Profile of a People Leader: Jason Matthews

This interview took place shortly after we announced our 2020 People Leader of the Year awards. Jason won the award as an associate manager of software engineering and was one of eight recipients of the award. If you’d like to read more about the awards and find the other recipients’ interviews, you can head over to this story.

We had the opportunity to get to know Jason better and discuss his leadership philosophy, how he measures success as a leader, and get some fun insights into the things that drove him to become a leader.

Qualtrics Life (QL): Tell me a little about your career journey, how you ended up here at Qualtrics as a leader.

Jason Matthews (JM): I spent the first half of my career working in the talent management industry on the vendor and customer side. This gave me a lot of diversity and exposure to perspectives and business acumen. When I joined Qualtrics it didn't have a brand in APJ but I was instantly drawn to the people and leaders at Qualtrics and knew from the minute I started the recruiting process that this was the place I wanted to be. Since then Qualtrics has completely met my expectations and the journey just blows me away. 

QL: When did you know you wanted to be a people leader?

JM: I had some really great mentors and coaches early on in my career and they inspired me to be able to give back. I really enjoy helping people grow and develop and being able to align that with results that have an impact on the company and teams we support. So as I became more confident and experienced, it was the natural step for me to take and while it can be challenging and goes through ups and downs, I find it a very rewarding role.

QL: Why did you choose Qualtrics to be part of your journey as a people leader?

JM: I joined Qualtrics as an individual contributor because I saw the potential and knew I'd grow as a person regardless of the role I was in. I was very fortunate that I was given the opportunity to take on a leadership role. I strongly believe it’s a privilege that I can't take for granted and need to constantly work on to be successful and help my team be successful.

QL: What’s your personal leadership philosophy or style?

JM: I really lead from the heart, try really hard to be fair, consistent, inclusive, and transparent. I want everyone to be successful and want them to have the opportunity to grow and develop. I also strongly believe that that the situation and environment can have a massive impact. In most cases, in the right environment, people will succeed when given support and encouragement.

QL: How do you measure your success as a leader?

JM: Success is measured based on the impact I have on the people in my team. There are tactical measures like engagement and pulse results, but more than that, success is if I've helped them achieve their outcomes and grow as individuals.

QL: Are there any highlights or memories from your time as a leader last year that stick out to you?

JM: Some of the highlights from last year were around moving Individual contributors into leadership roles, seeing team members get recognised and promoted. Seeing the team manage through the adversity of COVID. 

QL: What does this award mean to you?

JM: Recognition from the company is awesome and I feel incredibly proud. The calibre of leaders at Qualtrics is amazing so it means even more.

QL: What would most people be surprised to learn about you?

JM: Just before COVID, I rewarded myself for the hard work and success I've had by buying my dream sports car. With COVID it still gets out once a day to run down to the local cafe to get coffee!

Qualtrics is growing, and if you're ready to find your "why" at a place like this, you can explore our open opportunities at any time by visiting our career page or by joining our talent community.

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