I never imagined transitioning from accounting to IT, but life has a way of surprising us. Early in my career at an aerospace organization, a mentor encouraged me to go back to school for computer science. It was a bold move at the time—especially for a woman—but I quickly discovered I had a knack for troubleshooting and leadership that set me apart.

Two pivotal moments early in my career shaped my approach to managing projects and people:

• A colleague’s question that made me pause: During a lunch break, a coworker asked, “How do you get people to do things for you so willingly?” I hadn’t realized my leadership style was unique, but it sparked deep reflection about what I was doing differently.
• A boss’s unexpected observation: She mentioned how unusual it was for a project manager to confront conflict head-on. While most avoided it, I  leaned in...thanks in part to my background in mediation. It opened my eyes to how many leaders struggled with people-related challenges.
  
  These moments drove me to focus on how leadership and team dynamics can make or break a project.
  
  Turning Challenges into Opportunities
  
  Over the years, I’ve worked on both dream projects and absolute nightmares. One especially challenging experience stands out. I joined a company where I wasn’t given the tools, information, or trust to do my job effectively. For months, I struggled to gain momentum and couldn’t figure out why—until a colleague revealed that my manager had deliberately withheld critical resources from me.
  
  That experience taught me the profound impact poor leadership can have on someone’s confidence and productivity. But it also showed me the opposite: how great leadership and teamwork can transform even the toughest challenges into success stories.
  
  For example, I led a five-year initiative famously nicknamed “the project from hell.” The client’s leadership wasn’t listening to their end-users, tensions ran high among team members, and disagreements occasionally escalated to the brink of physical altercations. Yet, by fostering open communication, mediating conflicts, and ensuring everyone felt heard, we achieved our goals, and earned our client’s trust.
  
  My Philosophy on Success
  
  I believe great projects don’t happen despite the people...they happen because of them. Communication, alignment, and trust are the cornerstones of any successful team, and when those elements are in place, the results can be extraordinary.
  
  I’ve seen it firsthand. Team members have told me, “If you ever need my skills on another project, call me...I’d work with you again in a heartbeat.” That’s the ultimate compliment and proof that leading with empathy and clarity can inspire loyalty and excellence.