Leadership with a Personal Touch – A Spotlight on Andy R.

Andy R. is a Service Manager II in VC3’s Canada West region. The ultimate goal of his work is to make sure his team is operating efficiently and that their efforts result in the quick resolution of client issues. Throughout his day Andy has his eye on the work that flows to his team. He addresses challenges, sets priorities, and gathers and analyzes data to inform his decisions.  

Andy’s favorite part of his job is working with people individually to support their success. He spends part of each day in one-on-one meetings with team members to talk about successes and challenges.  

“I try to share good news about individual stats,” said Andy. “We don't want to always want to talk about the tickets that are bugging team members, but their success too; what they’ve managed to close, and what they’ve potentially learned from resolving those tickets.” 

Management Skills Woven with Authentic Interest in Individuals 

A large part of what Andy is doing when he meets with his team is to mentor them because that’s what he knows a good leader does. The way that Andy has been mentored in his own career has been a crucial element in his career progression and a model for how he leads his team.  

In addition to mentoring, Andy has gained practical management skills from taking part in the company’s leadership training program. The training helped him develop his skills in listening, decision making, conflict resolution, and gave him strategies for handling sensitive situations with care. Utilization of these skills, along with Andy’s authentic interest in his team members as individuals, is how he both unifies and motivates his team to achieve their goal of delighting clients with excellent service. 

“What Andy has done with his team this past year is very impressive and it all started by building relationships with each of his team members,” said Scott G., Director of Service in Canada. “The improvement in his team doesn’t just come down to performance. Everyone is much more willing to accept change than they were before Andy took over. I think this mainly comes down to the fact that they truly trust him and believe he has their best interests at heart.” 

Shift in Attitudes About Remote Working 

Andy values the opportunities he has at VC3 to grow his skills and advance in the company. He also appreciates the shift in attitudes about remote working that happened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He has the choice to work from home or in the office and that’s a benefit that makes VC3 stand out from other companies working in the same industry. 

“I have lots of friends in IT and other professional careers and I don’t know anyone else who was given the choice after the pandemic ended as to where they were going to work,” said Andy. “We’re given a lot of choice in our day-to-day work, and I thought it was fantastic that VC3 had the vision to say, ‘you decide where you’re going to work.’” 

While Andy works mainly from home and skips commuting back and forth every day, he still enjoys going into the office sometimes. Now, however, it’s to connect with coworkers and nurture the relationships that he has built over the years.  

Team Member’s Promotion Viewed as Success

Many of the people whom Andy has guided have grown into new roles across the company, which means they don't work as closely with him as they did when they were part of his direct team. Though this means his team occasionally has a vacancy, Andy genuinely feels happy about it. This is because seeing his team members advance is a real sign of the positive impact his mentorship has had on their careers. 

“Nothing makes me happier than to go to HR and request a backfill to a position because the existing resource has been promoted to another position,” said Andy. “I’ve always said that my success is my team members’ success.”