Having worked in tech for a number of years, I’ve learned that one of the keys to building my career and my reputation was directly tied to the strong relationships I’ve made along the way.
Earlier in my career, I made mistakes by not building a supportive team, getting good mentorship, or putting myself out there and networking. I now know that building these relationships is an investment in yourself. At the end of the day, it’s the people that you surround yourself with that help you walk the path you need to walk.
Building a community of trust
It took me a long time to build a supportive team. While it may be obvious that I can't do everything on my own, it’s sometimes a blow to the ego to accept that fact. You’ve got this capacity and you think you’re smart, but the reality is that no one can do their job alone.
In terms of networks, I worked to grow my community by getting out there, meeting people, connecting, and talking about common interests around technology. Being aware of what's going on in my industry helped me stay relevant in conversations with partners, vendors and even with customers.
It is so vital to connect with others, so never limit yourself when it comes to meeting new people or being part of a company that encourages open connectivity.
Connecting at Kinaxis
At Kinaxis, we try to help people. It’s central to everything we do as a company. We help our customers build supply chains that increase efficiencies and remove waste on a global scale, which can improve the lives of people for generations to come. We don't just take the long view, though. Every day as a company, we try to embody the value that people matter here.
One of the goals I have for myself, and my teams, is to be an empathetic leader. That's not an easy thing to do in today's age. There's been a lot of pressure as we've been dealing with the pandemic. But, as Chief Technology Officer, making sure that we create an environment where people feel safe to learn, connect, and grow is a priority for me.
One of the things we want to do at Kinaxis is create an environment where we can foster and nurture people so that they can grow in their career. They have a path, the capacity to make mistakes, get good feedback and learn from it. That's one of the reasons why I really love the culture here at Kinaxis, because it gives us the empowerment to feel like, “Hey, we're all human, we're going to make mistakes and we can use them as learning opportunities for growth in the future.”
I hope you’ll learn from my early mistakes and recognize you can’t do it all on your own. Growing your professional community by building a network you can trust, both within and outside of your organization, can produce untold benefits to your career.
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