When Lennox left college with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish, master’s degree in education, and minor in history, Deseret Industries was nowhere near his radar. But as Lennox ultimately learned, life has an interesting way of redirecting our course.

“I was a high school teacher for five years,” Lennox says. “I then took a job out of state, and the school didn’t line up with things that I believe in, so it was time for a change.”

As a result, Lennox applied for an operational supervisor position at DI—a role that aligned with his goals and values. Better yet, the job allowed him to apply much of what he already knew.

“I found out I was able to use a lot of the same skills that I had as a teacher,” Lennox says. “I still talk and teach, but it's a lot smaller group, which is a teacher’s dream.”

One of Lennox’s main responsibilities is ensuring that the store is operating properly. However, the most important part of his job is the workers.

“We prioritize our associates,” Lennox says. “I check in with my associates to see how the day is going and how they’re feeling. We also have our Ready for Work program, which is designed to teach associates how to take that next step.”

The associates aren’t the only ones developing, however. Lennox has grown in many ways during his time in his role, such as becoming more understanding and patient.

“Something that I have really worked on as a skill is to not get frustrated if there’s a failure or struggle,” Lennox says. “I ask [myself], ‘Where is this person struggling? Why are they struggling?’ And then that becomes the goal that we work on. I have had to slow things down, be a bit more patient, and try to understand the individual so I can get them the help that they need.”

These experiences have led to feelings of fulfillment for Lennox. When asked his favorite part of the job, his response is not surprising.

“Watching our associates be successful,” Lennox says. “It’s been validating to work with people and have a more hands-on impact on their day-to-day change.”

One of the ways DI prepares associates is by training them to become job leads.

“This is something they can put on their resumes,” Lennox says. “It helps associates develop skills in all kinds of ways and creates a culture of collaboration. It gives people opportunities to teach and reteach to other associates on the team and to understand the vision.”