People of Pontoon: Purpose Series
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Purpose has been front of mind for business leaders in recent years, but as a global pandemic sent workers away from physical locations, the importance of finding purpose in your work and aligning your values with those of your colleagues became essential.
At Pontoon, we drive purpose through our leadership and by creating a culture where opportunity, accountability and respect are at the core, to allow our people to find meaning in their work.
In our People & Purpose series, a selection of Pontooners share their thoughts on purpose, what it means to them and how they integrate it into their daily lives.
Creating opportunity
How do you create opportunity?
Jennifer Enquist, Talent Acquisition Partner, Florida USA: I create opportunity by raising your hand and asking for the opportunity. One must be bold. Get out of your comfort zone and take a chance. Not only will you grow professionally, but you will grow personally as well.
I am responsible for delivering top talent globally for Pontoon. People who will match up with our core values and be able to be a gamechanger, a warrior and a growth hacker whilst also playing collectively across teams both within Pontoon and also our wider Adecco ecosystem.
Ben Fleige, Sales Director, Dusseldorf, Germany: I create opportunity by thinking outside of the box, being curious about innovation and connecting dots rather quick
Jerilyn Zephir, Operational Excellence Director, Georgia USA: I create opportunity by recognizing every day is a new chance to evolve, learn and make a difference. I allow my team to learn and grow by providing them projects and tasks where they can be creative, develop and showcase their skills and those of our team.
Dane Marino, Process Excellence Manager, North Carolina USA: I create opportunity by being open to new ideas and by building relationships with the people around me.
By having well-developed relationships, when problems arise, people feel they can rely on me or come to me for input. I persist to make things work and do not give up in the face of adversity.
What drives you?
Ben: Working at Pontoon has been a great experience since day one, but what is outstanding is to see how we stand together as Pontoon during these special and challenging days. We have amazing people, locally and globally, and we manage to play as a team. The way everyone works towards the same goals and to see how we support each other is a strong driver for me. Also, as a husband and father of two, one of my strongest drivers is to help build a better working world for my two kids and the generations to come.
Jennifer: Seeing others around me succeed. There is no better feeling than watching one of my previous candidates contribute to the success of Pontoon and you can see the return on investment within the organisation.
Jerilyn: The impact I make on others. When I learn that my customer (internal or external) confirms that my efforts are positively impacting their journey and experience I am excited for what comes next!
Dane: Solving problems! Acts for others is how I show I care and add value to peoples’ lives.
What do you see is Pontoon’s role in the world of work?
Jennifer: Aggressively transforming the mindset of organisations on how to incorporate technology into their recruitment strategies. Whether providing an RXO solution or remote onboarding capabilities, Pontoon is truly redefining the recruitment process in a digital world.
Ben: To me, Pontoon is a change agent for our industry. Our way of working and challenging the status quo is one of a kind. Not only globally but also for our midmarket business in Germany. We aim to do things differently and beat our local best more and more often. We are an architect for the world of work and it is our responsibility to create change for the better.
Jerilyn: Pontoon’s energy in the market is driven by our program strength and functional team excellence. Pontoon constantly evolves our solutions through new designs, new technologies and best practice methodologies while driving results through PERFORM, enhancing the candidate and customer experience.
How do you overcome challenges and find solutions in your role?
Jennifer: By aligning with one of our core values, #playcollective. I leverage my business partners and use their experiences to arrive at the best solution. By discussion different outcomes with individuals who bring different perspectives, you are bound to find a solution.
Ben: In sales, challenges come up all the time. My role is to actively listen, understand and challenge what my customers and prospects are telling me. Once we have a clear picture, I will always involve SMEs and other experts to solve specific problems and collaborate whenever possible. I strongly believe that we can only be successful when we play as a team. It also has been a differentiator to look at challenges from different angles and trying to find new ways of solving them.
Jerilyn: When I am up against a challenge, I try to remain resilient and ask more questions! I peel back the onion, review my project plan and tap into more resource and….. COLLABORATE. Remember, we all face challenges, but a little help goes a long way and it is ok to revise your plan!
Dane: My experience and openness to new ideas help me develop solutions to problems that arise. Additionally, the connections I make help me know who I can collaborate with to drive solutions.
How do you build meaningful relationships with colleagues and customers during remote working?
Jennifer: Although we no longer have doors, I still maintain the “open door policy” and keep the lines of communication open. I believe that you can never over-communicate and being transparent is key to being an effective leader and recruiter.
Ben: Meaningful relationships are built on a fundament of trust. For me, building a solid ground means to be someone my colleagues and customers can rely on. Being honest, being a strong communicator and being authentic are key, no matter if you connect virtually or in person.
Jerilyn: Playing collectively allows our customer and colleague relationships to grow. Carving out time to nurture those relationships while working remotely will keep those alliances close. During the last few months of remote working, I have noticed we all spend more time listening. Despite talking less, we have come together to produce impactful results.
Dane: This has been a new challenge for me. I have never worked remotely for a long period of time before. I always have my camera on during calls. It is a small way to add a lot of value by seeing the 80% of non-verbal communication that occurs. Another small thing I do is make time to connect about non-work activities with colleagues.
