Why this finalist deserves to win Best Tech Manager:
At conversational artificial intelligence (AI) company Interactions, Jane oversees a team of 30 designers who build powerful Intelligent Virtual Assistants (IVAs) for global enterprises like MetLife and Hyatt. With a people-first approach to team management, Jane has revamped the Interactions design services department and doubled its size this year alone.
Jane’s savvy leadership is rooted in her personal mantra: “bring your whole self to work.” As the manager of an entirely-remote workforce, Jane makes a point to understand each team member’s unique goals, interests and motivations, getting to know the person behind the email address or Slack handle. By holding 1:1 video calls with all of her employees regularly, she’s able to better place employees with suitable clients and teammates, and ensure that everyone’s skills and passions are paired with appropriate projects.
Having risen through the ranks of companies like MetLife, Time Warner Cable and Nortel, Jane recognizes the important role managers play in helping employees feel valued. Above all, she firmly believes that the best leaders are those that “set their team up for success” by providing tools and process, while removing obstacles so that both people and teams can succeed. To ensure that each team member is able to work as efficiently as possible, Jane hosts weekly video working sessions with the entire design department to discuss priorities, exchange insights and encourage collaboration.
In addition to spearheading a productive and collaborative workplace, Jane is committed to building a team culture that encourages out-of-the-box thinking. To inspire creative thought, Jane hosts a monthly book club meeting to discuss how design concepts can be applied to Interactions projects. The team is currently reading Voice User Interface Design by Cohen, Giangola and Balogh, and has taken a fresh look at usability testing for example, and how Interactions could use more of it. This creative thinking carries over to her day-to-day work, as well. Jane is constantly encouraging her team to take new ideas and run with them, even if they might fail. She values creativity and innovation over perfection, which has led to more automation and happier clients.
Jane is currently heading a large project at Interactions called The Interactions WaySM. This project outlines how we define, design, deploy, measure, continuously improve and certify conversational virtual assistant experiences into enterprise customer service echo-systems, fulfilling consumer-desired outcomes through effortless engagement. The Interactions WaySM is an exciting project, backed by company leadership that gives Jane’s team the freedom to design amazing customer experiences. Jane has been instrumental in documenting the team's best practices and defining conversational experience.
Even further, Jane isn’t afraid to rethink traditional structures and processes. For instance, she first joined Interactions as a Voice User Interface Designer, but quickly moved into the management position, directly managing 14 people, which this year she has grown to 30. This growth presented her with the challenging task of monitoring the projects, needs and concerns of dozens of team members. To establish a better system, Jane revamped the employee stratum by creating several new managerial positions. This new structure holds each team member more accountable for their work and gives Jane more visibility into the key projects that need her attention. Furthermore, her new managers implemented an agile scrum process to align design staff with projects. During scrum planning sessions, they identify which projects need the most energy and support, and prioritize accordingly.
With this same drive, Jane encourages her whole team to ask questions and think twice before accepting anything as fact. At Interactions, for instance, Jane is committed to ensuring that every new hire has a clear understanding of his or her goals. By creating a written onboarding document, Jane’s team knows what is expected of them, and is empowered to recommend changes to any process or project that isn’t working towards their overarching goals.
Jane is respected by the Design Services team for not only her passion and expertise, but also for her commitment to innovation—a trait that’s fostered rapid growth in the department in just a matter of months. With a bold and personalized leadership style, Jane is uniquely suited to cultivate a dynamic, forward-thinking team, while building exceptional customer experiences. Finally, Jane’s team loves working with her, and is proud to have their family and friends interact with the customer experiences that they create!
