From the Wing Crew: Margaret Nagle

Today’s post is all about Margaret Nagle, a White House veteran who’s now the Head  of Government Affairs & Public Policy at Wing. (If you're interested in learning more about Wing culture, job opportunities, and more to help your job search like Margaret did, you can read more at wing.com/careers.)

You grew up in politics. What was that like?

I grew up in Washington, D.C. surrounded by politics: my mom was a press secretary and speech writer and my father was a political fundraiser.  So you could say ending up in Washington was a foregone conclusion…

What did you like when you were growing up?

My true passion growing up was horseback riding.  Looking back, I realize how much I learned from the thousands of hours spent with my horses on the trail or competing. To become a successful horsewoman, you have to build a strong and trusting relationship with your horse. You have to become a team, and learn how to work together. There is no way to make a 1,000+ lb. animal do what you want them to do, when you want them to do it, if they don’t want to - which is a  humbling experience.   Horse riding  taught me responsibility, patience, teamwork, accepting failure, and the importance of “getting back on the horse” to try again.  

Where did you go in your early career?

After receiving a degree in public policy from Duke, I knew I was interested in creating and shaping policy to help achieve real world outcomes.

My first job after graduation was at the Senate Budget Committee, before I was hired to help with and ultimately lead Legislative Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget. Finally, this led me to accepting a job running Legislative Affairs for the Vice President of the United States.

I learned many things from my early career within the political world. First, I was often the youngest person in the room: which afforded me a great opportunity to share a fresh perspective, but also learn from more experienced colleagues. I was able to stay curious, and was willing to jump in and learn new things, which allowed me to learn a lot from experts in various fields.  I was also fortunate to have mentors along the way who helped me understand how to get policy outcomes across the line. 

Second, I learned the importance of being a quick study. I was rarely “the subject matter expert” in the room, but I did know a small amount about a range of different subjects, and I was quick to learn new things.  I learned how to tap into networks of experts and ask the right questions to bring myself up to speed on the issues at hand. 

Lastly, I learned the importance of pushing myself outside my comfort zone.  Walking into work on the first day of these jobs was equal parts exciting and intimidating.  But that uncomfortable feeling is the key to personal growth, and is an important part of the journey in working your way towards a role that really excites you.