Details
Foodservice Supervisor, Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District
Houston, TX
Age: 28
Education: B.S. in science and human nutrition from the University of Houston
Years at organization: 2
Why Selected?
According to Darin Crawford, foodservice director, Tanesa has made a difference by:
- Being a problem solver. Average employees point out problems. When Tanesa brings up a problem, she also presents solutions
- Being a leader. Some of her greatest leadership skills are patience, organization, empathy and diplomacy. Using these skills, together with her foodservice operations knowledge, she is able to lead a team of diverse individuals
- Being a master at improving employee performance. She makes people better. She treats her employees with respect even when she is documenting performance issues
Get to know
As a supervisor, conflict resolution is a large part of the job, and it’s difficult to find truth because you are never present when the problem occurs. My proudest accomplishment is learning how to deal with conflict and personnel problems.
Q. What would you say you excel at over more seasoned colleagues?When told, “That is just how it is,” I challenge it with, “This is how it could be.” It is difficult for me to dwell on past failures or accept current shortcomings.
Q. What's the best career advice you've been given?“It happens” and “It’s about the people, not the profession.” It reminds me not to be so goal-driven that you exhaust an employee’s motivation or neglect his or her individual needs.
Q. What's been the biggest challenge you've had to overcome?My age and appearance because I am commonly mistaken for a student. The average age of my employees is 40-plus, which causes them to view me as a youngster. It has taken time to build relationships of trust and mutual respect.
Q. What's been your most rewarding moment?Last year I had a manager tell me, “Knowing you care and will listen makes me feel like I can do a good job.” This appreciation reassured me that my work impacts more than just empty stomachs.
Q. What's been your funniest on-the-job disaster?A freezer went out, and everything had to be discarded. Later that week, operations contacted me because the Dumpster was too heavy for the truck to dump. They expected us to empty half of the rotten food from the Dumpster that had been rained on and in the sun for five days. I kindly refused their suggested solution of Dumpster diving. We received a call the next day that a solution was found, but they would never tell us what it was.
What would you like to accomplish in your career short term?
I don’t plan far in advance because the best opportunities are usually the most unexpected. I plan to accomplish my work to the best of my ability, increase my knowledge and skills and see what opportunities the fruit of my labor brings each day.