Lessons From Our Employee Of The Year:

Alexza Mosquera is our Client Success Manager at Rogue Wave Marketing. While she makes sure our client relationships grow and projects stay on track, she is also an example of her own success. When you hear her back story, you can’t help but be inspired and motivated to make great things happen for yourself. 

That is why it is no surprise to us, At Rogue Wave Marketing, that Alexza is one of five finalists in BizX 2021-Globally United Awards for Employee of the Year. Let me tell you why I nominated Alexza in the first place. 

Every once in a while, you come across a diamond in the rough. It has all of the qualities of a beautiful and valuable gem, it just needs to be shaped and placed in a setting that fits. That was Alexza when I first met her. Less than a year later, she is truly the glue that holds every fiber of Rogue Wave Marketing together. How did I know she had what it takes to perform way beyond the internship she was going for? It was mostly in the way she related to people and also her incredibly creative eye. 

Certain traits come to mind when someone is a people person. It’s easy for someone to say, “I’m a real people person. I get along well with others and foster good relationships.” I like to dig a little deeper and make sure it’s not just lip service.

  • Do they look you in the eye when they talk? Body language speaks volumes. In fact, it conveys a lot about who you are before your first words are exchanged. Gestures, expressions, appearance all contribute to whether a person will be a trust-worthy team player and get others to follow. 
  • Is their energy open? This covers a lot of ground. If someone smiles at you, their energy is open. If they are accepting of others, then barriers in the workplace will not be an issue. If they are willing to consider other people’s ideas with an open mind, it will spur collaboration. 
  • Do they genuinely listen to what you are saying? You can’t grow without actively listening to other people, whether they are your colleagues or clients. I like to offer a few nuggets in my interviews and see how prospects respond. Have they listened to understand me or are they already thinking of what they will say next while you are talking. Active listening is what propels us all forward, because it creates shared thoughts, experiences and values.
  • Do they seem trustworthy? At first blush, it’s difficult to tell if someone is trustworthy or not, but it’s definitely a big deal. I find that people who are at ease with themselves and others, are often the folks you’d trust. They’ve got nothing to hide. They are transparent and willing to talk about their shortcomings as well as attributes. They show humility, compassion and respect.  
  • Can they be a leader, in any position? Some of the most valuable people on any business team are leaders in their own right. They strive to make each project shine and put in the time without complaint. They don’t bother with limiting beliefs, focusing instead on an abundance of opportunity. They are always open to learning and sharing with others. 

Back to Alexza and her interview for an internship. As she talked through her dreams, goals and ambitions, I noticed she was different. She ticked off every aforementioned trait and had a creativity that told me she would approach each encounter with a brand new way of thinking. At the time, I had just received a generous loan via the EIDL program as a result of COVID, which gave me an opportunity to make my first real hire. Yes, I had been a one-woman show up to this point and was ready to create a team. Alexza seemed wise beyond her years or experience and was the perfect building block for Rogue Wave Marketing. So I hired her, as our Client Success Manager. 

In just a few short months, she’s continually grown not only professionally, but personally. She’s fully embraced learning about DiSC profiles and applying those learnings to better lead our teams and has been able to communicate with our team (including myself) with extreme ease and effectiveness. Alexza does the same when working through and all challenges and her focus is unmatched.    

Not only has she flexed & shifted as our firm has grown, but she’s played a key role in making some of those pivotal decisions side-by-side with me. Alexza’s attention to detail paired with her ability to see the full picture has created an opportunity for us to increase our profit margin by nearly 40% with improved systems, more efficiencies & better communication all around. Because of Alexza’s contributions, I have been able to grow well beyond that first hire. We now have a team of four at Rogue Wave Marketing and it all happened within the last year!

But beyond the numbers, Alexza is a perfect representation of how I’ve always envisioned Rogue Wave’s culture. She’s incredibly motivated, creative, flexible & determined. Alexza is always looking for ways to help those around her and fully embraces the true meaning of an “abundance for all” mentality. She carries that creativity into our business community as well, as she’s currently building a women-based networking group to expand our impact from Propel. Her commitment to our team and the success of our firm as a whole is incredible, and I couldn’t be more thankful to have the opportunity to work with her. 

Congratulations Alexza on being in the top five finalists for BizX 2021- Global United Employee of the Year Award. You definitely deserve the title