Faces of CPS: Rita Balian Allen
Alumna | Faculty | Industry/Community Partner | BS Business Administration, Class of 1982; MS Organizational Leadership, Class of 2008
Tell us about your background. Where do you call home?
I first enrolled as an undergraduate right out of high school and was very excited about the experiential co-op learning experience. I am an immigrant and came to the US with my family when I was two years old through my father’s employer. I grew up with a lot of culture, strong values and work ethic – motivated to achieve all of my goals. Boston is my home.
What three words would you use to describe your Northeastern experience?
Enriching | Inspirational | Grateful.
What drew you to pursue your degree?
I knew from the time I was young that I wanted to own my own business one day. Innately, I have an entrepreneurial spirit and was highly motivated to learn about business. That is why I chose Business Administration as a major, with a concentration in management. However, due to the advantage of various co-op positions, I was able to explore different areas and found human resources as a true fit for me. I loved it and chose it as a second major and was hired by my last co-op upon graduation. That started my career in Human Resources and today, I celebrate 20 years of leading and running my own executive coaching and leadership development practice!
What inspired you to choose Northeastern specifically?
My connection to Northeastern is deep and long. I have family who attended Northeastern. I have been teaching as an adjunct part-time lecturer for over 21 years, am a double Husky as well as have the privilege of calling Northeastern a client. I am truly a product of co-operative education and am grateful that I was able to try different roles prior to graduating that helped me identify Human Resources as the chosen career for myself. I was able to do that all prior to graduating as well as to launch my HR career with my last co-op organization!
My connection to Northeastern is deep and long. I have family who attended Northeastern. I have been teaching as an adjunct part-time Lecturer for over 21 years, am a double Husky as well as have the privilege of calling Northeastern a client. I am truly a product of co-operative education and am grateful that I was able to try different roles prior to graduating that helped me identify Human Resources as the chosen career for myself.
Rita Balian Allen
Were there any challenges during your time at Northeastern?
I wouldn’t say I have had any challenges. One thing that was a turning point for me was completing my master’s degree. I had started working toward earning my MBA shortly after graduating from my undergraduate program and while working full-time. A few years into that process, I started having children and was still working full-time. So, I made the decision to put my graduate studies on hold and set a future goal to complete my degree at some point. Fast forward about 20 years later, I did just that – I completed my MS in Leadership while also teaching as a part-time lecturer. I was tremendously proud to have my children attend my graduation ceremony just as my oldest was also in college!
I have learned through all of these experiences at Northeastern that I am driven, persistent, resourceful and truly invested in being a servant leader in all the capacities I have served here and beyond. I like a challenge and am always pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I have also written and published two books on the topic of Personal Branding.
Rita Balian Allen
What has your journey at Northeastern revealed about yourself?
I have learned through all of these experiences at Northeastern that I am driven, persistent, resourceful and truly invested in being a servant leader in all the capacities I have served at here and beyond. I like a challenge and am always pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I have also written and published two books on the topic of Personal Branding. This year, not only did I celebrate my 20th anniversary in business, but I also launched my second book, ‘Personal Branding and Marketing Yourself: The Companion Workbook’ which is a sequel to my first book on the same topic.
What is the most valuable lesson you learned at Northeastern?
I would say my number one valuable learning that is so foundational and fundamental to everything else is building relationships. Relationships make or break careers, companies, and success. It is all about establishing, building and nurturing mutually rewarding relationships. It’s about building trust and credibility. It’s about knowing, building, articulating and enhancing your personal brand. Being known in your field as a thought leader, making a difference, giving back and being a person of high integrity and standards. When you have strong relationships that include colleagues, mentors, sponsors, champions, advocates and trusted advisors as well as play that role to others, not only do you have allies, but you have a strong source of support, referrals and resources. This allows you to not only build a strong brand but also to build a pipeline of clients, prospects, marketing opportunities and additional relationships. Be visible, be a resource, put yourself out there and be sought after as a subject matter expert. Through my work as a coach and leadership development trainer, I saw a need to help others tackle the difficult topic of personal branding and marketing themselves, so I wrote a book on the topic in 2014 which continues to be relevant and a topic in high demand in my practice. As a result, I have now published a sequel to it that is a Companion Workbook.
How has Northeastern prepared you?
Northeastern has been an incredible foundation that has allowed me to enrich my experiences, my education and knowledge, my relationships and network, as well as my personal brand.
My mission is to help empower individuals to take charge of their careers, and to help organizations maximize their talent potential. I am motivated to help others identify and stay true to their best authentic selves to unleash their potential and thrive.
Rita Balian Allen
What motivates you?
My mission is to help empower individuals to take charge of their careers, and to help organizations maximize their talent potential. I am motivated to help others identify and stay true to their best authentic selves to unleash their potential and thrive.
Where do you imagine yourself five years from now?
I plan to continue to grow my business specializing in executive coaching, career coaching, team coaching, leadership development, management training and career development with clients across all industries and professions on an international basis. I also plan to continue to teach at Northeastern, write more books as well as continue to sit on boards and pay it forward.
What advice would you give to others considering higher education?
Know yourself well, know what you have to offer, what you want, build strong relationships, give back and ask for what you want. CPS offers such a range of rich opportunities and resources for all of us to benefit from as staff, faculty, and/or students.
What are some of your hobbies and other passions?
I am fluent in Armenian, love to cook, travel, read, practice yoga, play the piano and listen to all kinds of music. My greatest pleasure is spending time with my family!
Tell us your story in your own words.
I am a product of co-operative education having started my career through my education at Northeastern as an undergraduate in the College of Business. Due to various co-op roles, I was able to identify Human Resources as the area of focus for myself and launched my HR career with my last co-op employer as I graduated.
My career has had a few different phases. The first phase, I spent a number of years in various organizations as an HR professional. The second phase, I was in executive search for many years focused in the field of Human Resources where I also built a strong network of contacts and colleagues. The third phase, I founded and built my own international career management firm specializing in executive coaching, leadership development, management training and career development and have worked with leaders across all industries and disciplines.
This year I celebrated 20 years in business! I have also been an adjunct Lecturer at Northeastern University since 2004. In addition, I am a regular speaker, presenter and author of numerous articles, blogs and two books on the topic of “Personal Branding and Marketing Yourself”. I hold an MS in Organizational Leadership and a BS in Business Administration; and am also a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and a Certified Resilience Coach. In addition, I have served on numerous boards throughout my career and currently serve as a member of the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers of the Supreme Judicial Court as well as the Board of Directors of Seeding Labs. My mission is to help empower individuals to take charge of their careers and organizations to maximize their talent potential. I live by the motto “Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable”.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I help individuals be seen, be heard and be remembered throughout their careers; to define, build and articulate their value before someone else does; and lastly to find and stay true to their best authentic self! Besides my two amazing children, that is my biggest accomplishment in life.
This year, I am excited to have published my second book, ‘Personal Branding and Marketing Yourself: The Companion Workbook’, a one stop resource for managing one’s career. My first book, PERSONAL BRANDING AND MARKETING YOURSELF, ALONG WITH THE COMPANION WORKBOOK, are a powerful duo for managing your career, used independently or collectively.
Available at https://www.ritaballenassociates.com/personalbranding-companion.html
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