Published Nov. 16, 2023

As a college student, Rodney Kruse attended a career fair that shaped the course of his future. Decades later, he’s with the same company he applied to that day. Now, as a senior manager of Business Operations & Transformation, he uses his constant curiosity to learn and grow.

Walk us through your career so far.

When I moved to the IT side of the business, I realized how much I love managing IT projects. They’re incredibly impactful across the organization. Right now, I’m responsible for the business operations efforts that help ensure the security of Boeing’s information. That’s a huge responsibility, but one I feel fortunate to take on.

How did you discuss potential job changes with your manager?

A great thing about Boeing is it’s widely understood people are here to learn and grow in their careers. Managers encourage you to embrace those opportunities. That’s worth its weight in gold.

What’s a fear that you had to overcome to get where you are now?

I’ve always been afraid that I’m not doing enough. I’ve overcome this by changing the question I ask myself at the end of the day.

Instead of, “did I do enough today?” I ask myself, “what did I learn today?”

That shifts my mindset away from perfectionism to continuous growth.

What advice would you give someone as they build their Boeing career?

Stay curious. Curiosity leads to learning. Learning leads to improving and growing.