’s an unknown or odd talent you have?
I love gardening and watching plants grow. In February, I get out my grow lights, trays, pots, and seeds. Every year I vow to do less, but in the end, I usually end up with about 500-600 plants.
What motivates you to accomplish things in your life (work or personal)?
I take pride in what I do both at work and in my personal life. I am not afraid to put in the hard work it takes to complete tasks and achieve my goals. Seeing the end results and personal growth gives me satisfaction that my contributions matter.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
When I am not at work, I receive the most enjoyment from spending time with my 10-year-old grandson and my 2 dogs Riley and Aspen. Raising children is great, but nothing beats being a Grandparent and a dog parent.
One thing that always makes you laugh is?
My grandson has a great sense of humor and the most infectious giggle. Just listening to him laugh makes everything seem funnier.
What have you done that helped you get through the pandemic?
In order to keep my sanity throughout the pandemic, my husband and I did lots and lots of walking. It was fun meeting neighbors who we had never met before. Also, online wine nights with my sister – amazed at the hours and hours that we could talk about the nothing going on in our lives due to COVID. And of course, puzzles, puzzles, puzzles.
What is the most unusual job you’ve ever had?
One of my favorites, and the most unusual job I had, was as the senior accountant at a Children’s Museum. In addition to the normal accounting and finance duties, I also learned many new skills. I found I was a pretty decent face painter. I took part in putting on a fundraising American Girl fashion show every year. And my favorite: being a costume character. What fun it was to interact with the children on the museum floor.
This month, our theme for social media is active listening. What do you do regularly to make sure you’re hearing a person’s message?
I find the best way to ensure I have an accurate understanding of conversations with others is to reflect back to the speaker what I am “hearing.” This gives the other person the opportunity to correct my interpretation of what is being said.
