16th February 2021
Stories from an Inspiring Leader – Joel Smith
Joel Smith, Client Executive Partner, Atos IT Services
Joel has made the period where the account team are home working, still feel like exactly the same place! New people who have joined the team remotely have been welcomed and become as much part of the team as if they were in the office.
I am also continually amazed that he knows every team member and every contractor, no matter how new they are, by name and he knows exactly what they do. He is sensitive with personal circumstances during the pandemic, giving people space to manage their work flexibly, changing hours, making sure they are not overworking now that they are exclusively working at home. He never puts work in the way and will ask other members of the team to support to help fix any gaps in a sensitive manner.
In terms of the wider team, Joel champions social events and keeping everyone engaged, be that quizzes or the account fitness competition. Joel’s competitiveness is infectious! Joel is willing to try new ideas too such as at the end of one SMT meeting, he said they would have an animation presentation towards the end of the meeting. It turned out that it was from his children, based on Lego figures. This was personal and humane, showing the team how he and his family was managing over the period. It’s those genuine touches that you need when the pressure is on.
Where appropriate, Joel is not afraid to challenge others on behalf of his team and also to ensure the best outcome for the client. Joel will involve members of his team in these challenges to ensure that fully informed decisions can be taken. Joel puts our best case forward to clients as to why we are best placed to provide services and this increases trust and motivation across the team.
Endorsement
“Joel won’t sing his own praises, I don’t even think he realises what he has done for us. […] He makes the time to support you, not criticise, build the result together. […] He pushed to get Teams for us which combined with his push for cameras on, means we have that critical face time still and even more. Joel has even brought his children into a call and shown some amazing animation they did. It just makes the whole situation less stressful and more inclusive.”
About Inspiring Leaders
The extract above is taken from the Inspiring Leaders 2020 initiative which recognised exceptional leaders during the Covid-19 pandemic. You can download the full eBook with all the leader stories here.
Inspiring Leaders was created as a vehicle to recognize people who stepped up to help individuals, teams and organizations navigate personal and business challenges, and make a contribution to make their business, their community and the world a better place.
Due to the success of IL 2020, we have brought it back in 2021. We are now open for nominations. For more information about how to enter Inspiring Leaders, dates and fees – click here.