David was nominated by his peers, and he earned the Covalen Value Champion Award for his fantastic display of our 'exceed' value.
David, what is your role at Covalen?
I was recently promoted, and my current role is BPE Lead (Business Process Excellence). I look after the day-to-day operations of Business Analysts and Reporting Analysts.
How long have you worked with our company?
I began working for Covalen in December 2019. Just over 3 years.
Overall, what impact do our Covalen Values have on your working life?
Covalen’s core values are the foundation of a strong work ethic in my opinion, and if we use them as guidelines, they will direct us on the right path. It is crucial to take pride in our work, understanding that there is more to wisdom than knowledge, moving out of our comfort zones to improve and ultimately exceed as a result.
How did you feel about firstly being nominated as an 'Exceed' Value Champion, and secondly receiving the Covalen Value Champion award?
I was surprised to see my name as a nominee as we work with such incredible people. I was nominated before my recent promotion. My previous role was Coach Lead, looking after the day-to-day operations of a team of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs).
To be recognised on a scale such as this was a massive boost for me. To be awarded this was amazing. I will always try my best for my team and colleagues and will continue to do so, and this has helped me massively to stay motivated!
David, how did you feel about seeing some of the comments from your peers?
I was flattered to be honest, I never considered myself to be going above and beyond. I was just aiming to make an impact on my team and be there to help tackle any challenges. I have been fortunate in having great leaders in the past and I tried to replicate those traits I appreciated and admired with the new team.
Describe what ‘exceed’ means to you, and how this value impacts your working life?
For me, exceeding can happen where opportunity meets a challenge. At the start of Quarter 4 last year, I was in my comfort zone as a Team Lead on a project I worked on for over two years. The opportunity arose to become the Coach Lead for two new projects. There was a change in my shift pattern, role and teams which was quite a challenge.
But it’s not an individual effort, to exceed you must have support, clear communication, collaboration, and a target. I could not have done it without the incredible support from my team and guidance from my Managers. With such a large change I felt it was important to try to learn and understand how different projects work. I tried to meet with everyone early to show I was there to help and collaborate on how to achieve the best of our potential. I would like to think I learned fast but I’m sure the guys had to keep their patience at times!
Tell me about your journey with Covalen so far.
I started in the company three and a half years ago as a Content Analyst. This was an exciting step in a completely new industry for me! I knew after my first week time would fly as it was an engaging, fun environment with amazing colleagues. After 18 months, I progressed to become a Quality Analyst. In this role, I feel I improved my public speaking skills and developed a strong grasp of working with large data sets and creating presentations. I thoroughly enjoyed this role, and I learned so much while doing it but after 11 months I was ready for my next challenge. Then, I became an Operations Team Lead, and it gave me a new perspective of a different side of the company and daily procedures.
It was my first role in people and performance management, and it was a huge change of pace to begin with, but I was fortunate to have a very supportive Lead and colleagues who were always there when I needed advice! I continued as a Team Lead for seven months and I felt confident to take the next step, so I moved to the Coach Lead role where I had a team of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), and now, I’m a Business Process Excellence (BPE) Lead.
My journey has progressed a lot in over three years with Covalen and I’m excited to see what opportunities arise and what steps will follow.
It’s not an individual effort. To exceed you must have support, clear communication, collaboration, and a target.
David Hayden
Business Process Excellence (BPE) Lead
How have you maintained a strong work ethic and what are your greatest motivators?
It is important to take each day as it comes, tackle challenges one by one and ensure everything is completed properly before moving on. As a Lead, it is crucial to have a strong work ethic, as we lead by example. Seeing progress and achieving targets as a team has enabled me to maintain a strong work ethic. My greatest motivation is progression because in such a fast-paced environment, opportunity arises frequently. Having an idea of the next step and working towards something is a key motivator for me.
What advice would you give to a colleague who needed to handle a big challenge?
The best advice I could give someone facing a big challenge is to ask for help. If you feel like the workload is too much, look for support or delegate tasks. No one is expected to know everything, we all have our strengths and weaknesses. When we ask for support, we are upskilling ourselves, and delegating can help upskill others.
Our weakness may be another person’s strength. We build networks and relationships when asking for support and it offers the opportunity to learn something we didn’t previously know. It’s the building blocks of a new skill set.
What do you like most about working at Covalen?
My favourite part of working in Covalen is 100% the people we work with. I have made some great friends and met fantastic people in my tenure here. I love working as part of a team that has that equilibrium of getting the job done efficiently and effectively, while being able to have a laugh along the way.
