Megan Tzanoukakis, president and CEO of Sussex Injection Molding, knows what it feels like to grow in uncomfortable moments.
Her career with the company started off that way.
"For two years, I was a manufacturing scheduler," Tzanoukakis said. "So—no joke—I showed up on the shop floor looking like this my first day. And I walked around in four-inch heels saying, 'What have I gotten myself into?' Like, this is not an audit team room, this is not me sitting behind my desk all day."
The job, she said, was unlike anything she ever expected. It was nothing like what she had prepared for. And as a leader on the shop floor, she had to earn the trust of the team before she could truly lead.
That meant learning on the fly and learning quickly how the entire process worked while learning to track 8,000 item numbers, 2,000 of which were finished goods and WIP.
"Everyone was a legacy employee, and nothing was written down," Tzanoukakis said. "So, the only way for me to learn anything was to ask questions—it was all tribal knowledge—to listen to people's conversations. It was just throw me into the fire to see if I can sink or swim."
But it was through listening, she said, that she not only learned how to handle that job—one she found she truly loved—she also gained the trust of the team, allowing her voice to resonate in a leadership position.