Get to Know Noodle Business Analyst, Kalyani Mishra

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“A great leader should be humble, honest, and supportive of their team. Leaders help a team to grow.”

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Kalyani Mishra is a Business Analyst at Noodle. Originally from Mumbai, India before moving to the United States. She completed her degree in Information Technology and Engineering from Mumbai University and her Masters in Information Systems from the University of Buffalo. Kalyani shares that it was  her father, a former Economics professor, who encouraged her and her siblings to receive a good education. She shares that understanding the value of education has helped her build a great sense of self and helps one know their rights in society and the world. Now here at Noodle, Kalyani supports her team and the API Noodlers ERG with her organizational skills, clear communication skills and belief in team growth opportunities.

What elements or traits does a great leader exhibit? 

A  great leader should be humble, honest, and supportive of their team. Leaders help a team t0 grow. 

When you think of great leadership, who comes to mind? Why?

My current manager Jesslyn Rodriguez is a great leader. She has all of the qualities I shared above and doesn’t hold back from sharing constructive criticism to help me grow.

How has your personal leadership style evolved? 

 I have learned a lot from my previous managers and have identified the qualities that work well and ones that don't. From having a micromanager to having a manager who trusts me and gives me freedom to work is a long path that has affected my personal leadership style. I definitely am the type to roll up my sleeves to help a teammate! I like helping organize our work on my team and like to follow up from time to time. I value clear communication in my personal leadership style.

What is it about your background or career experiences that successfully positioned you for your role at Noodle? Describe that role. 

I started my career as a software engineer. I stayed in that role for a couple of years to understand the technical workings of various software including  databases, coding, testing, etc. Then I moved to become a consultant to help work on solutions while also performing release, change and problem management. It helped me focus on the stakeholders and cross-functional communication. I have also worked as a product specialist and all of my past experiences have helped me in my work at Noodle as a business analyst.  For any new requests, I know what questions to ask and have an understanding of the technical way of solving a problem. I help others also understand the products we use such as monday.com. I strive to be a good thought partner for our stakeholders and their workflows.

How do you support the success of your team? 

 I help in translating our documented process into automated project plans. My goal is to help reduce manual work and increase team efficiency by helping us focus on more important tasks.

Describe how your career has been enhanced by exposure to diverse people, places or experiences.

I started working in Mumbai, India where I worked with people who looked like me and  spoke like me. It was a comfortable environment, but the work culture was demanding and I assumed all other companies had the same work culture. I have also worked in the UK for a year as a team coordinator. It made me realize people should have  a life outside of their work! I firmly believe that is the work culture I want to have and I am glad to now have a work-life balance!

What are some of the most effective tools in your leadership arsenal? 

I like to listen and try to understand the thoughts of a person before sharing my views. It helps me understand where they are coming from and helps me to better respond and support them! 

Please tell us something about yourself that people would be surprised to learn. 

I am not sure if it is surprising enough, but I consider myself someone who can remember things very clearly for a long time. So usually during arguments among my friends,   I am treated as the source of truth to recall who said what and when. It can be fun to be the friend who can remember all the details for all the events I have participated in! 

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