Across the business, leaders play an active role in helping employees develop their skills, explore new opportunities, and build long-term careers, especially when that growth takes them into a different team.
For Sharon Duffy, Senior Director of EMEA Technical Engineering Services, supporting career growth is simply part of being a leader. In a technical environment where experience and continuity matter, she creates the space, structure, and support people need to develop their careers and pursue new opportunities.
That approach starts with understanding what matters to her people. Through regular 1:1 conversations, Sharon discusses career aspirations and development goals long before a new opportunity appears. So when one of her team members was ready to explore their next role, it wasn't a surprise. They had already talked about where they wanted to grow, and Sharon's response was immediate: support them and encourage them to apply.
It's a mindset shaped by the nature of her work. Sharon's team is responsible for improving the reliability, performance, and lifecycle management of operational systems and infrastructure, supporting safe, efficient, and resilient critical infrastructure across the region. As part of the broader Data Center Services organization, the team's focus extends beyond operational excellence to creating career development opportunities while maintaining a strong customer focus.
In that kind of environment, team changes matter. Workload and resource supply are real considerations, and transitions need to be handled carefully. But for Sharon, leadership is not about keeping good people in place for as long as possible. It is about helping them grow in a way that works for the individual, the team, and the organization.
Development starts long before a role opens up
What stands out in Sharon Duffy’s story is that the internal move did not begin with a vacancy. It began with their regular conversations.
That team member went on to achieve further career progression and is now a director. Reflecting on the experience, Sharon says, ”part of our role as leaders is to invest in our people through learning and development, career progression and creating an environment where they feel valued and want to stay at Equinix. Creating a sustainable legacy for our organization requires leaders to support and develop new leaders to enable effective succession planning."
Leadership is measured in people, not just output
Sharon's approach to leadership was shaped by a mentor who empowered others, developed capability, and nurtured future leaders. Today, she brings that same mindset to her own team, supporting career growth, creating opportunities for progression, and fostering an environment where people feel supported to be themselves and do their best work. For Sharon, helping people grow is not just part of leadership. It is how strong teams and future leaders are built.
Leaders like Sharon help shape a culture where growth is encouraged, supported, and celebrated. Whether developing new skills, exploring internal opportunities or building a long-term career, employees are empowered to take the next step. If you're looking to join a team that keeps the world's digital infrastructure running while investing in the people behind it, explore opportunities with our Operations team.
Support means getting practical
Encouragement on its own is not enough. What makes this example credible is the way Sharon describes the support she gave.
"Career progression for talented people is key to retention," Sharon explains. "I supported them through the recruitment process, reviewing their application and doing a mock interview as practice." By supporting the move, the organization continued to benefit from that person's skills, knowledge, and experience while helping them take the next step in their career.
Backing someone’s move still requires careful planning
Sharon does not pretend that supporting an internal move is frictionless. She says balancing workload with resource supply is always a challenge. That is especially relevant in a technical environment where operational consistency and reliability matter.
What she describes instead is a practical approach to making the transition work. The handover was managed through effective planning and prioritization of activities, with good communication with the new line manager. The receiving manager was also granted access to performance and development progress records during the transition to support an effective handover.
That combination matters. It shows that helping someone move on does not mean leaving the team behind. It means planning well enough to support both the person’s progress and the continuity of the work.