Nicole Rhoda
MLCV’s Director of Talent Attraction
“I have learned to underpromise and overdeliver,” Nicole Rhoda, Director of Talent Attraction, explains. This strategy doesn’t mean giving less of yourself upfront or refraining from setting reasonable expectations. Instead, it requires thoughtful planning and forecasting. To underpromise and overdeliver is to take a selfless step toward serving others the opportunity to be consistently happy, and one that Nicole attributes to her many successes.
Nicole has held several successful positions since beginning with MLCV over eight years ago. These roles include Talent Acquisition Specialist, HR Manager, Talent Acquisition Manager, Talent Scout, and, very recently, Director of Talent Attraction.
Passion for People
When initially hired as a Talent Acquisition Specialist, Nicole admits she was just excited to find a job — and something with a sense of familiarity, thanks to her vibrant interpersonal skills that were promptly recognized when entering the workforce. At 15, she began working at McDonald’s, a common starter job for many. But quite uncommonly, Nicole was quickly put in a position to run orientations and eventually promoted to a hiring role as People Department Manager. It’s no surprise the spark, no, the fire, inside was caught early, and thank goodness it was.
Now let’s rewind. The thrill of finding a job at all, traces back to the unknown of life’s changing circumstances. Nicole, having graduated recently with a fine arts degree in graphic design and having met her now husband, who resided in the Lake Mille Lacs neck of the woods, all meshed with the reasonable doubt of jobs that may be possible in cabin country. When asked why she chose MLCV, this job, or this career even, Nicole answers, “It chose me.” She says, “Now I pinch myself every day when I’m standing up in this beautiful office space, looking out at Mille Lacs Lake.”
Fast forward to Nicole’s recent position as Talent Scout, and she is in pure admiration of her role and MLCV.
“Every day, I get the privilege to work closely with our top leaders in the organization and forecast their talent needs. On a day-to-day, I meet and network with our internal leaders, and then I talk with people around the nation. I get to meet all those people. I get to ask them about themselves. I get to sell our company and our culture. So, it’s really fun,” she shares.
The phrase “get to” speaks volumes. If you know Nicole, you notice her genuine zest for life is palpable, infectious, even. This zest is shared equally with her work, and her inspiration is simply an expression of gratitude for MLCV.
A Career with MLCV
“I love working for the Mille Lacs Band. I love MLCV. I love our mission of making the lives of Mille Lacs Band Members and those in East Central Minnesota better and using that to guide me. And then I love the leaders here. I love the people on my team.” She continues, “I love servant leadership. I love our culture and try to give candidates a taste of who MLCV is along the way. I just have a great time doing my job. And I think when you find a job, that time isn’t a thing; that’s when you have something going for you.”
Magnificently, she carries gifts from others with her, just as much as others receive from her. “You get these bits of gold from people that you talk to that you can carry through your career. One of them was from a chef I was recruiting. He said, “A chef has two ways to make their team smile. When they walk in the kitchen or when they walk out of the kitchen. And you should be the chef that makes their team light up when you walk in the kitchen.” And I’ve applied that to every single one of the people I talk to now. I tell them that, like, that’s the kind of leaders we want to work with and for,” Nicole asserts.
Nicole’s role has layers that involve in-depth time and research. She wears many hats. She doesn’t just find talent; she becomes so closely acquainted with the talent needed; she could nearly fill the role herself. Putting herself in the shoes of others is second nature. It’s her job. But it’s also a direct reflection of her empathetic and charismatic essence as a human.
Director of Talent Attraction, Nicole Rhoda, and family
The position isn’t without its challenges; like any great leader, she has worked to identify and find solutions. For example, setting personal boundaries of learning about one specific role at a time, not to confuse or overwhelm, and fully disconnecting while spending time with family. Other challenges, like recruiting big-city goers to rural Minnesota, require full transparency — nothing like showcasing a map to each candidate and pinpointing all our great state has to offer can’t solve.
A Leader with a Vision
Nicole is delighted for the next step as her title shifts from Talent Scout to Director of Talent Attraction. Humbly she shares, “I’ve recruited top talent from across the nation for mostly business unit leaders and their direct reports. And now, as the Director of Talent Attraction, I’m still getting used to that title; I’ll do what I do now, plus design strategies for talent attraction across the MLCV enterprise.”
This recent promotion is just the beginning. Nicole has goals of growing with MLCV and a vision of the leader she continues to aspire to be. “You might be unable to remember everything your favorite leader said to you. But there’s a feeling that you felt. You were excited to work with that person, and you wanted to work with them; it was a fun time. That’s what we want our leaders to bring — that energy,” she reveals.
“I underpromise and overdeliver,” Nicole repeats. Her strategy is working. So much so she was named in the Top Corporate Recruiters List of America in 2022. She expresses how honored she is to be on the list.
MLCV is sincerely honored to have her on the team.
This article was written by Hannah Torkelson, MLCV’s Brand Communication Specialist. Hannah is a storyteller and is responsible for capturing great moments within MLCV’s portfolio.