Carolina

Looking ahead with the help of past experiences

When Carolina graduated as a Systems Engineer in Colombia, she joined SLB as an analyst. From there, her career and the SLB Information Technology (IT) function matured side by side. When a formal IT career path specifically for the Global Service Desk was launched, she jumped on board and began completing the requirements for each successive job grade.

The biggest challenge was the Grade 11 process, which involves a demanding self-directed project. It’s a memorable event for most SLB operations or technical employees. “For me, life at SLB was divided: either before or after my Grade 11 promotion. It is a challenging process, I cannot lie. It’s not for everyone. Only people with discipline and a hard work ethic get it done.”

For Carolina, her Grade 11 promotion was the point when she confirmed her determination to pursue a management career. She became Global Service Desk Training Coordinator, gaining knowledge of IT as a corporate function, and developing communication, time management, and decision-making skills. Before too long, she spoke with her manager and told him she was ready for her next step. “I became manager of the Bogota Service Desk, one of the biggest service desks in the company.”

Working remotely these days, Carolina starts each day assessing her team’s workload and organizing over 60 team members to cover what is required. “I also need to know if something is happening with any of my team members such as medical leave, personal situations, performance or development concerns. I am constantly communicating with team leaders to be on top of all situations.”

Carolina strives to be the kind of manager she has had during her career. “One was my mentor and coach, and today he is one of the people I go to when I need advice about a situation. Another one gave me the opportunity to develop my decision making and organization. Another always demonstrated trust in me, and one other taught me about strategy and achieving goals. I can say that I have had great managers in the company with different styles, but they all have in common their own self-confidence and willingness to share their knowledge.”