In the beginning of 2019, I transitioned from being a Software Engineer to a manager, and it was quite the change. I had to quickly adjust to dramatic shifts in my day-to-day schedule, interacting with upper management, ensuring my reports had all they needed to succeed, and a host of many other new challenges. As I worked through this transition, Lara was an invaluable resource. Her knowledge, experience, and genuine desire to help allowed me to transition into my new role and allowed me make significant contributions to my team. Specifically, I benefited from her ability to listen to arbitrary challenges I was dealing with, then break the problem down into its component pieces. We could then address a series of smaller problems rather than the monolithic hurdle I had originally understood it to be. As a Software Engineer, I was used to this process in the context of engineering problems - Lara allowed me to extend it to manager-specific issues. Additionally, Lara provided great insight into how to effectively influence decisions in a constructive manner. Being a new manager, I certainly had ideas about how my team should work and interact with colleagues on other teams. However, I initially found it difficult to affect change, as I was unsure how to present my ideas. Lara worked with me on communication strategies and, specifically, how to take on the perspective of someone else. I can't say enough about the assistance Lara provided me during a very significant career transition.