I am exceptionally good at “herding cats.” Put me with a group of individuals with diverse backgrounds, different styles and preferences, and I can bring everyone together to think collectively, utilizing their personal strengths, creativity, and value to meet our common goal. I work strategically, being both leader and mediator for people with different styles and personalities to be able to work together effectively in project management. I frequently end up being the “go to person” for problems or issues, both technical and personal. This happens not only because I know the systems and procedures well, but also because people feel comfortable coming to me when something is not working. Wherever I go, I naturally bring order to chaos, constantly digging into systems, looking for ways to make them function more effectively. Once the system is working, I train others how to use it, so I can move on to other tasks. Training and developing others to be good at what they do is a huge passion of mine. What I find most rewarding about this process is watching people I have personally trained grow to become effective leaders, managing their own teams and departments. One of my natural talents is interviewing people and putting teams together. Most people tend to be nervous during job interviews and put their best foot forward, not necessarily showing who they are. I try to make them feel relaxed and at ease, so I can see their true personality come through. And I select them for hire based on what they can bring to the table that my existing team doesn’t already have. During the challenging times of COVID, when most of us are forced to work virtually, we still have projects and deadlines to complete. My approach to dealing with remote teams is to make sure we all have effective ways to communicate with each other and no one is left to their own devices. What I try to avoid is to have anyone feel isolated and work on their own without knowing what everyone else is doing.