For LaSheica Baptist, being prepared “just in case” has helped her thrive in her 14-year (and counting) career at Conduent. Currently a supervisor over the business/commercial and lockbox departments, LaSheica took her first job at Conduent as a customer service representative in 2009. Newly out of college, finding a career wasn’t on her radar at the time.

After a year and a half in the call center, she applied for a new position in the commercial department and was chosen for the job. LaSheica’s Conduent journey started to accelerate when her then-supervisor took interest in her and tried to help her see how much of an asset she was to the company. LaSheica suddenly saw the company in a different light. She started shadowing her supervisor and soon learned how to do her supervisor’s job.

“I just really connected with (her supervisor) – it was exciting to work with her and learn from her. I would sit with her and learn what she did, just in case. I wanted to learn, wanted to be well-rounded. I was thinking that if something ever happened, I’d have the knowledge to be successful in my role. I had no idea at the time, but change did happen, and I was there to assist and keep things running smoothly.” she said.

LaSheica’s supervisor received a promotion and moved to another department and another supervisor was brought in to lead the team. Because LaSheica knew the job, she was recommended to train her new supervisor. As months passed, she impressed her new boss, who encouraged her to apply for an open team lead role. That’s when she learned career paths aren’t always smooth. She didn’t get the job, which was pretty discouraging.

“Initially I was disappointed, discouraged, and I started to question whether I would be able to be a leader. Fortunately, I had a lot of encouragement from my manager and my co-workers. I soon realized that it just wasn’t my time. I focused on working on my skills so that if a position became open again, I’d be better prepared. A short while later, the position became open again. I was ready and I got the team lead position,” she said.

Not long after, being prepared “just in case” came through once again when the supervisor decided to pursue a different career path; LaSheica was promoted to supervisor, her role today.

LaSheica says she loves all the people she’s had the opportunity to work with, including the people she works with now, both her leaders and the associates who are part of the team she leads. There’s a great deal of mutual caring and respect, a feeling that everyone has each other’s back.

“We have a great close family dynamic. My team is very supportive; I support them and they support me. It’s easy to love what you do when you enjoy and care about the people you work with. The other reason I love my job is because I know it so well. While it can be demanding, I wouldn’t call it stressful because I’ve invested time to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to fulfill my duties and to be successful in my role” she said.

LaSheica’s leadership style is to build rapport with each person on her team. She takes the time to really get to know each person, and she lets them know she is open, available, understanding, and willing to listen.

“I never want my team to feel they are not appreciated or understood. I believe in being very open, being very honest, addressing things that need to be addressed in a way that lifts them up and doesn’t make them feel criticized. Open communication and building trust are all so important,” she said.

As for advice for fellow associates, she’s happy to share what seems to have worked for her thus far.

“Broaden your horizons by learning as much as you can. Be sure to introduce yourself to people – be visible. That’s what helped me get where I am. I took the initiative to learn something that wasn’t my responsibility at the time. It was a ‘just in case’ tactic, but it ended up working to my benefit because roles changed and positions opened up. People get promoted, or they leave, so you should always be ready to step up. In my case, I didn’t know changes would happen, didn’t expect them to happen, but when a new opportunity was available, I was able to step in and utilize my knowledge and skills. It’s great to be able to learn the job all the way around, whether it’s your responsibility or not. You never know when an opportunity will arise and give you the chance to share your knowledge and keep everything going smoothly,” she said.