Cristian is a seasoned Assistant Manager and has been voted Votion’s Employee of the Month for April by his peers. When asked why he thought he was nominated for employee of the month, Cristian referred to his deliverance on team expectations. He believes that he has finally hit his stride and is showing a level of mastery in his performance and other team members are taking note. “While he is a very busy man with lots of responsibilities, Cristian has always made time to assist other employees – both on his team and on other teams,” said Cassandra, Votion’s Marketing Manager. “Finding the sweet spot between his responsibilities and his love of helping others is well deserved.” His biggest piece of advice to others seeking career achievement is to set realistic goals for oneself as well as not limiting the methods used to reach those goals. “You don’t set a goal to jump nine feet when your best is six feet,” explained Cristian. “That’s not realistic or credible. You want to say ‘I’m going to jump six feet and, as I get consistent, then I will raise the bar.’” He continued that it’s important for individuals to set up that pattern for success because at some point improving and learning gets difficult, and “it’s easier to say ‘I can do this’ if you’ve been proving it to yourself all along.” Cristian will be focusing on developing his team this month in order to prepare for new expansions anticipated in 2017.
Cristian’s favorite part of working for Votion has been getting to work one-on-one with anyone in the office. Votion has an open door policy so that all employees can network with each other. “We find it creates a cohesive team environment,” said Cheyenne, a Human Resources Administrator. The opportunity to bounce ideas off of upper management or get a hand on projects from new hires is unique to Votion and essential to its culture. “I find that it really unlocks your personality,” said Cristian. “You learn things about yourself, your leadership style, what you’re good at and areas you can improve because you’re working with people you wouldn’t normally get the chance to talk to under normal circumstances in other businesses.” Cristian has taken learning in stride and recommends keeping an open mind to opportunity.
While Cristian may be one of the sharpest dressers at Votion, he looks forward to relaxing in a pair of jeans at home. He is a self proclaimed “foodie” and can always be found with a snack in close proximity. As such, he likes spending his down time on horticulture and cooking. “Basically anything the involves eating,” he jokes. Among the many things Cristian grows, he is currently putting extra effort into growing basil, an herb that has posed a challenge to his skills in the past. He will then add his homegrown herbs and produce to a skillet for his preferred cooking method — stove top style. Cristian also enjoys traveling and learning about culture. Thus far, he has visited 17 countries around the world with Turkey and Spain being his favorite places. Whenever he travels, Cristian stays with local host families he is acquainted with through friends or his church. He has since discovered that he is quite the cultural chameleon. “Everyone always thinks I am a local,” laughed Cristian. “I just have dark features that seem to blend in with the locals where ever I go.” In the next few years, Cristian plans to travel with his wife to Thailand. They anticipate visiting the Elephant Sanctuary, learning about the culture and eating lots (and lots) of Thai food.
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