‘I Love My Job’: ‘I'm Challenging Myself and Having Fun’ On My Collaborative Women-Led Team

Welcome to I Love My Job, the series where we hear from women who really love their jobs. In this edition, we sat down with Michelle Broussard, a Senior Functional Analyst at Sysco. Broussard is part of a small women-led tech team that focuses on inbound transportation and logistics. And while she’s really excited about the projects her team gets to work on, Broussard emphasizes how thrilled she is about the culture of her team, too. 

“I'm really excited about our recently hired product owner and the culture that she's bringing with us to our team as we establish new ways of working together,” shares Broussard. “There have been so many conversations, not only about what kind of value we want to bring to our projects, but also on ways that we can venture outside of our team to learn more from others and how our team can best support each other to help us bring our best work every day.”

Further, as part of her technology team at Sysco, Broussard notes how she’s always felt supported in developing her skills and navigating her own career path. “Our team places so much value on pursuing new certifications and training,” she explains. “They encourage you to collaborate with other departments and gain knowledge. And there's just such a strong focus on growing your abilities — leadership has really instilled a strong culture of continual learning.”

As a result, “my time in technology has never felt stagnant,” Broussard tells us. “I always feel like I'm challenging myself and having fun while doing so. It never feels like I'm stepping outside of my role to ask to learn something new. I’m always encouraged to find what I'm passionate about and to pursue it.”

In the video below, Broussard shares more about why she loves working at Sysco. We also provide lightly edited highlights from the video discussion in the following article.

In case you have trouble watching this video, please click here to watch it on YouTube.

Can you introduce yourself and share your career journey with Sysco?

I've worked in food service since 2011, and, in 2018, Sysco acquired the small, independent distributor that I was working for. I was actually a part of the discovery, acquisition, and transition teams, which was really fun. And I got to get on-board with Sysco from the get-go.

About a year later, I was looking for a little bit more of a challenge. So, I moved into our merchandising sector of the company… It was during this time that Sysco had us convert from our previous software systems to all Sysco platforms. During this eight-month conversion, we worked with corporate employees on site, and I just had so much fun. I loved learning to groom the data, to navigate the systems, and to help my colleagues with their questions.

Throughout this transition, I got very close to the conversion team that was on site with us. I saw them as mentors, and I looked to them to gain as much knowledge as I could, whether it was about their careers at Sysco or just general Sysco knowledge. And I kept in touch with them over the years.

Then, in 2021, when the lead from that conversion project decided to retire, she encouraged me to apply for her open position. I was really nervous, I didn't think I was qualified, and I had some nerves that maybe I didn't have what it takes to succeed in technology. But I applied anyway, and I got the job. That's how I got my dream job with Sysco!

How would you describe the culture at Sysco?

The culture at Sysco involves being at the forefront, whether it's our commitment to modernizing business practices and technology to better serve our customers, or creating policy changes in response to our annual employee survey.

I find that Sysco, despite being such a large company, is really quick to pursue change that makes us stronger. We often talk about what it means to be a leader in the food service industry. And while that obviously extends to the level of service that we give our customers, I also think it extends to the culture of betterment and how our employees genuinely connect to the company.

What is your favorite thing about Sysco?

I have a lot of favorite things about Sysco, but the first thing that comes up when people ask me about the company is our colleague resource groups. I always describe these as after-school clubs. They are volunteer-based, colleague-led groups that serve as a community for members.

There's groups for emerging leaders, mental health, veterans, different racial identities, and LGBTQIA+ colleagues. These groups are amazing. They discuss issues that are important to their communities and how that might relate to your professional identity. They host events for themselves and other colleagues, and they just generally offer a space where you can connect with other colleagues.

I think they are so much fun, and I love that Sysco has this initiative. 

What advice would you give to other women looking to work at Sysco?

My advice for women looking to work at Sysco is simply to come as you are. I have no doubt that there is a role or opportunity that could benefit from your skill sets and your unique point of view. I have no doubt that there are colleagues that are eager to connect with you and get to know you and that there's a leadership team ready to help you plan and grow a lifelong career here at Sysco. 

So, if you'd like to learn more about working with us here at Sysco, please visit our profile on Fairygodboss.

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Check out other posts in the ‘I Love My Job’ series:

• ‘I Love My Job’: Exciting AI Work, 4 Unique Benefits, a ‘Refreshingly Different’ Culture, and More!

• ‘I Love My Job’: Exploring a Culture That Has Helped Me Grow — Professionally and Personally

• ‘I Love My Job’: My Exciting Career Pivot From Fashion to E-Commerce at TikTok

• ‘I Love My Job’: My Exciting Career Journey From Happy Customer to Director at Capital One

• ‘I Love My Job’: Great Mentors, a Diverse and Inclusive Culture, and a Wide Range of Benefit