Adam is an Ascend Technologies Engineer. He shared his perspectives on what it means to be part of a team.
What is your favorite sports team?
Chicago Sting (for those who remember them). Current team: Chicago Blackhawks
What sports have you played?
I played soccer, baseball and football. Currently I ski, snowboard, rock climb, hike and ski mountaineer.
What do you remember being the most valuable lesson or quote from a coach or someone that supported you in sports?
“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of fight in the dog.”
What do you like the most about being part of the Ascend team?
It truly is an environment that fosters collaboration with a focus on personal and team accountability and growth.
How have the sports experiences supported your success at Ascend and in your boarder career?
I have had the fortunate opportunity to lead a team of people and through my growth process in that, I have learned a lot on how every individual can directly affect the positive or negative energy of a team. Finding a way to focus on the positives while being cognizant of the tough situations can really lead to a well-rounded and incredibly productive team. It boils down to how people react to those tough situations. I find that when people look introspectively on how they (or their team) can do their part to positively impact things instead of pointing blame or complaining, it will ultimately influence their as well as the overall team’s success – take personal accountability. The positive energy and willingness to adapt to do better becomes contagious and everyone ends up performing at an extremely high, yet sustainable level. I have found that every team at Ascend, seems to want to work together in this way!
Personally, in my broader career, I have found that having this positive attitude and a willingness to adapt to new situations, no matter what I am being asked, has greatly helped with personal as well as professional relations. It has translated to me truly caring for customer’s needs and finding a way to adapt with them as their needs change to find productive solutions.
What is your favorite team slogan, cheer or theme? How do bring this into your daily life?
“For every problem there is a solution.”
Understand that in some way, almost everything is fixable, and you can then focus on the ways to make that happen. If you focus too hard on worrying about the problem, you will have a tougher time finding a solution. Acknowledge there is a problem. Analyze it. Then search out the possible solutions!