If thereâs one lesson John Drummondâs IT career has taught him, itâs this: Embrace change. A motto befitting a pandemic year, he gained this insight years ago, while working with a global warehouse logistics company. He had six-month-old twins at the time, and was offered an IT director job with a startup.
âIt was a big change because I worked at a company with 26 offices around the world, and 3,000 employees. And then there was this startup with about 50 people and one office,â he said. âAt the time, stability was very important to me, but future stability was even more appealing. So I took the leap of faith, embraced the change, and have carried that lesson with me throughout my career.â
PHOTO:
tam wai
Juanita Olguin discovered the importance of nurturing a diverse workforce during her first job, cashing out food service stands at an outdoor swap meet. From retirees selling as a side gig to high school and college students, the varied group of sellers exposed her to the challenge of balancing multiple generations in the workforce.
âI learned early on that the workforce is multi-generational and you need to learn how to work with different people from different backgrounds to be successful,â said Olguin. Working in the âcool jobâ of cashing out stands at a young age, she also realized the importance of mentoring.
PHOTO:
Dylan Ferreira
Tim Flower has some advice for IT leaders managing the digital workplace: Watch out for âin your ear.â Itâs a reference to a scene in the movie Field of Dreams in which Shoeless Joe Jackson tells rookie Archie Graham to be ready for anything on the next pitch.
Shoeless Joe Jackson: The last two have been high and tight, so where do you think the next one s gonna be?
Archie Graham: Well, either low and away ⦠or in my ear.
Shoeless Joe: He s not gonna want to load the bases, so look for low and away. But watch out for in your ear.
PHOTO:
Jordan Ladikos
Blagoja Golubovski has worked with good mentors and managers across his entire career. But the lesson from one of his most memorable mentors shapes the way he works today: âWhen you lead a team, you give direction, not directions.â
Rather than getting a laundry list of things to do, his early jobs gave him the freedom to explore and test out-of-the-box ideas to solve problems.
âI was very fortunate because, rather than being told what to do, I was given a goal and an outcome with all the tools and means for me to get there,â he said. âLooking back, I know it doesn t happen that way in every organization, but I hold that same philosophy with the teams I manage today.â