Zasha, Director of Operations at Bellwether Technology, hasn’t always worked in IT. In fact, when she landed her first IT job as an assistant systems administrator for a government contractor, she didn’t have any experience in the field except for being her family’s go-to IT resource. During the course of the job interview, she didn’t know the answers to all of the technical questions that she was asked. But it turned out that how she did answer revealed a lot of about who Zasha is and not just what she knew.
“I had no professional experience in IT and there were some questions I didn’t know the answers to,” Zasha explained. “I would honestly say – I don’t know. I would have to ask someone. And they wound up hiring me over the person who did have experience because they liked the idea that I wouldn’t just guess and make the wrong decision.”
Zasha’s first step into the IT industry is an example of how she’s approached all the other progressions in her career. She saw something she wanted to do. She said to herself, “I can do that”, and then she equipped herself to not just do the job, but to excel at it.
Motivation and Mentorship Propelled Her Career
Zasha started her career at Bellwether as the supervisor to a service team of three people. She grew the team to seven and moved on to become the Service Desk Manager. As the team and her responsibilities increased, so did Zasha’s knowledge and skills. When she eyed the Operations Manager position, she was ready for a different type of challenge, one where she could extend her leadership and management capabilities even more.
“When I became the Operations Manager, Steven knew that I had never in my previous experience worked with financials or the inner workings of running a company,” said Zasha. “But he saw that I had the capability and confidence to learn. It was something that he could teach me and be my mentor.”
Having Steven, the President of the company, as a mentor has made a huge difference in Zasha’s professional journey and it’s something that never leaves her mind as she, in turn, mentors others. In fact, as she talks to job candidates, she tells them that at Bellwether they like to “grow people,” providing them with the training and mentoring they need to move down a path toward their ideal job.
She’s now been Director of Operations since fall of 2021. In this role, Zasha has oversight of everything from the operation of the support team and technician training to customer service and quality control. She’s also responsible for overseeing the professional services department that plans and implements technology improvements for clients. Additionally, Zasha works with Bellwether’s President and Vice President to monitor the financial health of the company and conduct strategic planning.
“Zasha is the engine that makes Bellwether run. She inspires people and turns ideas into results,” comments Steven, Bellwether’s President. “No one contributes more to Bellwether’s and our clients’ success.”
Core Values Create a People-First Environment
In addition to being responsible for operations, Zasha is also the company’s culture champion, making sure that Bellwether’s core values are top of mind, that people aren’t getting burnt out, and that they don’t forget to have some fun together.
“One of our core values has to do with finding the right balance,” Zasha explained. “It’s important for people to have time with their friends and their family. We purposely run a bit thicker than some of our fellow Managed Service Providers because that work-life balance is important to us.”
As Zasha describes what it’s like to work at Bellwether, she talks about being “people first.” She says that you won’t hear anyone saying “that’s not my job.” Everybody pulls together and there can’t be a better demonstration of what that looks like than what happened when Hurricane Ida blew through.
She said, “When Hurricane Ida came through here, everybody pitched in. Everybody stopped what they were doing to help our clients get everything back up and running again.”
Zasha has no intention of leaving Bellwether until she retires. She believes in the vision of the company and its commitment to the New Orleans community. What’s more, this is where she found her work family.
“I’ve worked for companies that claim that they’re a people-first company but I’ve never really felt that until I worked for Bellwether,” said Zasha. “It’s truly a family feeling here.”
