Lauren Malik
Principal & Director of People Operations
TRADITIONAL BIO
Lauren has over 11 years of experience working in the consulting industry at both large and mid-sized companies. In her previous roles, Lauren focused on process effectiveness, operational change management, internal IT infrastructure assessments, as well as vendor selections and management. She led multiple strategic assessment projects helping organizations evaluate their current processes and develop efficient, streamlined workflows.
Prior to joining Thought Ensemble, Lauren managed the Entry-Level Talent Acquisition and Relations Program for Pariveda Solutions, where she designed, developed, and implemented strategic plans and custom solutions for markets nationwide. This included managing two full-time and numerous volunteer staff. Utilizing her network and experience, Lauren has consulted formally and informally on several operational effectiveness and strategic assessment projects, which led to the implementation of successful talent acquisition and retention programs. She also served as the systems advisor for multiple vendor selection and implementation projects, ensuring that the tool would meet the needs of all teams while reducing manual data entry and streamlining processes.
Lauren’s consulting career began at PwC, where she worked with Fortune 500 companies to develop innovative solutions to solve complex organizational and technical challenges. Lauren has a BA in Management Information Systems from the University of Texas.
She enjoys running, yoga, gardening, trying new restaurants, quilting, watching sports with her husband, and walking her dogs.
Deliberative, Significance, Focus, Restorative, Individualization
Introversion, Intuition, Thinking, Judging (INTJ)
THOUGHTFUL BIO
Growing up as the oldest child has its pros and cons, but I’ve enjoyed it. As the oldest, everyone would come to me with their challenges and it was my responsibility to solve them, even if it was just a broken crayon. This is where my love for problem solving and mentoring others began. I loved playing this role in my family. As I grew up I continued to fill this role, but now it expands beyond my younger siblings.
When I was accepted into the business school at UT, I really struggled to decide on my major. While we were growing up my sister knew exactly what she wanted to be – a police officer. To this day that is still her career goal. I, on the other hand, wanted to be everything…a doctor, a lawyer, a veterinarian, a statistician, a social worker. You name it, I considered it. After exploring my options, I ended up majoring in Management Information Systems. There was always a new challenge that needed to be solved and I enjoyed the “systems thinking” aspect of the projects. It allowed me to explore different solutions and find the most effective way to tackle the problem. During my capstone course I had the opportunity to help a non-profit organization with a strategic assessment project. I saw the impact that our group’s recommendations had on the business and in the community. From that day forward, I knew that I wanted to solve organizational challenges and act as an advisor for organizations and individuals. This ultimately led me to Thought Ensemble.
I am always in pursuit of a new challenge and a new learning opportunity. A few of my favorite challenges are:
- Exploring the different facets of an organization and understanding the interdependencies necessary for developing a solution that considers the complete organizational system
- Understanding the organization’s people and behaviors and how they will affect change management, making it much more likely that the change is successful for everyone involved
- Listening to what a person says (and doesn’t say) in order to understand the true desires and challenges that will grow their career
- Developing impactful frameworks that are simple enough to integrate into an organization
- Working with a client to discover what organizational change is necessary to attract, hire, and retain the talented employees that will make the organization most successful
Lauren’s Thoughts
A “Belongingness” Framework for your Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Journey
In honor of LGBTQ Pride Month, Thought Ensemble’s Culture and People Leader Lauren Malik has compiled a series of thoughts, insights, and learnings developed to support organizations in their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) journeys. I want to begin by both...
Leading Yourself to Better Remote Meetings
Name a common work activity that makes you feel uncomfortable. Was it leading meetings? If so, you’re not alone; many people find that leading meetings can be quite stressful. You might think, then, that remote meetings, with their web conferencing and dial-in lines,...
Six Factors for Making Change Stick
In today’s ever-changing environment, I think we can all agree that managing change is important. Change management is becoming a key part of most organizations, and we are seeing an increasing number of clients implementing dedicated change management functions...
Selecting the Right Size Backpack for Your Change Initiative
In November, my husband and I went backpacking through Europe. Before we left, it hit us that we could not take our normal luggage, which includes two carry-ons and a checked bag per person. Instead, we needed to fit three weeks’ worth of items into one carry-on...
Don’t Catch a Crab, Avoid These Common Vendor Management Pitfalls
(A crab is the term rowers use when the oar blade gets “caught” in the water. It is caused by a momentary flaw in oar technique. A crab may be minor, allowing the rower to quickly recover, or it may be so forceful that the rower is ejected from the boat.1) In college...
Careers Are Jungle Gyms, Not Ladders
At a recent gathering of family and friends, I was bombarded with the usual questions. When are you having kids? What have you been up to? How’s work? Etc. This time, I found myself trying to justify why I would leave my career as a National Campus Recruitment Manager...