Beyond Management: Leading in a Time of Unprecedented Challenge

Rose Addison, Manager, Product Marketing Manager

I believe that we rise by lifting others. Throughout my lifetime, I’ve had the good fortune to experience great leadership. People who led by example, listened and offered advice, provided growth opportunities, and trusted in my abilities before I knew how. As Credentials merged with Parchment, I saw and felt outstanding leadership all around me, first-hand. 

Today, as we all face the unprecedented challenge of this dangerous worldwide pandemic, those of us at the “new Parchment” are also tasked with continuing the merger of Credentials Solutions and Parchment to create a unified entity where the whole is better than the sum of its parts.

New challenges call for new solutions, and I’m seeing a somewhat different type of leadership emerging:

• It’s the leadership of Parchment management, who makes sure we have the direction, information, and resources we need to work from home. These same leaders proactively communicate, offer support and understanding to new challenges we’re all facing, and work hard to encourage collaboration with new colleagues.  
• It’s also the leadership of Parchment employees, who take the time to post an inspiring quote or picture on Slack, meet via Zoom to make sure we are all okay and have what we need, and come up with new ways to keep us connected, like reading books to our kids (and us) and continuing our dancing sessions on Friday mornings (a Credentials tradition).
• It’s really about the combined leadership of all of us who are holding down the fort at home with our loved ones while at the same time working hard to support our members, enabling them to support their administrators, teachers, and students. 

We are truly all in this together.

Spotlight On Leadership… (Coming Soon)

All this gave me the idea – take a look inside our new organization at the human element – and shine a spotlight on remarkable leadership my colleagues (old and new) are showing during these uncertain times. 

Here’s a quick summary of the upcoming profiles in leadership:

• Kevin Martin, General Manager of Higher Education, who leads with empathy, brings much-needed routine and continuity, creates new ways of innovating during the unknowns, trusts staff to get the work done, and acts as a resource to all.
• Jen Ziegenmier, VP of Member Services, who is leading teams remotely, creating trust and helping them to face challenges while driving success. All this, while finding the day-to-day humor in working from home with two kids and a husband who’s an essential worker.
• Terry Reed, VP of Strategic Accounts, who after 21 years at Credentials Solutions, is taking a step back from constant travel to connect remotely with members to get them to the right resources at the blended company. He never underestimates the power of a good song that’ll get you moving (and destressing).
• Courtney Buksa, Strategic Project Manager, who is using her expertise earned by implementing systems for over 10 years at Credentials to oversee the consolidation of all our members into a single platform for ordering, tracking, and managing credentials. And she has 3 small children at home (including twins)!
• Darius Dant, Senior Program Manager, and Jeanette Rodriguez, Graphic Designer, who are using their complementary strengths to collaborate, create innovative marketing programs with unified branding and communication, and provide key information to our members. These two kindred spirits find joy in their day, regardless of challenges.

So, stay tuned. I’m you will find these stories as inspiring as I do.

There’s always more to learn.