Talk about a time you had to manage significant change in the workplace. How did you handle that situation with great results?

"Being fluid to a rapidly changing environment is the key to my success in the logistics field. New technology and innovation is making our jobs more efficient and I've had to be adaptable to many new things throughout my career. For me, the most challenging change I had to overcome was around five years ago when the organization that I was working for was bought out by a larger organization. During the transition period, there was a great amount of uncertainty among our entire staff regarding our jobs and what would be changing. Upon first meeting the management team of our new organization, I sought to find out what would be changing so I could understand what that would entail for our day to day jobs. With this knowledge, I could then educate my staff. In the end, our operations underwent some pretty major changes in the tracking software we used, our inventory system and our ordering system. It entailed a significant amount of training time but with an open mind towards growth, the training was a success to get us back up and running on time when go-live under the new systems came."

"For the past ten years, I've been a Field Technician for a large vending company. And even though my technical knowledge and mechanical knowledge are top-notch, I still get thrown for a loop when I take on things I'm not familiar with. A couple of years ago, my company purchased and rolled out new food machines that allowed for extended shelf lives of cold sandwiches. These machines incorporated a new style of condenser that I was unfamiliar with. Knowing that the machines were going to be all over my coverage area, I knew the need was there for me to learn about the condensers, how they worked, what common issues were and how to repair them. I took a few days in our shop to read and train on the condensers. I spent time to disassemble and reassemble them and I also spoke with some of the design engineers from the manufacturer of the condensers. By taking the days to learn, my time in the field was made much more efficient for years to come."

"When I began volunteering, I was really excited to join the group. I quickly realized that the core group of volunteers had been there for years, were very set in their ways, and were extremely reluctant to try new ideas. I had a difficult time working with them for a while because every time I would make a suggestion or recommendation, especially relating to social media, it was met with resistance and negativity. Instead of taking it personally or giving up, I tried to understand the root cause of their resistance. I began inquiring about their personal use of social media, how they used it to stay connected with friends and family, what challenges they had, why they felt the way they did about it, etc. I learned that they were reluctant to use social media because of things they had seen in the news and a general lack of knowledge of how to use it. It took time and baby steps, but eventually, I was able to spend time teaching them different aspects of social media and how it could improve our organization and benefit those we served. Little by little, they got on board with giving it a try. Patience, empathy, understanding, and communication helped me persevere in this situation!"