The finalists for WashingtonExec’s Pinnacle Awards were announced Oct. 13, and we’ll be highlighting some of them until the event takes place virtually Dec. 8.
Next is Contracts Industry Executive of the Year finalist Melissa Cossentino, who’s vice president of contracts for the health group at Leidos. Here, she talks career turning points, learning from failures, proud career moments and more.
What has made you successful in your current role?
As a current contracting professional with industry, bringing a government contracting perspective from my prior contracting roles within government allowed me to bring empathy and insight into how government contracting works, to include understanding the obligations and pressures associated with making contracting decisions.
This government perspective, coupled with incredible leaders, peers and workforce at my current company, have contributed to my success in my current role as VP of contracts.
What was a turning point or inflection point in your career?
I attribute my growth in contracting knowledge, confidence and interpersonal skills to having great mentors who challenged me to assume assignments that were outside of my comfort zone, whether it be in contracts or in another discipline where I could directly support the contracting community.
These assignments — each with their own challenges — broadened me professionally and led to new advancement opportunities that I otherwise would not have considered, but were instrumental to my career trajectory.
What’s one key thing you learned from a failure you had?
Resiliency. While it is never fun to accept defeat, being resilient has enabled me to transform difficult losses to overwhelming successes on later endeavors. Applying lessons learned from failed programs/pursuits paves the way to improved outcomes.
Looking back at your career, what are you most proud of?
I am most proud of leaving organizations better than when I arrived — better trained workforce, more compliant contracting actions that provide better outcomes for the user communities and increased advancement opportunities for the workforce.
What’s your best career advice for those who want to follow in your footsteps?
Be the first in line to volunteer for the new, “never been done before” assignment — those challenges yield the most opportunities for learning, broadening your network and advancement. While it may be challenging to navigate unchartered territory, those will be the most rewarding experiences of your career.