“ Listen to what the world is saying”: Meet Jennifer Decima
In this series, we are spotlighting our community members. In the Adaptive Space, we make room to receive the insights our community members have to offer. This series is where we will discover each other’s gifts! We will be spotlighting one story per week. Please engage with our star of the week by participating in the conversation below.
Jennifer is a veteran of Theory U, and uses it regularly in both her personal and professional life. An avid collaborator and manager, Jennifer is always excited to see what others engaging in the framework are up to, how they’re utilizing the materials and exercises, and learning how she can grow from their experiences as well.
Name: Jennifer Decima
Lives: Pittsburgh, PA
Affiliation: University of Pittsburgh
Superpower: Web and application development
How did you come across your career path?
I actually started off in healthcare. I got my undergrad from Pitt in medical technology, and in that field you do blood work and lab testing. So I worked for UPMC Presbyterian, Quest, and Highmark for several years. But towards the end of that career path, I decided that I wanted more for myself. That’s when Internet and web development became very prominent and that industry started to grow, so I went back to Duquesne and got my master’s in multimedia technology. I ended up doing really well in that program and got a job with a local advertising agency in Pittsburgh about a semester before I graduated. What really helped me get the job was my master’s practicum, which was a significant application I developed with another student. Basically, we wrote a program that allowed users to do online registration for classes at Duquesne. This was before PeopleSoft and other online registration systems were a thing, so this was a big deal. Because of that work, the advertising agency hired me as one of their developers. But eventually they started to downsize, and we knew it was a matter of time before our office location was going to close. I started to look for other jobs and found one at Pitt! So I started in 2002 with Pitt on the university’s enterprise portal system, known as MyPitt. MyPitt is sort of my baby — I’ve worked on it the entire time I’ve been here.
Who’s the first person who believed in you?
I would say one of the instructors that I had at Duquesne. He knew how complicated and complex the application we had written was, and that we were doing it as a practicum and not as an outside project. Even though it was a complex project, he saw that I had the abilities to do this as a career. He’s actually the one that got me the job with the advertising agency. He had heard that the position was open and said, “I think you’d be a great candidate for this, why don’t you apply?” And I got it!
How do you define success for yourself?
I’m very goal-oriented, so I tend to set little goals and try to accomplish them. However, as everybody does, sometimes I set the goals too high and it’s very difficult to achieve what I want. So for Pitt Mobile, the university’s mobile app, my goal was to build an environment where it was a single entry point, and work towards developing this location for a lifetime of engagement. The funny thing is that this goal started back in 2010, so I’ve been driving towards it for the last 10 years. I just recently got to see it come to fruition. I also accomplished another one of my goals this past weekend — I had my 100th ride on our Peloton bike. I joined the century club and dedicated that ride to my mother, on what would have been her birthday. So I set different goals in different areas and drive towards them. Obviously accomplishing them makes me feel successful, but I do my best to get there, and that’s great too.
What is the greatest reward that you’ve had along this path?
When I started our with Theory U, it was when Otto came to speak for the first time at Pitt. I didn’t know anything about it, but I’ve always been interested in human-centered design and user interface/user experience design. So when Otto came and talked about it, I just fell in love with the concept. Gemma was starting the hub here at Pitt and we were trying to get interest from other individuals. But I also went through the muck that year because as I was going through this process I unfortunately lost my dad. But going through the program, I’ll never forget we did this exercise called “stuck”. And I was stuck, I was still grieving. It was holding me back at work, it was keeping me from moving forward in my life. And that exercise helped me identify what it was. It was in that moment that I realized what was holding me back. And within a week or two, I started to feel better. I started to move forward personally, and my work started to move forward. So I have a very strong belief in the Theory U process. The exercises I’ve done along the way have really stuck with me, and really helped me at different points in my life to regroup, figure out what’s important, and to move forward.
What’s been your greatest challenge?
I’ve had many challenges along the way. In 2014 I had bilateral pulmonary embolisms — I almost died, actually. I’ve had the challenge of losing my father, so both of my parents are gone, which was really hard to come to terms with. I know people say it all the time, but things have a way of working out the way they’re supposed to. You might go after that job you want for the first time and you don’t get it. Then wherever you end up, years down the road, you look back and think “Wow, I’m really glad I didn’t get that job.” You have to just listen to what the world is saying at times. You’ve got to accept the times when you don’t get what you really thought you wanted or what you hoped for, and to understand that maybe this just wasn’t the right path for you. That’s how I ended up here after starting in health care.
What’s been the most important skill you’ve developed?
I think listening and understanding how to bring yourself to the present, because it’s so easy to fixate on what that future is that you want. But if you don’t know what you have to work with, how are you ever going to get to that future state? Your past can drag you down and prevent you from moving forward. So it comes back to being present in everything that you do. And it works both professionally and personally, that’s the other thing I like about it.
Give us a typical day for you!
I get up at 5:30 and I ride my bike for at least half an hour in the morning. Then I make sure that my daughter’s up and ready for school, since she’s getting ready at that point. That’s about 6:30 in the morning. And then I get ready. I don’t commute anymore since everything’s remote, but I live over an hour away from the university, so my commute was long. That was one of the reasons I started riding the bike — I had gained an hour of time for myself and thought, “What are you going to do with it?” So that’s why I kind of made up my mind to use that hour to exercise and concentrate on myself. But then I make my coffee and I’m online anywhere between 8, 8:30 most mornings. Work is meetings, it’s juggling working with people, helping them use the technologies that we oversee, or looking at new technologies and how can we make things better. The evenings are all over the place, too. A few times a week I have tai chi class, so I might do that in the evening, or just chill out and watch TV and veg with my family. Or, my daughter’s involved in a lot of activities, so we have a lot of shuttling around to hockey practice and stuff. Then I’m in bed by 10:00, which is very nice.
Tell us a story that shows us who you are.
When I was in college I thought I was going to be a pharmacist. And when it didn’t happen, I was devastated. I thought, “Now what?” I like to tell people, especially people in school, that the path to where you’re going is never straight. Sometimes it might be a goal that’s short and easy and attainable. But usually those long-reaching goals are not at the end of a straight path, and you’re going to have to fight for it.
Back when I was in middle school, they helped you take those career tests that aren’t always accurate. Mine told me I should become a forest ranger. It said specifically not to do anything with computers. But oddly enough, here I am. I’m managing some of the most-used applications that run the university.
What’s your hope for being a part of the Theory U and Adaptive Space community?
I like that we grow upon each others’ setbacks and accomplishments. The feedback that we get is always so helpful. Even in my coaching circle, when I presented my case just last week, it helped me to listen to what others had to say, how they felt, and how they envisioned what was going on. In a way, they help you take stock of what you have to work with, what you can do with it, and how you can get where you want to go. The collaborative nature of the Adaptive Space and the coaching circles is what I really enjoy. And when we’re in the Adaptive Space environment, it’s like everybody is on the same level ground, no matter how successful or whether they’re up-and-coming. Whatever you’re doing in your life, everybody is there for you.
What would you do for yourself if you had more time in your day?
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