Blog InsightEDGE One Year On

What a difference a year makes. Twelve months into the two-year InsightEDGE programme, we have a new cohort of world-class teammates, sharpening their skills, engaging with clients and contributing to the success of the business.

We listen in as the InsightEDGE teammates reflect on what they’ve learned during their first year at Insight, and what our core values of Hunger, Heart and Harmony mean to them.

Gaining new skills

Joe Asher is an Inside Account Manager for SMB. His goal is to be considered a trusted advisor to clients as well as co-workers, and he is already starting to see results. Joe says: “My communication and presentation skills have improved greatly. I now have a better understanding of what it takes to deliver a quality presentation, utilising slides as a visual aid for me to sell the proposal and paint a more detailed picture to the client.”

An important part of any professional development is to overcome challenges, and Joe offers fellow InsightEDGE teammates some advice. He explains: “The biggest challenge so far has been moving from a safe training room environment into the unknown and making our first calls. I took the advice of my more experienced teammates and learnt the value of breaking the calls into manageable chunks.”

Joe is encouraged by the extent of the support available to him. He adds: “I genuinely have seen the values of Hunger, Heart and Harmony embodied through the actions of my teammates. It’s reassuring to know that, if I have any questions or concerns, there are people around me who will happily assist.”

Embracing teamwork

A collaborative and supportive culture has been a valuable part of the programme for Olivia Barnes, Inside Account Manager for Corporate Commercial. Olivia says: “When I had to present Insight’s Manage and Transform story, I felt like I didn’t have the knowledge to be able to articulate this powerfully. I asked two teammates to sit in on my presentation to provide feedback on how I could improve. They gave me some great advice and constructive feedback regarding my content and delivery skills.”

Olivia is keen to use her skills to help businesses solve their current challenges with new solutions, and to support clients who are pioneers in implementing new technologies.

Working alongside likeminded people is something Olivia enjoys. She adds: “There’s a real sense of belonging and that’s reflected in the way teammates live the core values, whether that’s providing support and advice on projects, or more socially in our extremely competitive games of trivial pursuit.”

Developing knowledge

Daniel Guy, Account Manager for SMB, found Insight’s core values a great help in building professional relationships. He says: “Insight has a fantastic culture, driven by core values of Hunger, Heart and Harmony. It’s easy to see the way great relationships are built within the company and with clients.”

Asked what he has learned in his first year, Daniel replies: “I have expanded my knowledge in the tech space considerably as well as my presentation and communication skills. Having the opportunity to practise these skills through presenting in front of teammates and making calls to clients has increased my confidence when speaking to clients around Insight solutions.”

Daniel is also gaining experience by using a wide range of resources. He adds: “I have developed my ability to profile and prospect clients using a number of different platforms to help gather relevant information on a client before making initial contact with them.”

This proactive approach to learning will be instrumental in helping Daniel achieve his goals. He explains: “I’d like to make a positive impact at Insight; develop my specialist knowledge and build up a strong portfolio of clients, who I can advise on the most relevant and beneficial solutions.”

Realising potential

The energy and drive of the InsightEDGE teammates has impressed Vince Caldwell, Talent Development Team Manager. He says: “The new teammates are seizing every opportunity to learn about the company, collaborate with co-workers and hone their client-facing skills. The InsightEDGE teammates are our next generation of sales, IT and consultancy specialists and having seen their level of commitment and the quality of their work, I am confident they will succeed in everything they do.”

The success of the InsightEDGE programme has also been recognised by Insight partners, Pareto Law. Pareto Law’s Grad to Great award ceremony acknowledges the achievements of a handful of alumni who have gone above and beyond in their organisation.

InsightEDGE teammate, Isabel Holden, was one of five to achieve Pareto’s One to Watch award, for her attitude, effort and achievement in her 18 months with the business.

Jonathan Beagles from Pareto Law explains: “This really is an incredible accomplishment with hundreds of nominations across many different businesses. The award is presented to five graduates who have been in their role for less than 18 months and have demonstrated excellent attitude, effort and achievement in their short time with the business. This award recognises the potential that Isabel has to be successful in her future at Insight.”

On winning the award, Isabel said: “I genuinely believe I will go on to do amazing things at Insight, because of the amazing opportunities I am given and my passion to have a strong leadership role.”

Isabel Holden, along with fellow InsightEDGE teammate, Sureya Udin were nominated for Graduate of the Year and Apprentice of the Year at last year’s CRN Women in Channel Awards, and Sureya has already been promoted to Business Partner Manager at Insight.

Other InsightEdge teammates who have really grasped the opportunities offered by the program include Stuart Hyde, Demetri Photiou, and Will Quayle. While all teammates at Insight are offered training in AWS and Microsoft fundamentals, InsightEdge teammates have the option to study for technical qualifications. All three have attained official, externally recognised Microsoft specialist certifications and Stuart has been promoted to Cloud + Data Centre, Solution Sales Specialist.

With so much achieved in the first year of the programme, the sky’s the limit for the InsightEDGE teammates. Look out for more updates on the InsightEDGE programme and follow the progress of the company’s rising stars.