One of the tricky parts of this site is not divulging identifying information of other Travelers employees. Of course, it’s easy to simply not list a person’s name but there’s certainly a temptation to plug something in here in case they ever stumble across a post where they are behind the scenes. And this one is no different. I’m so jazzed about my immediate team that I can’t help but want to shout it from the rooftops.
So, with that in mind, let me try to make this as generic and as sanitized as possible…
My current role is that of a Solution Lead working with multiple development teams to ensure they are on the right path and to help them overcome any blockers they may run into from a technical perspective. There are three other Leads on my team who each handle a different aspect; for example, Delivery Lead, etc. The four of us report to a Circle Lead. The names might be new to someone outside of the company but all of the roles are similar IT or software development lead roles.
One of the first items that makes these five women so amazing is the massive amount of knowledge they have. While I don’t know the number of years they have been with the company, they each have decades of time with Travelers. Think about that. Decades! I cannot stress how incredibly knowledgeable they are. From processes within other teams to names, historical information, documentation, or anything else you can dream of, so many of our conversations, meetings, and processes run at such a smooth pace because of their wealth of knowledge.
This next one makes me nervous mentioning but, in my opinion, it is a genuine benefit. Yes, I know discussing gender is a no-no but… er… I have to say it.
There is a collective level of compassion and warmth from these amazing people that I have never seen from men. Each and every one of them genuinely care about our teams, the company, and the quality of the work product. And I’m not referring to some corporate-mandated professional politeness. These qualities come from within. Call it whatever you want… an aura, a vibe, energy, character… you can feel it whenever they’re involved. In my opinion, this is priceless when considering the overall health of your teams. It doesn’t matter what your job is or where you come from, whether you’re a geek or someone at the business level, when leadership is of this quality you can’t help but do your best. It’s infectious.
Side note: there’s a ton of info I want to share about the rest of the circle and our kick butt developers, but I think that needs to wait for the next post.
The five of us report to an AVP that is just as amazing. She was the first person I met after my interviews. And, while it’s probably not something I should admit, she was also the person who switched my brain from “interested” to “excited” about this position. During our initial meeting she was so down to earth and honest; a real no-nonsense person but with morals and compassion for the other person. She shared information about the history of the circle and both her vision as well as Travelers’. We talked about both pros and cons, positives and negatives, but there was no blaming, bragging, bus driving, or criticism. Most of all it was clear that she too had a wealth of wisdom and also cared deeply about our people and our path ahead.
Sorry, I think I’m rambling. I could go on for days.
I’ll wrap it up by saying that, if it’s possible to love your team, that’s what this is. They are such wonderful people that I actually look forward to work and meeting with them. And, I’m certain if I feel this way, so do many others.