Name: Justin Strawn
How long have you worked for POET?
19 years
How did you first hear about POET?
I was working two jobs and getting my bachelor’s degree in accounting when I saw a Credit Analyst position open that was right up my alley. I interviewed for the position, and I was surprised when they called back and said “Yeah, we want you to come to work for us!”
Can you tell me about the path that led you to your career?
I had been told I have a pretty good aptitude for administration and accounting. I enlisted in the Marine Corps, where I was on the administration and payroll. I was able to help individual Marines with issues that they had with their earnings statements. When I got out, I bounced around through jobs and finally started going and getting an education in accounting. I then finished up my master's degree program while I was here at POET.
What do you do in your position?
As a business analyst, I take the enterprise's vision of improvements and processes, enhance them, and help them achieve those goals. Our role is to help plan that whole endeavor and make the transition easy for the end users and individuals trying to move that project forward.
What’s your favorite part about your job?
In my business capability manager role, I am also a manager of two business analysts, so I would say the most rewarding and fun part is being able to lead, manage, teach, and learn from them. Just because I'm in a manager's role doesn't mean I can't learn from you.
They’re both super positive, which keeps me positive and has a great effect on the team members around us. It’s rewarding to sit there and be a part of that and walk them through their transition into their career paths.
What is your greatest career accomplishment here at POET?
The opportunity to lead and manage a team gives individuals a spark of ambition. I've been here 19 years, and I don't think there's one year that I've ever been here that I have not been an advocate for what we're trying to accomplish. Leading people through that, showing and demonstrating to them, getting them excited, and seeing them be excited is fun.
Tell me about the dynamics with your team and your coworkers.
It’s ever-learning as we continuously seek knowledge to improve our positions. The IT team encourages and challenges each other, but we do it with the intent of having fun at work while making sure that we're accomplishing what our customers and team members are asking for.
What’s unique about a career at this company?
No matter what role you're in, you're a part of POET, and no matter what that role is, it's an important thing here at POET. That’s acknowledged at every turn, at every level, no matter, who you are and what you're doing here. You have a lot of skin in the game when it comes to POET's mission, and I think that's the uniqueness of it, no matter what you're doing here.
Tell me a little bit about yourself: what hobbies do you enjoy outside of work?
I love golfing and got into it when I met my wife. She said, “If you want to be a part of this family, my father will make sure that you know how to golf.” She bought me my first set of golf clubs; I still have them years later. The only thing was I'm ambidextrous, so I can do both. She looked at me and said, “I bought you right-handed clubs because I refuse to pay for left-handed clubs.” After all, they're so expensive!
In addition to golfing, I've always loved drawing, and I've done various pictures with multiple mediums. I do that when I feel ambitious.
What’s one thing you want to do that you’ve never done before?
Having a tour of Hawaii from a local, someone who knows the ins and outs of Hawaii would be so much fun. My wife loves traveling, so that would be a cool opportunity.
Professionally, I'm continuing to head down the path of being a good leader, mentor, and manager and learning from some of the individuals who have been here for a while or have the skill sets that can help foster a good learning experience for me on how to be a better manager and leader.
