Elvia Martínez manages two teams across three continents. Elvia uses her unique background from an immigrant family to lead her teams with inclusivity, collaboration, and support.
Explain your role as a Global Manager of Business Intelligence and Analytics and a few of your responsibilities.
I manage two engineering support teams. They’re spread across the US, Sweden, Germany, and India. One is the Business Intelligence and Analytics team, which deals with reporting issues primarily for the Planview Portfolios application.
The other is the Planview IdeaPlace care team, which supports the ideation management needs of customers seeking to innovate. Both groups provide customer care support to address technical, product, and reporting issues.
Tell us about your career journey to date.
I worked in the automotive industry at the beginning of my career when I first graduated. Then, I took a few years off to enjoy time with my two sons. I volunteered and did philanthropic work while I stayed home. Then, I spent a few years in the education sector and moved into the tech industry at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. I’ve now been at Planview for a little more than three years.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned as you’ve moved up in your career?
Definitely, the biggest lesson I’ve learned is you have to be true to yourself. Being who I am and being true to my beliefs is essential. If you are genuine and uphold your beliefs—like empathy, respect, and empowering others—the rest kind of falls into place. That has been the biggest thing I’ve learned, especially in the last few years.
Are there any experiences in your life that you feel contributed to your professional success?
To understand my experiences, you’d have to go back to my childhood. I was raised in a hard-working immigrant family. My parents set an example with their work ethic. They always valued education: to them, that was a ticket out of hard circumstances. But even with all that, their priority was always family. I remember my dad working two to three jobs during my childhood, but he never missed an event. That taught me to value hard work and place the needs of others before my own. I apply that now to everything I do, including work.
What type of meetings do you prepare for? Who do you typically collaborate with?
I’m the kind of person who likes to take notes and come into every meeting prepared, no matter how informal it is. I want to do my research and know what we are talking about and what we are going to tackle. I just do it to different degrees. If I’m going into a one-on-one meeting with someone who reports to me or someone who is looking for advice or mentorship, I leave it to them to guide the conversation. I will meet them where they are.
I would say the meetings I prepare most for are the meetings with customers. I like to go in knowing what the issue is and what we’ve done so far. I need to know the next steps so I can guide the conversation and leave the customers feeling like they’re in a good place, even if I haven’t necessarily resolved all of the issues.
What makes your team so effective?
The consultants on my team are wonderful human beings. Yes, they have technical skills; yes, they have soft skills needed for the job. But they’re also great people. They’re caring. They love to learn, a prerequisite for being on one of my teams. They genuinely want to make an impact. I strive to empower them to be their best selves and not micromanage, and that allows them to truly do their best.
Tell us about working from home – what are the pros and cons?
I sometimes miss the camaraderie of being in the office, but I’m definitely more productive working from home. There aren’t as many distractions. I establish good communication and trust with my teams and the teams I collaborate with.
One downside to working from home is that I end up working a lot more. I’ll go make dinner, then I’ll think about that one last thing. Because my computer is still open, it’s easy for me to keep jumping back in. So, I guess I work a lot more when I’m at home, and that’s a struggle.
How do you manage your work/life balance?
I think the ticket is teamwork. My team leads are absolutely wonderful. I can’t say enough about how great they are. I have two team leads on the Business Intelligence team and one team lead on the IdeaPlace team. I couldn’t do this without them. I also make sure I go outside every day, even just walking my dog. We also always have dinner as a family. It’s now just my husband and me, but we still eat together.
What motivates you while working?
The thing that really pushes me is mentoring people—especially people who report to me. I love talking with people about what they’re working on and their short-term and long-term plans. We talk about how they’re tracking their goals and what they need from me to do their best. These conversations motivate me. I always make time for them.
How is Planview different from other companies you’ve worked for?
This company attracts such wonderful people. I’ve worked in other really good places, and I think you can find good people everywhere, but Planview seems to be a magnet for extraordinary people.
The developers, the engineers, and people from various cross-functional teams are constantly messaging each other, telling each other “good job,” and generally being supportive. We’ve built such strong relationships that we can tackle problems with grace and humor.
Planview has a set of five core values. Is there one that really speaks to your experience?
All of Planview’s core values are great, but “we build together” is the one I use the most when recognizing the contributions of my team and coworkers. We have been able to accomplish a lot because of our strong connections. I don’t think we could do what we do without the support we get from DevOps and Cloud Ops. It’s a collaboration. We depend on each other. And it’s not just my team or just a few people; it’s how whole teams work together to build.
For fun, how do you unwind when you are off the clock?
Unless you’re a runner, you probably won’t think this is fun, but I love to hike and run. I’m a long-distance runner. I spend as much time as I can outside and with my family. Everyone in my family runs. When my two sons were little, we would all go for a run together. We were known in our community as the family who ran. Even though they’re out of the house, running still brings me joy.
How does being part of an Employee Resource Group (ERG) impact your experience at Planview?
Honestly, I haven’t spent as much time as I would have liked with ERGs like Kaleidoscope and Women at Planview. It’s comforting to know they’re there, though. ERGs play a valuable role, and I try to keep up with the activities and announcements from different groups. There’s still a lot of work to be done, especially when it comes to supporting and developing our BIPOC community.
What is something you’d hope people learn during Hispanic Heritage Month?
A massive portion of the population here in the Austin, Texas, area identifies as Hispanic or Latinx. I think it’s so important for people to understand the issues impacting that particular group because you’re learning about your community.
I hope the celebrations go beyond the food—which is a great place to start, and most people really enjoy it—but focus on the contributions made to this country by Hispanics. I also want people to understand how to best support the Hispanic community, especially our children and young adults. They need the right opportunities, education, development, and many other things that have sometimes been lacking.
Does Planview sound like a good fit for you? Now is a great time to join our team. Check out Planview’s current job openings across the globe here.
