When JoBeth McElhanon, founder of event design firm Lilias & Olive, first met Simmons Bank SVP for Community Strategy and Performance Tammie Davis on a flight to Scottsdale, Arizona, for a Junior League event, she noticed her furiously highlighting passages from a book.
“I was asking her what it was because she was so engrossed in it,” McElhanon told the crowd at the 2025 Soirée Women’s Leadership Symposium. “It was this book called ‘Good to Great’ by Jim Collins. She was studying that book because she was going to use it as the framework for her leadership when she stepped into the Junior League role of president.”
Because she was nominated to be her president-elect, McElhanon jumped into reading the book too, and it became a guide in their respective career trajectories, both of which took many twists and turns before landing them in their current, decidedly curated roles.
“It really became this framework, not just for that year of service together, but in the principles that are very applicable to not only business, but to nonprofit organizations, churches and even family,” McElhanon said.
One of the book’s principles, “first who, then what,” prioritizes placing the right people in the right places before determining direction or strategy.
McElhanon said to find your career niche, you must first figure out who you are and what you want before moving on to what direction you want to go in.
“First you need to figure out what it is you need in your life,” McElhanon explained. “Do you need more flexibility? Are you craving autonomy? Do you need more structure? Whatever it is that you choose, that is your ‘what.’ When you’re looking to find your niche, I would encourage you to find your strengths.”
Davis added that most people discuss “finding your passion,” but she thinks of it more as “What makes you continually curious?”
“I feel like passion comes and goes,” Davis said. “It can wane. But if you are truly curious about something and you never get tired of following that curiosity, that’s the path I would encourage you to pursue.”
Davis believes sometimes the key to finding your niche is listening to your friends and family about the qualities and talents they see in you.
“They may see it in you before anyone else,” she said. “Notice the times when they’re coming to you and asking for advice and direction saying, ‘She’s the best at this’ or ‘She knows this.’”
Davis joked that McElhanon once helped her decorate for a dinner party with only things she already had in her trunk.
McElhanon, who started as a clinical dietician and moved to nonprofit work before founding her event planning business, said not to be defeated if it takes several tries to find your ideal position.
“I want you to know that your career can change as much as you want,” McElhanon said. “Be open to change. Be open to stops, starts and traffic jams.”
Davis worked her way up the banking ladder, even landing as the first female division president for a time. Even though she was following “the plan,” she knew it didn’t reflect her true self and wasn’t a fit for her life.
Her current role plays on her strengths and provides the continual curiosity that keeps her motivated.
“I’m exhausted at the end of every day, but I still wake up the next morning just so excited,” Davis said. “I’m like, ‘What is this day going to bring?’ ‘Who am I going to meet?’ I would encourage you, if you haven’t found your niche yet, don’t give up.”
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