Limitless Opportunities: Susan's Career Development with Dell Technologies

Susan W. | Consultant, Project/Program Management | Brazil

Originally Published: October 26, 2022

Susan is a Program Management Consultant at Dell Technologies Panama. Here, she shares her inspiring career trajectory and her "Science behind the Success."

When did you join Dell Technologies? Could you share your career progression within the company?

I started at Dell on July 7, 2003, and I am now on my 19th year with the company. I started when I was just 17 years old, in a Customer Service Agent training. When I finished the training, I was just turning 18 years old. One of my leaders shared this rule that stuck with me throughout my life at Dell, "Wherever you go, if you are clear about what your strengths are, those strengths will make you grow in every role as you develop opportunities and gain new experiences."

Another thing to highlight, is that Dell frequently changes which generates new opportunities constantly. These changes gave me the opportunity to work with different leaders from different organizations such as, Human Resources, Compensation, Legal, Sales, Site Operations, Technical Support, and others. These various opportunities led to my next jump in the company, and which is why I decided to join the Technical Support Department.

Acknowledging your strengths and weaknesses helps you make effective decisions. Once joining the Technical Support Department, I chose the role of Local Project Manager. The team was evolving at the time from local to regional, and then global. This helped grow my knowledge of the business and even allowed me to become a leader of Technical Support for Consumer and Commercial Customers of Basic Guarantee. As a leader with excellent results, I had the opportunity to continue creating an impact in the, then new, global organization in Technical Support Project Management. I also was one of the pioneers in creating the “Connected Workplace” – a program that Dell has for remote work, which I have been working with for almost ten years.

What have you been most proud of during your career at Dell? When I had the opportunity to represent Latin America in Texas. I had the chance to present my project to Michael Dell, interacting with him directly for about 5 minutes. I was able to achieve one of my main goals.  Have you participated in any development programs? Many, I participated in the Aspire Leadership Program, and as a pioneer participant in the Women in Action program which is known as the "Executive Leadership Program." I also participated as a mentee and mentor for the LIVE program known as "Mentor Circles", and I loved it! I also had the opportunity to organize the Dell Panama Career Development Fair in 2017.

Has anything you've learned along the way helped you progress in your career?

Every change brings precious stones, but the last change gave me the most precious; I could consider it a diamond. That special diamond is humility. I learned that every change should be received with humility. I had a career history where I was used to growing and moving very fast, and I trusted myself a lot. However, practicing humility allowed me to recognize my skills and abilities, exercise self-awareness, and improve in areas of opportunity. I also learned patience and recognized that things do not always occur the way you want it. Thanks to the lessons that I’ve learned along the way, I have managed to maintain positive results during my 19-year career. The personal satisfaction that I get from working with Dell makes me continue to persist, without ever thinking about giving up.

There’s a science behind the success I’ve achieved in my career and it’s a combination of spirituality, critical thinking, common sense and, most importantly, the intelligent and wise people I have the pleasure of working with on a daily basis.

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