Upside: What do you love most about the company culture here at Upside? 

Alla: In my experience, the culture at Upside is one where people are eager to develop themselves and support the success of others. Whether it's through formal or informal mentorship, thoughtful 360-degree reviews, and the genuine excitement that builds when we share our successes, the way we freely share skills and uplevel each other is unlike what I’ve seen at other places.

Over the past three years, individuals across different departments and at all levels have genuinely rooted for me and offered support and guidance when I needed it. Change can be scary, but high growth companies are all about change. Knowing I have people invested in me has made all the difference.

Upside: Who are some of your biggest inspirations within the company? 

Alla: The first person who comes to mind is Pantea Stevenson. A master negotiator, a triathlon athlete; a woman who works to break barriers for other women and bring them along with her. She is a clear example of the culture I alluded to before. She freely and actively shares what she’s learned in order to help others in the org around her.

I love that in all the advice she gives, she emphasizes one thing above all: find success by being your best, authentic self. Find ways to enhance and use your natural strengths, rather than pigeonholing yourself with what's worked for those who are different from you.

Upside: What do you think makes you unique as a team member?

Alla: I don’t see a ton of people in my field/team with prior training as graphic designers, but it’s a skillset I use all the time! Primarily UX, infographic, and basic design skills.

Upside: What are the most important skills for your role/profession? 

Alla: Enablement is all about reducing friction for our internal customers, which are usually revenue-generating teams like sales and account management. Businesses gain a lot of value from making their revenue teams as efficient and effective as possible, which is what enablement typically exists to do!

While we run into similar challenges, specific enablement roles across companies can vary widely. I’m often translating critical information and changes from other departments into the workflow of our revenue teams. Here are some skills that have served me well:

• Empathy: To do this job well, you have to really be able to put yourself into their shoes: what do they actually need to know? Why should they care about it? What does this experience look like for them? How can you make it easier? More engaging, memorable, effective? This is something that any profession would benefit from but is the lifeblood of enablement.
• Information prioritization: A more tactical skill alongside empathy. Revenue teams move fast and need to know things quickly. Being able to parse out the core takeaways is critical in any enablement deliverable. I use this all the time, even in things as small as Slack announcements. 

Other critical skills include effective communication and presentations, change management, facilitation, data analysis, and project management.

Upside: What are your hobbies outside of work? 

Alla: Short answer: nature, creative outlets, and new experiences. 

Long answer: I love hiking trails, finding what’s blooming outside, and rock climbing (...indoors, mainly). At home, I love tending to my plants, gardening, listening to audiobooks, and creating new things. One of my favorite things to do is host crafternoons with my friends, where we try out a new craft and create things together. What’s better than catching up with friends and having something unique to bring back home with you?

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