An intern who was named CEO of a 5,000-person company for a month shares what happened during a week on the job

Savannah Graybill, 27, was selected from more than 2,000 applicants to be the "Intern CEO for One Month" atAdecco Group North America, a human resources solutions provider that employs about 5,000 people. She is being paid $10,000 for the month. Here's what she experienced in week two on the job. (Read about week one here.) 

Similar to last week, my travel docket as CEO for One Month took me to many new places.

After spending the weekend training, catching up on sleep, and conducting research for business case studies I’m working on, I felt ready to take on week two.

Monday morning started off with a live TV interview on WJXT 4 in Jacksonville with Adecco CEO Bob Crouch to discuss the Adecco CEO for One Month internship program.

After a quick interview with reporter Ashley Mitchem — three minutes on TV feels so much longer than it is! — we headed over to the corporate office so that I could spend the day learning from the marketing team and seeing all that they do.

I also got to meet Paola Ospina, last year’s Adecco CEO for One Month Global winner. Paola spent a month last year interning with Adecco’s Global CEO, so it was great to be able to swap stories and experiences with someone who’s been in very similar shoes before.

Tuesday began with a 4 a.m. wake-up call as I headed to Asheville, North Carolina, for an Adecco Staffing Divisional meeting. I met up with Adecco president Joyce Russell in Charlotte and together we made the trip.

During the car ride, Joyce helped me go over and understand operating statements that would be addressed during the meeting. As someone who is currently in an MBA program, and has begrudgingly completed managerial and financial accounting classes, it was exciting to be able to apply those learned concepts in the field.

After very quickly inhaling some southern barbecue on the way back from the meeting, Joyce dropped me back off at the airport just in time for me to catch a flight to New Buffalo, Michigan, for a day and a half of leadership meetings with Accounting Principals, Adecco Group’s finance and accounting staffing arm.

Here I met up with John Marshall, the president of the business unit, to learn more about his role within the company and the businesses he runs.

One of the best aspects of these meetings was a discussion and presentation on leadership led by these these five concepts:

1. Keep a spirit of caring for others
2. Be curious, not callous
3. Never stop the yearn to learn
4. Be flexible and able to adjust
5. When opportunity knocks, GO FOR IT

The concept that resonated most with me was the last one: When opportunity knocks, take it.

One must put fear and self-doubt aside and seize the prospect. In the athletic world, this is something I face every day. Between the training, racing, and uncertainty I constantly face, I continually risk it all to try and realize my dream of competing in the Winter Olympics.

I fully embraced this concept when applying and competing for this internship. I’m well aware that at the age of 27, it looks as though I’m a little late to the game regarding my career. What you don’t know is that I have been working and sacrificing for the past four years (while working on my MBA), because for a long time I thought being an athlete and developing a corporate career were mutually exclusive.

I’m trying to prove that it doesn’t have to be that way. 

I can’t believe that this experience is halfway over. It feels as though it’s only just begun. But for now, I’ll enjoy my quick trip home this weekend to Pennsylvania to visit my friends and family. I haven’t seen my family in three months because of my travel and training schedule, so I’m excited to spend the weekend with them.

Next week’s adventures include a visit to an Adecco office in New York City and a quick client visit in Portland before heading back to Orlando for leadership seminars with Soliant, Adecco Group’s healthcare recruiting business..

If you're interested in following my month-long journey, feel free to check out my Twitter (@savannahjane1) and Instagram (@sgraybill25) accounts.

Savannah Graybill is a graduate from American University (2010) with a degree in broadcast journalism. She is a resident athlete at the United States Olympic Training Center and is training to compete for a spot in the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

SEE ALSO: Meet the intern who has been named CEO of a 5,000-person company for a month

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