The finalists for WashingtonExec’s 2023 Pinnacle Awards were announced Sept. 25, and we’ll be highlighting some of them until the event takes place live, in-person Nov. 16.
Next is Ryan Gabriele, senior vice president of defense and intelligence at Parsons Corp., who’s a finalist for the Artificial Intelligence Executive of the Year, Public Company category. Here, he shares what has made him successful and his best career advice.
What has made you successful in your current role?
I think it’s my willingness to collaborate. In my time within Parsons, I’ve created a Technical organization focused on sharing ideas, jointly participating in IR&D, and collectively engaging partners and customers from across the company. This organization’s goal is to encourage discussion and collaboration between all markets within the company, improving our ability to deliver best-in-breed solutions to all Parsons’ customers, from State and local Critical Infrastructure customers to the DOD.
What’s your best career advice for those who want to follow in your footsteps?
Do not be afraid to create your own role within the company. Several times in my career I have found myself in a position that didn’t take advantage of my strengths and what I could contribute to the company’s growth. In those cases, I put a business case together justifying the creation of a new role within the company, outlining the benefits the company would realize for creating this new position, and I briefed my leadership team.
In each case they were impressed by an employee taking the initiative and the new roles were approved. This led me to being a happier and more productive employee and it greatly improved the company’s ability to retain me, as I have been with the same company now for almost 20 years.