Even after they’ve moved on to new opportunities, every Avantee leaves their mark on our culture. Eric, we’re proud of everything we did together and we know you’ll keep thriving! You’re in the Avant Alumni Club for life.
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Eric Nelson
Former Senior Manager of IT, Infrastructure, and Operations for Tech and IT team
With Avant 2020-2023
What’s it like to work @Avant? We asked Eric for his take on our culture, and here’s what he said:
1. How would you describe Avant’s culture?
Avant is one of the more dynamic, fast-paced, and collaborative environments I’ve ever been a part of. We have some of that start-up mentality that allows our teams the flexibility to be innovative, and we still feel like a small company. I always feel comfortable reaching out to other teams. We truly work together to solve problems. Anybody can speak up and ask questions—and they do. That type of culture is very unique.
2. Why are you happy/successful here?
I feel truly appreciated. My team’s work is recognized as really important to the overall success of the business. Consistently, stakeholders let me know, “hey, I wanted to say thanks, you did a great job, the team delivered on time, they were so pleasant to work with”—that feedback keeps us motivated. You just don’t see that a whole lot in bigger companies. I’ve even worked for smaller companies where it’s go-go-go all the time and they never stop to thank each other.
And, everybody is accessible here. When I wasn’t sure how to do my expenses, I asked for help from the Finance team. Five minutes later I was in a Slack call getting set up with what I needed. There’s zero territoriality. We want to help each other.
3. What’s your favorite thing about the way your specific job role works?
My leadership style and the style that’s common within Avant are really compatible. I lean toward more of a mentor-collaborator type of relationship, where my direct reports have the autonomy to own their projects, prioritize, and problem solve independently. I really enjoy getting to know how my team thinks, how they approach problems, and how I can best support their work. Across the company, whether you’re a manager or an individual contributor, you will find people who take the time to listen and guide you when you’re stuck. I love also working across departments and engaging other stakeholders to help make their day-to-day lives easier. Those are probably the biggest things I love about my role.
4. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Professional football player. Chicago Bears legend Walter Payton was my hero.
