Planning A Successful 5+ Year Career

Every company hopes to hire the right candidate. Someone who becomes a great team member and joins the company in its mission and growth. Sara Ataya fits the bill and is a pivotal member of 2toLead.

We are both lucky and thrilled to have her as an employee and take the time to discuss her career to date.

Q&A with Sara Ataya about her 5 Year Career

We asked our Project Manager, Sara Ataya, to answer some questions about her incredible ongoing career at 2toLead.

Q1. Why did you want to work at 2toLead?

I chose to work at 2toLead because the company culture and management seemed strong. In addition, I was still relatively new to project management and was looking for a company that believed in my ability to excel and grow in my role.

I'm grateful that while I was early into my career, 2toLead took a chance on me. One that I am happy to say has paid off. I grew, and in return, they received a hard worker who dedicated themselves to helping clients and the company.

So began my journey as Project Coordinator.

Q2. Did you always plan for a long-term career at 2toLead?

Yes. My plan was always to move up in the company. As mentioned, I was moved and motivated by the company and believed in management.

Also, I'm happy to say, I have grown a lot in the five years and was promoted from Project Coordinator to Project Manager within a year!

Q3. What was the most pivotal moment in your career at 2toLead?

During my first year, I remember struggling with the role. However, the advice from our CEO, Kanwal Khipple, helped me get through and excel. He said, "You can lean on your strengths or choose to conquer your weaknesses." Those words shaped my career and my journey at 2toLead.

Q4. What were the key things you did to plan for a successful career?

After my conversation with Kanwal, it was clear that focusing on strengthening my weaknesses rather than solely building on my strengths was a pivotal part of planning for my success.

I began experimenting with different techniques and approaches that targeted weaknesses to see the most effective way to overcome and strengthen them. In doing so, I have found the right ones that work for me and/or a particular set of scenarios.

Q5. What was your proudest moment at 2toLead?

Helping develop the department has been the crowning achievement for me. While at 2toLead, I have created and contributed to improving and establishing our Project Management processes and frameworks that have helped the company grow and mature.

On a more personal level, I am particularly proud of stepping out of my comfort zone and getting my Microsoft Fundamentals. While I was pleasantly surprised at how much I had already absorbed on the subject during my time at 2toLead, I don't enjoy taking exams. However, this was one that I had wanted for a while, and getting it was a special moment for me.

Q6. What do you think made you successful in your role over time?

There were a few things I feel contributed to my success:

Quarterly planning – this helped me focus and prioritize.
Regular manager connects – 1-on-1s helped me stay on track and remove any roadblocks.
Don't be shy to ask questions - being in an environment where they are accepted and appreciated is essential.
Staying flexible to change - Companies and roles sometimes shift as companies grow and optimize their process. Being able to pivot and adjust is crucial to success.
Being outcome-oriented and resourceful – focusing on the big picture and finding creative ways to solve problems makes it easier to stay on target and become an independent thinker.

Q7. What advice would you give someone looking to grow at 2toLead or within their company?

Here are three pieces of advice:

The ability to pivot and adjust is vital in any role, project, and company.
Documenting and capturing strategies and efforts is a great way to "show your work" and create reusable assets, a friend to any business. However, keeping them in a silo helps nobody but yourself. So, it's important to share notes and documents openly.
If you have a firm idea of where you want to be, perfect - plan and work to achieve it. However, don't shy away from taking chances and trying something new.

Want to join Team 2toLead?

We thank Sara for sharing her experiences, thoughts, and advice. She continues to be an integral part of the team, and once again, we are lucky to have her.

You can also see what she had to say in our Great Place to Work video.