Daniel Lawrence

Tell us more about your job. What’s a typical day like?

We’re currently working with a client to define processes and customize a portfolio management tool to improve their executive level oversight across the breadth of their projects in a number of business lines. To that end, my day currently involves a myriad of tasks, from onboarding new project managers into the portfolio management tool to gathering feedback and new functional requirements to support new acquisitions, as well as project forecasting, scheduling, and helping our budding leaders learn these skills.

What attracted you to work at Susco? How did you know it would be a good fit?

It very quickly became apparent during the interview process that they genuinely care for their employees and have incredibly open channels of communication. They didn’t offer a stale, “we put our people first” corporate line, but rather had a lot of questions about my style of mentoring, discussed their efforts towards internal development, and were very focused on hiring people who would protect the growth and service mindset that’s fostered within the company.

Tell us about when you’ve felt most proud of your work or colleagues.

I was proud of our response to hurricanes Laura and Sally in 2020: Across the entire company, we checked on each other and offered help, then checked on our clients and offered them help. Billable time took a back seat to actual human need. Once everyone was safe, we doubled down without being asked, and still met our targets—it was an incredible moment of unspoken alignment.

What do you value most about your company’s or team’s culture? What sets it apart from other places you’ve worked?

I was initially taken aback by the very strong focus on the development of emotional intelligence within the company; to be frank, it seemed a bit theatrical. But having worked here for some time now, the culture here is pretty incredible: communication is wide open, there’s accountability without casting blame, there’s pride and ownership at all levels, and our clients actually look forward to dealing with us.

What are some ways your company or team supports and stays connected to people who are working remotely?

We have a company huddle at the beginning of every work day, team stand ups three times a week, and open lines of communication to the entire executive team. Meetings happen on video to encourage interaction, and our company Slack has channels for working parents, our book club, general chat, and more. We also have regular happy hours and company events. In a time where so many companies are struggling with feeling disconnected, we have employees who will compliment the cute rain boots a colleague’s child is wearing—from three states away.

What advice do you have for someone in your field applying to jobs at your company?

Be very direct and honest; we need to know your capabilities and deficiencies accurately, and more importantly, we need to know that we can trust you to be open and truthful. We can coach and mentor where specific skills are needed, but only if we trust that we’ll see that need. Also make sure to show us where you excel and where your passion lies. You may be perfect for the position you’re interviewing for, or you may fit another role better. The better we know you, the better we can determine if an offer will position us both for success.