For today’s workforce, career development and advancement is at the forefront of job consideration. Growth and mobility can take on many different forms and take on many unexpected twists and turns.
Beginning in 2012, Manny Bassi, now Regional Vice President of Ontario, had a clear vision for his career: he didn’t want one. As a shy and reserved person, he wanted to move to the woods and live self-sustainably by 2020. A lot has changed since then.
Manny discussed his professional development journey at Hanson College of Business, Health & Technology. From aspirations of living off the grid to the eight years that shaped his career with Hanson and Hanson Education Group.
Q: Tell us about your journey at Hanson.
A: I started as a placement coordinator in 2012 and worked with the Academic team. Since then, I’ve held multiple roles from Academic Assistant, to Project Manager, then Regional Campus Director of Ontario. This led to my most recent and current job, Regional Vice President of Ontario.
Q: How have Hanson and Hanson Education Group helped your career development?
A: They are dynamic and innovative organizations, and those attributes have allowed me to challenge myself in new areas. We do not rest on past successes, and this has pushed me to strive to better myself as a leader.
Q: What have been the key moments that have shaped your career?
A: There have been two key positions that I have held that have helped me reach the position I have today. First was stepping in as the Acting Associate Director of Academics at our Brampton Campus for an extended medical leave. This is the first time in my career that I was really challenged to push outside of my comfort zone. I had the raw interpersonal and leadership skills. Putting them into practice brought into focus that this was something I could excel at. The next was being assigned as Project Manager for our then-largest renovation project in company history. Having to balance several stakeholders’ needs and delivering a finished tangible product gave me a sense of accomplishment and confidence knowing that I could handle such a large project and deliver.
Q: What advice would you give others based on your experience?
A: Keys to my success have been perseverance, continual improvement, and not being afraid to take novel challenges on. Perseverance taught me that the first “no” to a proposal or new idea is not an end point. It is just the beginning. It provides valuable feedback that you either need to improve what is being proposed or do a greater job of selling the idea. With continual improvement, I have embraced the idea that perfection is not the endpoint, but rather a life-long pursuit in all aspects of life. Taking on new challenges allows you to show others what you are capable of. Don’t wait for the ‘right’ opportunity; take the opportunity in front of you and strike while the iron is hot.
Q: What’s next on your career to-do list?
A: I hope to continue to grow as a leader but also teach others how they can become better leaders. Helping others achieve their potential has always been something that I have innately tried to do. Hanson and Hanson Education Group developed and uncovered many skills and I hope to impart some of those lessons.
