I was still in college and working for SigmaTel. When I started there, there were 40 employees. Within a couple of years, we had 300 people. I saw the company go through an IPO and SOX compliance almost overnight. We were growing beyond our expertise and needed outside talent – the classic candidate for an ERP system. We evaluated technologies and hired a firm to do the ERP implementation. By way of that, I realized it was something that I had a hankering for. It gave me energy. I wanted to help other companies go through that process and realize the vision of leveraging technology to meet their business needs now and in the future.
There’s one distinct client that comes to mind. They were planning to go live on their new ERP after a multi-month project. The night before going live we were working after hours to do a test of the production system. Lo and behold, we uncovered a total showstopper and could not go live without fixing it. We could either defer the go-live to a later date or make a last-ditch effort to work through the night to make the 8 a.m. deadline. We sat together as a combined team and everyone agreed to burn the midnight oil. We came up with a solution, developed, and tested until 6 a.m. Their CIO and his team stayed the entire time. It was a galvanizing moment, the fact that they were willing to make that commitment. The truest sense of leadership and partnership.
I work with laughter! I support my teams, both internally and with my customers. I believe that responsiveness is paramount. I’m very serious about what we do, but people who know me best know that I’m no stranger to levity!
Being invited to the partner group is the crowning achievement of my career to date. Not just because it has long been an aspiration of mine, but because I have this amazing team that supports me and has directly contributed to my pathway to being a partner. That includes mentors, colleagues and employees. I believe that success in life, love and career are a result of the efforts of those who have invested in you. I see my becoming partner as a team award.
The golden rule is to do unto others as you would have done to you. As I tell my team, when we get into an engagement with a client we come from a position of knowledge. New clients so often are unfamiliar with what we’re doing. I ask consultants to try to think about what the client is going through. Use that to best communicate and serve the client. Sometimes it gets overlooked because we get so caught up in the mountain of work we have. Take a step back and remember that the client doesn’t know everything that’s ahead of them. Help them understand. Take a minute to work with them.
Aside from clients with global footprints in Europe and Asia, it’s trying to think about how we can learn from our mistakes. It’s a never-ending journey.
