Bazaarvoice's Natasha Ouellette focuses on cross-team productivity

Natasha spoke to Where Women Work in June 2021. You can see the published article here : https://www.wherewomenwork.com/Career/3462/Bazaarvoice-Engineering-Operations-Senior-Project-Manager-Natasha-Ouellette-inspired-by-Bazaarvoice-culture

Meet Natasha Ouellette, an Engineering Operations Senior Project Manager at?Bazaarvoice ?in Boston. She's a very ambitious, curious, and people-centric person - and she thoroughly enjoys her role with Bazaarvoice.

Through her role, Natasha helps drive the company's programs. She also focuses on uniting the company's global teams through breaking down any silos and building trust throughout the organization via transparency and consistent collaboration. "I strive to increase cross-team productivity using recurring team ceremonies in which data-based decisions are shared. My role is not only to facilitate these functions but to enable each team member to thrive in our environment for optimal productivity," explains Natasha.

When asked about some of the key strengths and abilities she regularly needs to call upon and demonstrate within her?role at Bazaarvoice , Natasha comments that she is a naturally compassionate person and believes that her compassion, when coupled with her inquisitive nature and people-centric personality, helps her to make positive connections that achieve success not only for her own goals but for the company's greater goals overall.?

"Some perceive my role as challenging, but I see my role as an opportunity to reboot team dynamics and create a culture of collaboration. I could use industry terms to describe how I drive progress, such as ‘I think outside the box’ - but that would be selling my team short. Instead, I firstly seek to understand the key players and personalities and then seek to understand how we can leverage our collective strengths to reach our goals. I enjoy hearing fresh ideas, then comparing them with my own perspectives as I help bring order and direction to a project to create a successful working program for the team."

Uniting people from different cultures

When asked about one of her biggest career achievements to date while at?Bazaarvoice , Natasha says: "I was brought on to the engineering team at Bazaarvoice to manage the integration of a new acquisition and to guide us through a global transformation. The takeaway for me was not only recognizing the technical needs of both organizations, their capabilities and skillset, but to also unite people from different cultures, time zones and management styles. The Bazaarvoice teams, including the new team, certainly rose to the occasion - and while challenging, it was also rewarding to see the teams bond and collaborate across several geographies to produce a successful end result."

Many women in leadership

Natasha believes that Bazaarvoice has many key strengths as an employer. "Bazaarvoice has such a diversified culture. As an employee with a relatively new tenure, it's so refreshing to see a company that has so many women in leadership. It also speaks volumes about the company that I was hired during the pandemic, which was challenging in itself. But it was the resiliency and determination of my teammates to deliver on our commitments that kept us focused throughout these times and helped us remain optimistic that we would persevere."?

An inspiring work culture

Natasha believes that a 'can-do, will do' attitude to succeed is strongly felt at Bazaarvoice and knows that this inspires her deeply. "The culture at Bazaarvoice inspires me, not only in terms of the company's future but the culture inspires me to personally perform better and grow with the company. The relationships I have built in a remote working experience in such a short period of time make me feel very connected to my co-workers and this is a testament to the strong and inclusive company culture that make Bazaarvoice the exceptional company that it is," claims Natasha.?

"Bazaarvoice has over 1,000 employees yet, compared to many further technology companies, we are still small. This means that we often feel and operate like a start-up, which is fun and exciting. There are multiple ways to contribute to the company's success. Additionally, Bazaarvoice has the structure and processes in place to enable professional development so career growth opportunities are readily available," explains Natasha.?

Diversity, equity and inclusion are key

Natasha knows that diversity, equity and inclusion are of central importance for?Bazaarvoice ?and its competitiveness. "Our customers are incredibly diverse so it’s only natural that the diversity of our employees reflects the customers that we serve. If our employees inherently understand our customers, then we produce a better product. International companies naturally understand cultural differences, and Bazaarvoice is no different. We support and celebrate our differences and capitalize on our synergies to drive our collaboration and innovation," says Natasha.

As an example of the company's diversity, Natasha indicates that the significant number of women within the Bazaarvoice engineering teams is well above the industry standard, especially in terms of the number of women holding leadership roles. "As a woman coming into Bazaarvoice, this was very encouraging to see and it's exciting to have so many women in the teams I work with," says Natasha.

Challenging opportunities that bring out your best

When questioned about her key advice for women looking to?join Bazaarvoice , Natasha quickly suggests that women should most definitely consider Bazaarvoice as their future employer: "You can’t go wrong. If you are looking for challenging opportunities that bring out the best in you, or if you have the desire and the drive to dig in and contribute to customer success, then Bazaarvoice is the place for you. The supportive culture and significant opportunities for professional development and career growth are huge reasons to be a part of the Bazaarvoice family."

Forging a career in the tech sector

But, within Natasha's own career journey, things have not always been easy - and so she understands and appreciates the career journey of other women in the technology sector. "I first started my technology career working for a software company for over a decade. I was one of the only few women in a very male-dominated industry - and I was young, so I felt I had to learn how to be taken seriously. I did this through my compassion and ability to relate to my co-workers. To be taken seriously, I had to gain trust. I learned to relate to my colleagues, not only on a business level, but on a personal level. My compassion and strong desire to relate to individuals is what has carried me through much of my career and is an attribute that I stand by in building a relationship of trust and transparency. To be honest, this period of my former career was very intimidating, but it has certainly made me stronger and wiser," comments Natasha.

Making time for yourself

And what about when Natasha is not working, how does she spend her downtime?

"Finding time for yourself is a challenge, but I’ve learned to give myself some grace and make that time. Whether it is spending quality time with my children, my dogs, gardening or finding just 20 mins of my day to do a killer ride on the Peloton - it makes all the difference in being able to be fully present in my work from giving myself that downtime. Overall, I believe that achieving balance makes you a better employee and manager," concludes Natasha.