Regina Lassey, PhD, MPhil, MBA

I would say perseverance, and always being perseverant to learn more. I study more and get more acclimated to what I do. Team building and teamwork are huge for me having a great environment to work in with great working colleagues helps a lot. The company gives you the opportunity to have professional engagement and training to sustain you in what you do. Everything else, I'm a very faith-based person, so I believe that God is the author and the finisher of my life. Whenever things get hard, I just leave it to Him, and I pray about it, and I work on it. That's basically what keeps me going and has led to my success over these 11 years.

Don't rush through things. Be the best you can in everything that you do. I always say, shine right in the corner where you are. You might think nobody sees you, but if you do your best in your area, it really helps everybody else on the team. So irrespective of what you're doing or where you're at, even if you think nobody is watching, do your best work because it matters and it impacts the whole team.

Believe in your abilities because you are who you are. People will tell you different things and speak to you in certain ways, but you cannot control what people do or what they think of you. You can only control how you allow that to affect you and the way you perform your duties. If someone tells you something, take stock of your life and really reconsider to see if you're doing something wrong. If you are, correct it and find ways to make it right. But if you take stock and realize what you're doing is okay, then you move on, because you can't control how they feel about you. Always have your head high and don't be intimidated by your environment. If you don't know something, feel free to ask - there's nothing wrong with asking questions, because half of the time, that's what's going to get you the answer that you need. Do not be afraid to share your knowledge, and if somebody knows more than you, learn with humility.

The biggest challenges are ensuring that there is a safe environment for everybody. We are always striving to be on top of what we do and go above and beyond for our customers. We also stay on top of customer complaints - if they need anything or bring anything to our attention, we make sure those are being addressed in a timely manner so that customers are satisfied. Safety and responsive customer service are the two main areas where we focus our efforts and face our biggest challenges.

Treat people how they want to be treated. I know people say treat people like you want to be treated, but not everybody wants to be treated the way you do, so you treat each person as an individual. Don't put everybody in a box. This helps you utilize emotional intelligence and not just go off of what somebody is doing. Always verify what you're being told - I want to be sure that whatever I'm doing is the right thing, and there's nothing wrong with cross-checking the facts before you judge someone. Give people the chance to explain themselves and go to the bottom of the issue so you can find a solution. I don't like to cut grass, I like to go to the roots, because if you cut the grass, in a month's time you're going to come back again. But when you go to the root, then you're landscaping it - the issue is solved from the bottom, and you can create plans to mitigate it. Empower people and let them see the good in themselves. A lot of people know what they're doing, but they rely on you for validation. You can turn that validation into identifying their strengths and help them improve on those strengths. Gain knowledge, gain knowledge, gain knowledge. Always try to learn more about situations. Get certified if you have to. Learning doesn't end - it's always a learning process in everything.