Taking Your Team to the Next Level – a Q&A with Shanell Adams, IT Market Director, The Intersect Group Dallas

The Intersect Group’s Dallas office is in the midst of an exciting transformation, expanding its team and taking on new initiatives dedicated to continued growth and innovation. 

We sat down with Dallas IT Market Director Shanell Adams – who joined the company in May – to learn more about what brought her to The Intersect Group, why she’s so excited about Dallas, and how she’s motivating her team to be the best they can be.

You have extensive industry experience, working for a number of companies in the Dallas market. What drew you to The Intersect Group?

I’ve been in the IT staffing and consulting industry here in the Dallas market for about 15 years. I started my career in consulting and sales and eventually moved into leadership roles with several companies in the area, including Celerity, Analysts International Corporation (AIC), and Genesys Group.

What immediately excited me about working for The Intersect Group in Dallas were the people. There was already such a great core group of people in place and I could really see myself growing with the team and making it a really cool place to work and be successful. With so much opportunity for growth, I could see this becoming something big.

What makes the Dallas IT market unique? What are the latest trends you are seeing in IT staffing?

Dallas is growing so fast right now. New businesses are moving here in droves so there’s really a shortage of talent. This is where The Intersect Group can really make an impact – we’re working to be more proactive to help our clients find the best people with the specific skill sets to meet their needs, especially as it pertains to technology. Right now everyone wants to figure out how to better use their data, so there’s a big demand for skills in BI and Analytics. This applies to mobile as well – being able to market to and reach customers with mobile devices is so important. So our goal is to find the candidates who have these skills, and are also the best cultural fit for our clients.

What were your immediate goals coming into this position a few months ago?

We’ve had success in Dallas over the past several years, but my goal is to really take this to the next level. Team building is a huge first step. That’s why I’m spending the extra time to make sure we hire the right people and keep them here for years to come. It’s all about recognizing our employees for their hard work, making them feel good about coming to work every day and making sure everyone shares the same common goal. In our business we build deep relationships with our clients and candidates and that’s all about our great people. We all have the ability to be the most successful if we work together.

Teamwork is something you’re very passionate about. How does this come to life at The Intersect Group?

Playing basketball at SMU really taught me the importance of teamwork and applying that team sport approach to everything in life. We just had a huge team-building event last month at Dave & Buster’s – we played games, we recognized anniversaries, welcomed brand new people and just got to know each other outside of the office for an afternoon. I also make sure we get together once a month in the office and play games that require extensive teamwork to win. We shut the door, turn off our phones. In this business, teamwork is paramount.

As a leader, how do you motivate your team to be successful?

When it comes to making decisions, it’s so important to let my team understand they have a say in the direction we are going to choose.  I’ll ask for their input first because I want them to be involved and make sure they have buy-in to the culture and direction of the office.

Where can we find you when you’re not at work?

Above all, what I’m most passionate about is my family – I have two sons and a daughter. My two boys play very competitive sports so you’ll often find me at a baseball or basketball tournament – my baby girl has been living at a baseball field since she was born! I spend a lot of time with my sister and my parents too; we’re very close. And I’m definitely a big sports fan; I like to consider myself a “homer” – Mavericks, Rangers and Cowboys.