We are proud to share that iManage employee Lucy Melendrez-Diaz was recently featured in a piece for Built in Chicago titled The Boomerang Effect: What Pulled 3 Team Members Back to Former Employers.
Read the original article here, and be sure to check out Lucy’s full interview answers below!
Describe your original tenure with iManage. When did you join and what was your role?
I originally joined iManage in May 2019 and was there for two and a half years. My title was Legal Practice Lead. It was a role that was new to the company and to me. I was focused on two products that were newer to the iManage product suite. It was an interesting role with a mix of sales, marketing, customer success, and consulting all rolled into one as we strategized on go to market strategy, product use cases and workflows, and helping our customers be successful with our solutions. Within a couple months of joining, I found myself at the ILTA (International Legal Technology Association) conference with a full schedule of meetings, coffees, lunches, dinners, and parties. It was a whirlwind, and it was exhilarating! I was one of the lucky ones that was able to enjoy many more of these experiences including meetings in London and the LegalWeek conference in New York before the COVID-19 pandemic shut all travel down. I definitely had the opportunity to learn that iManage is well connected and well loved by employees, customers, and partners alike.
Tell us about your return. When did you return to iManage? What motivated you to reapply?
I returned to iManage in November 2022. That’s right, I was not gone for long. I came back to iManage for the culture. Culture is a loaded term and may be considered by many as a trendy concept that is merely about words on a website or maybe even on a wall at a company. I’ve always found it hard to articulate a definition of company culture, but I think I know what it is now. To me, culture is about people and it’s about people that choose to be intentional about creating and maintaining a sense of belonging while allowing everyone to bring their true selves to work. It’s also about a team that encourages and enables the personal and professional growth of its people and making the room for that to happen. If you find a company that fulfills all of this for you while still being able to have a lot of fun - buckle in, enjoy the ride, and don’t get off!
By some magic (or amazing hiring process), iManage has managed to attract and retain some of the most talented but genuinely kind and authentic people around. My motivation to reapply was quite simply to get back to working with those people - people who are passionate about the products and services they offer…people who are zealous advocates for the success of their customers and partners… people who supported me while I learned my way around new products in a new role…people who supported me through losing someone very special to me early on during the COVID-19 pandemic and then again when I suffered through it myself…people who think about diversity and inclusion and prioritize the wellness of others, because it will make us better, more committed employees but also just because the leadership team and others at the company are just all around good people…and this network of people (employees, customers, partners) is a group that I have a genuine desire to fully support as well. Like every company, we have our ups and downs, good days and bad days, challenges to overcome, but we learn from those days; we give and receive the required feedback so we can all get better together. It’s not easy striking the right balance in all these areas, but that’s why they call this work, right? It’s serious business, but if you could find a company where you can conduct that serious business and still have a lot of laughs with good people in the process…Congratulations, you’ve found your home.
When did you know you made the right choice returning to your former employer?
Our annual Sales Kickoff was just 2 months after I re-joined. I attended and re-engaged with colleagues, partners, and friends (many of whom I kept in touch with while I was gone) from across the globe and I felt…back at home. I know some people don’t like to mix work and home, but there is really no other way to describe it. It felt as if I had never left. Conversations were easy starting with a big smile, hug, and welcome back and culminating with catching up personally and professionally with everyone interested in my new role and how we would be working together. Just like my first time at the company, I felt fully supported and know there are plenty of open doors when I need help, information, or a sounding board, and my colleagues know that my door is open to them as well.
Are you interested in joining (or rejoining) iManage? Take a look at our open roles!
About the author
Kelly Casey