The Manager Minute: Lourdes Diaz

By Cindy Kent
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted May 15 2006

Being accountable for a broad spectrum of responsibilities within a company is rewarding to Lourdes Diaz, chief operating officer for InnoMed Technologies Inc. in Coconut Creek.

Diaz has always been serious about building her career and future, she said. Coming to South Florida from her hometown of Camajuani, Cuba, when she was 12, Diaz had to learn a new language and way of life.

To help support her family, she got a job as a cashier. Diaz worked her way though college at a leather accessories manufacturer and studied industrial engineering at Florida International University. She went on to get her MBA degree and became a schoolteacher for a few years. About a year and a half ago, Diaz began missing the corporate environment. Job-hunting led her to her current position with InnoMed.

Diaz, 37, and her 7-year-old daughter live in Coconut Creek.

The job: Lourdes Diaz is chief operating officer for InnoMed Technologies Inc., a respiratory medical devices developer and manufacturer in Coconut Creek. She oversees about 20 of the 40 employees in several areas, including research and development, sales, manufacturing and customer service.

A management lesson learned: Being overly optimistic when committing to goals. Set more realistic deadlines and double-check the facts.

Communicating effectively to bosses: Be clear and concise in your presentations. Have the facts and when you bring us issues or problems, have solutions.

Waste of time: Setting unclear expectations and working in a mode of constantly putting out fires.

What makes a lasting impression: Loyalty.

Team-building practice: Identify the technical skills needed for the project. Make meetings, feedback and status checks a part of the process.

Conflict resolution: Be an active listener. Keep an open and relaxed demeanor. Be willing to compromise.

How to encourage employee development: Provide educational and training opportunities; identify those who can take on more responsibility; provide mentoring and in-house promotions.

Employee retention tip: Recognize those that go the extra mile. Be flexible so that employees can deal with personal issues.

Career-building advice: Ten college degrees are better than nine -- education should be a priority. Seek compatibility with co-workers; stay calm -- yet resilient -- in challenging situations. Be passionate. Learn as much as you can. Set goals in your job and work hard to accomplish them. Raise the bar for yourself each time.

In the desk junk drawer: Hand cream from Victoria's Secret; pens and business cards.

On the bookshelf: Trade journals, books on history and leadership topics; self-help and self-awareness books.

What I look for in a job candidate: People skills, intuition and technical skills.

Advice: Be honest. Work hard. Don't be afraid of change -- at the worst, you'll have a new experience.

Cindy Kent interviews managers of small to midsize South Florida businesses for Manager Minute. You can reach her at ckent@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4662.