Career Spotlight | 5 Questions with Lisa Miloszewski

1)??How did you find your way to where you are today? Share a little about how you navigated all the changes that happened throughout your professional journey.

?My path to where I am today was unconventional in that I did not follow the path I “should” have taken based on the recommendations of those around me. Instead, I really trusted in the value of learning as much out of every experience that I could and found a way to build upon each experience.

When I graduated with an Honours degree in Actuarial Science and Statistics, it was actually my knowledge of French that got me my first job as a Bilingual Customer Service Representative. ?In this role, I probably learned 50% of what I know about the captive finance business. Then I gained experience in the Operations and Sales side of the OEM business before finally, leaning in to my education. Combining it with what I learned of both these sides of the businesses and taking on a role implementing an in-house, statistics-based, residual value setting methodology. Influencing the profitability of a large organization, the pressure was real!

I leveraged my risk-management lens and worked on some high profile projects meant to enhance the profitability of the portfolio and maintain a healthy pool of potential repeat business before landing where I am today where I am bringing that all together to help take our team to the next level in our business.

While my path may not have always appeared “logical”, I can genuinely say that every career change I’ve had has positively shaped my career – each step very uniquely propelled me into the next one, and each one has always been better than the last.

Change can be hard, it can be scary, and even if it is exciting, it can all of a sudden feel overwhelming, so to me, even when I’m caught off guard by change, it’s all about looking for the opportunity in it and focusing on what can be gained from the experience.

I focused on doing things that were interesting to me, so even in tasks that are less exciting, I try finding something to be interested in, and to me that’s usually learning how a different part of the business works.

?2)??What motivations fueled your career path? How do you differentiate yourself and leave your mark?

?Before entering University and in the context of preparing myself for a successful career (in any path) I was encouraged to think about how I would eventually differentiate myself from others to future employers. This perspective influenced my choice of degree program, the career opportunities I have sought out, and it continues to factor into many career decisions I make as well as how I present myself to a potential employer.

It is safe doing what everyone else does, but it is often rewarding doing what few others do. For me, this has meant earning a degree that relatively few others did, progressing professionally within an industry that has not traditionally had many female leaders, working in a field within the industry that was just establishing itself and continues to evolve – not being afraid of trying things people don’t generally do or understand.

Curiosity; I have a lifelong learner mentality and a genuine interest in understanding the mechanics of the business. I bring everything I know about the business to whatever I am doing in hopes of making a meaningful contribution or inspiring someone else to run further with an idea based on what they know so that they can make a lasting contribution. I enjoy solving puzzles and I am a problem solver - the business is a giant puzzle to me and I am always ready for a Sudoku! In my day-to-day work I look for ways to add value; I ask the questions I don’t hear being asked, I seek out the opinions of experts who may not be at the table and I provide the perspective I don’t hear being considered.

??3)??We discussed a passion for learning. How did that evolve in your career and how does it influence you on a daily basis?

Most of the roles that I’ve held did not come with a trainer or a training manual so to be successful, I needed to find a way to figure out how things work. Sometimes it was sorting through the formulas of a previous month’s spreadsheet, or reading through policies and cross-referencing them against processes. I have always relied on data to teach me about how the business is working. I appreciate having someone tell me how things work, but to this day I will almost always seek out data to make sure I truly understand the message.

When I’m learning something new, or entering a new environment, I listen to all of the perspectives around the table to understand motivations and to find common ground. While as a team we always have the same ultimate objective, it is very interesting to me to understand how and why perspectives on the path to get there can be vastly different. When I am preparing my work, I anticipate as many questions as I can not only to be prepared but also to ensure I can learn something I hadn’t thought of from the questions that do arise – keep raising the bar!

I try to learn as much about the business as I can by engaging in the cross-functional work. For me, it has never been about doing my piece and walking away, it’s been about understanding the problem we’re trying to solve for, understanding where and how my contributions make an impact and then seeing how I can tailor my deliverables to best compliment the end goal.

Finally being a customer myself, I have experienced the full spectrum of quality and so I feel passionately about customer service. The more I understand about how the business works and how my role impacts other departments, the better equipped I am to make sustainable decisions. It can be with respect to an initiative to benefit our end customer, or with respect to revising a process, or creating a report that effectively informs a colleague in their decision-making. Making a lasting impact is always the end goal and leaving things better than the status quo.

?4)??What advice would you offer to your younger self? What do you wish you would have known getting started in your field?

?I think that everything I knew or didn’t know has shaped my path into what it is, and I am very happy with where I am. If I could help someone else getting started in their career, I would suggest that they get comfortable and confident in asking questions early on.?Knowledge is power and acknowledging there is something more you can learn is not a sign of weakness! The more you learn the more you will grow professionally. Definitely prioritize networking - it is not as scary as it sounds! Routinely reflect and evaluate what is important to you both personally and professionally and don’t compromise on either side for too long since work-life-balance can be a moving target. Lastly, if you find yourself in an environment that is no longer checking boxes for you as it once did, consider that as a potential catalyst for change! ?

?5)??Every company and even team has a unique culture, what led you to focus on understanding culture better and what kind of culture are you creating with your team?

?As many have, I have experienced a few different professional cultures and I have developed preferences based on what works for me. It’s something that I am constantly paying attention to because I know I deliver my best results when I am working in the right environment.

The best team I have been a part of was one in which the relationships were rooted in respect and trust, and to work against that would not be tolerated.?The emphasis on those two elements created a really safe and supportive environment that allowed everyone to honestly speak their minds and productively collaborate for optimal results and personal development. No matter what is going on around us, a safe and supportive environment with these same principles is something that I endeavor to instill with any team I am a part of.

It is important to understand the culture of the organization you are working for to ensure that it is the right fit for you over the long term. People can change, and so can cultures, and being in tune with those changes is valuable insight to keep you on the right path.?