Our 'Humans of Wise-Sync' are the super-skilled and passionate ninjas behind the scenes, the warriors that champion to put our customers above and beyond, to enable one seamless sync after the next - the A1 team that makes the dream work. Next up, meet our US-based Global Sales Lead, Curtis!
Meet Curtis
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your journey here at Wise-Sync, and what attracted you to the company?
Curtis: Well, actually, I've been an advocate of Wise-Sync long before I started working here; Wise-Sync was a client of my former employer, and I'd always enjoyed speaking with the team at Wise-Sync and just seeing all of the wonderful work that was coming together. I knew the solutions and I understood them, so when I heard there was an opportunity for me to work at Wise-Sync, I was very excited to apply for the role of 'Global Sales Lead.'
As a leader in the company, of course I have my own personality, yes, and my own ideas and my own agenda to get things done but it takes the whole team to make it work (not just myself) and that's what really makes everything flourish here.
Q: Amazing! And of course, being a Global Sales Lead comes with great responsibility. What do you enjoy most about your role?
Curtis: Being a ninja, *does a karate chop* of course! For me, this is all about achieving results and making a difference in our partners' day-to-day lives in driving greater financial efficiency. It's also about being able to really help not just our partners, but our whole team, and that's who I am as a person - I enjoy helping others.
It's great to see something at one level, and when I'm finished, it's over here at a higher level - so, seeing the success of others, is where I really see the fruits of our work, I love that.
Q: Incredible, that brings us to, what does being a ninja mean to you?
Curtis: I could tell you the martial arts side of it! Let me start with this first, being a ninja here at Wise-Sync actually proves to its name. Initially, I wondered why we had come up with ninjas, I didn't really know at the time, but then it occurred to me... ninjas are silent and they're experts!
Now, on a more personal level, I practice the seven tenants of Tang Soo Do (a Korean martial art inspired by Karate), which are integrity, concentration, perseverance, respect and obedience, self-control, humility, and indomitable spirit. In our coaching, we have to practice these seven tenants everyday -
Having integrity is just that, whereas concentration is "I'd rather face somebody that knew a hundred moves, than one person that knew one move and did that 100,000 times," and the perseverance is having the ability to move on and never quit - you just don't. Respect and obedience, this is about being able to take orders just as well as you give orders, while self-control is knowing when you can lose it and have fun, or otherwise, knowing what you can do and really expand on that. And surely, having humility is about staying humble and recognising there's always room for improvement.
Last but not least, the indomitable spirit - and that's what's inside of me; that's my aura, that's what I project without even having to say or do anything. Having this, is actually knowing that I can reach inside of myself to expand within, and then, be able to shine without. All of these tenants are what being a ninja means to me, not just at work but also in my day-to-day life.
Q: Wow, we actually have a real-life ninja inside and outside of work here! That's phenomenal. And as our Global Sales Lead, how do you see the future of Wise-Sync (the company) looking?
Curtis: I see immense success ahead. Since I joined Wise-Sync, I've seen continual key developments and significant progress made toward the future of the company; it's all of the things that we're putting together, and the exceptional collaboration across the board, from the Marketing and PEN (Product & Engineering) teams, down to Customer Success and Finance, we're consistently keeping each other accountable, motivated, and focussed on the future, which makes all the difference.
And so again, I see the future as having great success because of the incredible progress that we've already made today, everywhere from delivering a New Payer Experience (NPE) to facilitating Real-Time Sync (RTS) for users to have that complete invoice and payment automation, which are just two of the prime examples of how we're continually innovating - we're thinking smart, and we're putting forth those actions.
Q: Absolutely. And what are some of the things outside of work that help to keep you motivated in your role?
Curtis: Definitely keeping a peace of mind, I need to relax, I need to release - I find that's so important. I haven't been able to work out lately due to an injury, but I'm on my way there! Having that ability to just relax and to be away from it, is what gives me that charge to go on.
Q: What do our core values #BECIO (Believe, Engage, Collaborate, Innovate, and Own It) mean to you - and what does it mean to be part of company that lives and breathes these values?
Curtis: It feels really wonderful to be part of our company that has such strong core values, and we're reminded of these often. #BECIO begins with believing, so if you think about it, in my training of the seven tenants, believing is also a fundamental part there; it's that concentration to be able to focus on what you're doing and to honestly believe that you can.
E is for 'Engage,' where being engaged means to be involved. Engagement is all around us here at Wise-Sync, and it's all about staying on track and working with the team to ensure we keep it all together.
C is for 'Collaborate,' which again, is all about being able to openly discuss with our peers and to reach out because we're all here to support each other. Whenever I need help, I go on Slack and I might ping six different people to see who's available to help, and I'll always get even four to five people come back to me to help (even if they don't know the answer) - and we'll solve it as a team.
I is for 'Innovate,' which is awesome because I'm an ideas' man! I always have these great ideas and I can't put these together by myself, instead we'll work together to actualize our conceptions.
And lastly, O is for 'Own It,' which means to take responsibility and to be held accountable; it's possessing that innate ability to go forward with your ideas and believe in yourself enough to be a true crusader.
Q: And do you think the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) facilitates our team to live these values?
Curtis: I think it's a great leadership tool. I've been an entrepreneur all my life and so I definitely recognise its immense potential; most entrepreneurs don't write down what it is that they need to achieve and when. By having a tool like EOS that enables you to organise and plan ahead, and most importantly, to keep every member within your organisation 'On Track,' you're able to increase productivity and keep your team motivated enough to strive for that bigger picture -
On the other hand, if something is 'Off Track,' we're able to openly discuss it as an issue right there and then and actually resolve it, rather than pushing it to the side and causing a long-term issue.
Q: If you could share a few words of encouragement that are a constant positive reinforcement in your life, what would these be and why?
Curtis: Attitude is 100% of the game; if you don't get in with the right attitude, you're not going to win - that's number one. And along the same lines of "if you want to be successful, you need to act successful," and that all comes back to having the right attitude -
I read a great book called Don't Sweat the Small Stuff and It's All Small Stuff: Simple Ways to Keep the Little Things from Taking Over Your Life by Richard Carlson, and what it's all about is basically, it's all really small - and your ability to recognise this comes from first having a positive outlook.
Q: Phenomenal. Lastly, if someone told you that tomorrow was your last chance to visit one place in the world, which location would you choose?
Curtis: Asia, because it's always fascinated me. I'd love to see all of it! I've always been intrigued by the culture and the history, everywhere from the dynasties to the great Shaolin temple. I think my fond study and practice of martial arts has heavily influenced this personal affinity with Asia that I feel. If I had to be more specific or perhaps start somewhere, I would choose China, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, and maybe even go down to Vietnam.
Q: And maybe check out Squid Game while you're in South Korea?
Curtis: (Laughs) Sounds good to me! I watched that series to the end of course, that was very interesting, incredible show, I won't give away any spoilers! 
