There’s no doubt that 2020 will be a year to remember and simultaneously, a year that many of us wish we could forget. While there were many stories of challenges and hardships, there were also many stories of perseverance and hope. As we close-out this unprecedented year, we wanted to hear from our exaqueo clients on how this year went for them. We asked them to share their reflections on 2020, how they’ve navigated change through this year, and their aspirations for the New Year. In this series of blog posts we’re calling Lessons from 2020, we’ll share some of our clients’ responses as an opportunity to educate and inspire others inside and outside the employer brand industry.  

Anthony Chidoro is the Communications, Branding, and Development Lead at Lyft. As a child he wanted to be an NBA player, however, life had other plans for him and he’s now an up-and-coming employer branding professional. Anthony loves the endless opportunities for growth at Lyft as well as the plethora of people he interacts with in his role. Being the only person in talent branding has been challenging, though he appreciates the highly visible work he is doing and he is grateful for the opportunity to lead so many initiatives within the organization. With all the time at home this year, Anthony has spent more time cooking. Here is what else Anthony had to say about his 2020 experience and what he’s looking forward to most in 2021:

exaqueo: Describe what's had the biggest impact on you or your team this year. Why? How did you adjust?‍

Anthony: In my first month here at Lyft, the company made the difficult decision to lay off 1,000 people including my manager and also defunded my team. Thankfully, I was able to join a new team and after months of trial and error, am now in a place in the organization where I'm happy about the projects I'm working on.

exaqueo: What changes did you or your team make this year?

Anthony: I started at Lyft right when the pandemic started and I've only worked for this company remotely. My new team was brought together because of the layoffs. My manager was a communications manager, my other teammate was from learning and development and I came from branding. By coming together, we formed a new group we call CBD—short for Communications, Branding, and Development—and we’ve spent the year finding new ways that our different areas can collaborate.

exaqueo: Which of those changes do you believe are here to stay? Why?

Anthony: I think the idea to change our name to CBD is here to stay. While we were hesitant that this name change wasn’t going to work post-layoffs, we discovered many examples and instances where our expertise crosses with one another. This has been particularly true for communications and branding. Slowly but surely we are building out our team’s identity and ways of working together.

exaqueo: What is something you or your team have accomplished this year that you are most proud of?

Anthony: I am very proud of the @lifeatlyft account on Instagram. It has continued to grow steadily this year. My team has contributed to the social media team by being able to help create a few social campaigns. As a result, I’ve also built my project management skills, made an official announcement of our team, and presented our roadmap to the larger organization.

exaqueo: Do you believe change is important? Why?

Anthony: Change is sometimes needed so, therefore, important. If the goal is to get better and enhance, sometimes the current strategy needs to be edited or even completely abandoned. I believe change is needed after you’ve done an analysis of the current state. Only then can you determine the best plan of action.

exaqueo: How have your feelings toward change recently evolved?

Anthony: I feel pretty neutral to change, especially if it does not affect me. When it does affect me, then I feel more cautious about the change until I find or understand the value in making that change.

exaqueo: How do you believe the events over the last year are going to affect employer brand, as a field?

Anthony: I believe now, more than ever, there is a need for employer branding as a field. Many companies have had to adapt, revise, and rebuild the foundations on which their companies were built as a result of this year. Job seekers are more cautious now and they want to know that they are making the right choice when selecting an employer. It's up to us to tell the story of our employment experience as genuinely as possible to help them make that decision.

exaqueo: What's been your biggest lesson or takeaway (related to employer brand) from 2020?

Anthony: Employer brand and talent brand have to go hand-in-hand. Employer branding should infuse with talent branding. You don't want your company publishing certain messages about the brand that is the complete opposite of what the talent who works there are thinking. They should be in sync with each other.

exaqueo: What are you most looking forward to in 2021 and beyond?

Anthony: I’m most looking forward, hopefully, to the end of this pandemic. Beyond that, I’m also looking forward to more professional growth for myself, and helping build a better case for why employer branding is needed at Lyft.

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exaqueo would like to thank Anthony Chidoro from Lyft for contributing to our blog post series and sharing his 2020 experience. What are your lessons learned from 2020? What do you look forward to the most in the New Year? We’d love to hear from you! Post a comment below or tweet @exaqueo to share your thoughts.