Discuss Employee Spotlight – Jen

The “Discuss Employee Spotlight” is a Q&A series dedicated to showcasing all of the amazing talent at Discuss.

For this profile, we talked with Jen Czahur, Senior Manager of our Global Platform Support team, who joined the Discuss team in October of 2021 and is based in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1. Tell our readers a little bit about your role at Discuss.
   I am the Senior Manager of our Global Platform Support team. It is my responsibility to align our technical support agents with all of our customer’s needs when it comes to the running of their Market Research Interviews. This encompasses the hiring, onboarding, training and development of each team member as well as overseeing scheduling, daily team management and making sure that each team throughout Discuss has the most accurate information regarding what we have to offer.
   
   
2. Which of Discuss’ core values are most inspired by? (Empathize, Collaborate, Obsess, Out Innovate, Excel)
   I see each of these core values as so inspiring and purposeful. And I really enjoy witnessing them in those that I am fortunate enough to work with here at Discuss. But, for me, it all begins with Empathize. If you asked me a year ago, I might’ve said Collaborate because tackling issues and creating solutions with others truly motivates me. But it’s being able to identify the needs and talents of everyone around me that sparks the opportunity to band together and make good things happen. Honestly, each of these core values are the prime ingredients for the level of success Discuss showcases quarter after quarter, year after year.  But it’s only after I see the world from the vantage point of my Discuss community (team and customers) that it all begins to take shape.
   
   
3. Tell us about your team and the mindset (and approach) you’re instilling.
   You know the old saying, “Every position is a sales position”?  Well, I believe that everything we do in life is, to some degree, market research.  We are constantly communicating and feeling each other out to see how we can best relate, assist, and benefit from each other. I spend a good portion of my time listening and learning. There is always something new to glean from a situation.  And I try to instill that in my team.  We have our tasks and we need to be able to carry them out professionally and with integrity.  But we also need to stay mindful of what we are missing, what more can be done, and the best fit solution to all concerns.  If we come to work every day ready, willing and able to meet the challenges head on and with optimism, there really isn’t anything we can’t do.
   
   
4. What project or initiative are you most proud of at Discuss?
   The Live Support Services team is always evolving to best meet the needs of those we work with.  Last year, we started our Quality Assurance position under new leadership and I am most proud of the way that one position is bringing a sense of continuity, high performance and accountability to the entire team. It allows us to step in when we see a process that needs refining, develop something better, and then package it for the rest of the Discuss team to be able to demonstrate the rewards to our customers. It really makes every day an opportunity to excel.  
   
   
5. What is something unique about you (a fun fact) that few people know about?
   When I was 13, I stumbled across my father’s personal copy of Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road”. I read it in one night and was obsessed. Once I hit my early 20’s, I set off to live a life similar to the characters in that book, which were really Jack and his beatnik friends. I crisscrossed the US over and over again, taking planes, sometimes a train, and of course, I was no stranger to the Greyhound bus routes and even some hitchhiking. I met such amazing people and had such colorful experiences. And to date, this is the only book I could read more than once and currently have read it more than 20 times.