June 17, 2021
We like to feature a Mindsight employee in our blog as often as possible. Our people are our most valuable assets – and our success is due to their knowledge, work-ethic, commitment, and focus on our clients’ successes. Today’s “Meet the Expert” spotlight is on Brian Lareau.
How long have you been at Mindsight and what is your role?
It will be 10 years in July that I have been with Mindsight. My current role is Director of Service Delivery.
What does your day to day look like?
I work closely with our customer success and sales teams to understand the needs of our customers and I coordinate with our engineering team to ensure we are delivering those necessary services. I often interact with clients for strategic discussions around how IT can be a better enabler for their businesses. Because I am still transitioning away from an engineering role, I occasionally assist clients directly with technical items or serve as an escalation point for the engineering team. I am regularly reviewing service ticket activities with the engineering team and assisting in planning for next steps to ensure we are consistently delivering superior service to our clients.
Please provide a brief overview of how you rose through the ranks at Mindsight? What has made you successful in your role?
I started at Mindsight as a Network Support Engineer. I have grown over time by taking on new responsibilities and not being afraid to step out of my comfort zone and learn new technologies or skills. Since technology is continuously changing, I believe much of my strength comes from being adaptive and willing to learn. I also try to keep a cool head in stressful situations and consider clear communication to be a key component to providing successful customer experiences.
Can you provide an example of one of your most memorable experiences working with a Mindsight client?
One experience that I find memorable was working with a client to resolve latency and redundancy problems related to their virtual infrastructure. I was able to assess the setup and locate several misconfigurations in their switching equipment. A previous vendor had made some missteps in design and implementation of the environment. I was able to identify those issues, create a plan for remediation, and implement the changes, resulting in far greater bandwidth for applications and multiple levels of redundancy.
How do you define client success? How does Mindsight deliver superior service to clients?
Our engineers are highly skilled and strive to provide the best options and recommendations to our clients.
Favorite ways to escape and recharge?
My favorite activities outside of work revolve around spending time with my wife and three boys, usually outdoors. I enjoy camping, hiking, fishing, and most outdoor activities and really like to be able to disconnect.
What’s one thing you know now that you wish you’d known at or near the start of your career?
I wish I had understood it’s ok not to know everything. I hold myself to high expectations and early on found it difficult to admit when I didn’t know or have experience with something. I’ve learned that being upfront and clear about my capabilities leads to gaining more respect with customers and colleagues and often produces better results in the end.
Interested in learning more about the Mindsight team? Check out recent blogs about our experts.
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About Mindsight
Mindsight is industry recognized for delivering secure IT solutions and thought leadership that address your infrastructure and communications needs. Our engineers are expert level only – and they’re known as the most respected and valued engineering team based in Chicago, serving emerging to enterprise organizations around the globe. That’s why clients trust Mindsight as an extension of their IT team.
Visit us at http://www.gomindsight.com.