At Power Saving Solutions, nurturing local talent and providing opportunities for growth are key priorities. Meet William, a skilled engineer and a prime example of PSS’s commitment to empowering local talent. In this news item, William shares his journey and experiences, shedding light on how Power Saving Solutions fosters professional development and supports its employees in achieving success.
This is what William Sanderson had to say when receiving his City and Guilds Certificate from our Director Andy Richardson:
Congratulations on your recent promotion! Could you tell us a bit about your new role and what it entails?
In my new role, I’m an Engineer. That means I’m out on the road all day visiting our installations. Sometimes this involves servicing and maintaining pods, and other times there’s an issue that needs to be resolved. Due to my experience with the 720s, I’m often dealing with larger scale sites as well. Usually, the bulk of the job is setting things up and talking to the people on site, wiring plugs, programming batteries, and everything in between, to keep the power on and the generator off as much as possible.
What skills and experiences do you think were most valuable in helping you achieve this promotion?
I worked hard to earn this promotion, and in order to get it, I had to take responsibility and ownership of whatever I was told to do. I put my name forward when there were opportunities and learned as much as I could about the products and our industry. I also demonstrated that I could be trusted and that I can deal with people in an appropriate manner. I knew when I started working on the 720s that the experience and knowledge gained there would be beneficial, so I tried to absorb what I could. I’m a pretty methodical person and I like to make sure that things are done right, so as I went along, I’ve tried to adopt the way of doing things that other engineers and knowledgeable people do.
How do you plan to approach the new challenges and responsibilities that come with your promotion?
The new challenges and responsibilities I face present a mental hurdle that I have to overcome in my mind. Going from a position of limited responsibility to one where I have a lot of things to be responsible for means that I have many more things going on at any given time. So, a key thing for me is to learn to organise myself in such a way as to not lose track of important details and things unrelated to the volts and amps I am used to dealing with. It is refreshing, however, to face new problems that haven’t occurred before and to find interesting conclusions about how best to run the system. I relish solving a good problem, but part of growing into my new role is to prioritise and structure my focus so that I don’t waste it and can get the most out of my chance to really go out there and solve problems across the board and prevent them in the future. I’m prepared to dive right in.
What advice would you give to your colleagues who are hoping to advance their careers within Power Saving Solutions?
My advice to my colleagues at PSS is to pay close attention to the details day-to-day (because the small things matter), take on responsibilities, and sign up for training. Try to get involved with the company as much as possible and take an interest, so that it’s in the company’s best interest to advance you along in your career. If you work hard and care, it gets noticed.
Looking back at your career so far at Power Saving Solutions, what are some of the most important lessons you’ve learned about professional growth and development?
Looking back at my career here at Power Saving Solutions, I would say that I have learned a lot, across the board. The technical stuff I find interesting, but some of the most important lessons I’ve learned have been from observing how people communicate with each other and managing professional relationships. Time management is something that this promotion has taught me a thing or two about, as I have to split my focus over many different tasks. Being adaptable to change is crucial, and I’ve had to learn how to renegotiate my plans on the fly.