As we interviewed Carousel Team Members for the #CarouselCrew series, a trend emerged. Many of us have a variety of passions in life and how we spend our time after work greatly influences the extraordinary work we do for our customers. An aha! moment was created, and a new series was born—#CarouselAfter5. Here, we explore how Carousel Team Members’ activities, hobbies, families, and experiences lend themselves to the powerful, extraordinary results we deliver each and every day to customers.

Meet Drew Pokladowski, Virtual Account Executive based in Windsor, CT. Drew recently showcases his love and talent for singing and playing guitar during a competitive Carousel talent show where his passion and skills landed him in the top spot! When asking him about how this talent encourages him in the office, he had a lot to say about how this skill, focus, and passion translates to delivering customer success.

Tell us about a hobby that your fellow team members don’t know about?

I started playing guitar around 12 years ago and have dabbled in writing and producing music ever since. It wasn’t until I started playing in a band as lead guitarist and backup vocalist that I realized this is a true passion of mine.

How do your #CarouselAfter5 activities contribute to your overall success—professionally for customers and personally?

Singing for large groups has made me tremendously more comfortable when it comes to interacting with larger groups and in networking situations. Performing a talent that you have a lot of pride in in front of unfamiliar faces takes a lot of courage and vulnerability; I’d like to think I bring this same openness when communicating with our customers.

What important skills does this hobby teach you in the office?

It certainly teaches creativity and allows me to tackle projects with a more colorful perspective. The discipline and focus required to learn guitar translates nicely into working with customers—I don’t stop until I deliver not only a solid solution or service, but an extraordinary experience, as well. Performing is very similar—the talent can be there, but if you don’t connect with the audience, it can make for an overall lackluster experience.

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What do you enjoy most about your role at Carousel?

I enjoy the constant communication and human interaction because I can always depend on the people around me to lend a hand or an ear whenever necessary. Carousel is a incredibly positive environment and pushes me to excel personally and professionally, as I’m surrounded by such a helpful team that constantly encourages success. Not only do the people within the office inspire success, but so do the customers. Seeing them (and helping them) tackle their own business challenges with the help of Carousel’s talented team members is extremely rewarding and motivating.

How do you promote the Customer Success Obsessed mission in your role?

When I consult with a customer or another technologist, the goal is to develop a connection with the customer and ensure we both end the conversation better off than where we started. I aim to provide value with each interaction and showcase ways in which the customer can experience full confidence in our IT solutions, services, and the overall Carousel experience. I keep the Customer Success Obsessed mission at the top of each interaction; our customers’ success, is our success.

Interested in contributing to the Carousel culture? Check out our careers page here.