Privilege of Opportunity
Long gone are the glory days of American business when companies strove to groom stars from within. Strong training and mentoring programs that companies used to mold employees into confident extensions of their brand, have been replaced by bare bones frameworks of top-heavy management and unhappy supporting casts. Many of my colleagues in American business dangle one foot out the door, and carelessly disregard momentum within their company for a few dollars more every pay period. Their underlying reasons for departure are uninspiring managers, unrewarding workflow and unclear growth opportunities. But instead of lamenting over the injustices of American business, I seek out managers willing to teach me the formalities and informalities of my industry. Beginning with my first co-operative education experience at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals through my current position with Commerce Bank, these managers have provided me with the requisite confidence to succeed in American business. Throughout the years I have learned how to interact with internal and external customers, and build the products that they want to see.
My experience at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals stands out because I was only nineteen years old, and had an experience that I could only dream of when I was stocking shelves of appliances at Best Buy. The job was a management information systems support position within Wyeth Pharmaceuticals’ Logistics and Supply Chain department, and was passed along to me by my friend Jacquie who had accepted a second offer. My primary task was to support an external consultant who was building the framework of a data warehouse that would ultimately build efficiencies between Wyeth Pharmaceuticals’ refining, manufacturing, and distribution channels. The task was mostly data entry with a tinge of analytical work, but it opened up opportunities for side projects to enhance my hands on education.
On one particular day, my team leader invited me into his office to discuss my interest in creating a set of project management forms that would improve workflow within the Logistics and Supply Chain department. Difficulties arose between the several teams that comprised the Logistics and Supply Chain department, and how they were reporting workflow to the department’s manager. My task was to interview the department manager and the team leaders, and create a standard set of project management forms that would be used by the entire department.
I began the project by compiling a list of open-ended questions to gain clearer understanding of the department manager’s requirements for the project management forms. As he was the intended audience, it was important that I accurately capture the information that he wanted to see. I revised my questions to reflect the department manager’s requirements and began talking to the team leaders, seeking cues to design the project management forms for ease of use among their respective teams. But during my interviews I noticed apprehensiveness about the project from several team leaders, and was unsure with how to continue. I met with my team leader who explained that while I had accurately portrayed the concerns of the department manager, my revised questions failed to capture the concerns of the team leaders and their direct reports. He explained further that the success of this project lies in the hands of the direct reports who would be using the project management forms, and their adoption would be critical. Refocused on the users, I revised my questions and was able to receive constructive feedback from the team leaders. Through their commentary, I was able to create a draft of the project management forms. The project culminated with me presenting the project management forms to the department manager and team leaders in a board room setting, and answering any questions that they had.My co-operative education experience with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals ended shortly after my final draft had been implemented.
The confidence that my team leader placed on me to complete this project has stuck with me through two additional co-operative education experiences, a number of student leadership roles, and my post collegiate career.
Posted on May 18th, 2008 | By: bootstrap economist | Filed under Personal Finance
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