Janice Smith’s Leadership Blueprint: Meet HDI’s 2026 Best Service & Support Manager

Great service leaders solve today's challenges all while building teams, processes, and cultures that create success long after they're gone. That's exactly what makes Janice Smith so deserving of HDI's 2026 Best Service & Support Manager award.

With more than four decades of experience spanning business and technology, Janice has spent the last three years leading her organization’s Enterprise Services Support team at Farm Credit Mid-America while helping shape strategic initiatives across the business. Her responsibilities include oversight of the Lending Support Service Desk, Knowledge-Centered Service (KCS) strategy, and organizational content change management. But ask those who work alongside her what stands out most, and they’ll talk about her investment in people.

Janice’s leadership philosophy was evident in her nomination, which highlighted two AI initiatives aimed at enhancing support services across Farm Credit Mid-America. Rather than rushing toward technology for technology's sake, Janice focused on strengthening the organization's knowledge management practices first.

By leading efforts to expand knowledge resources, implement KCS methodologies, establish governance processes, and improve content quality, she helped lay the foundation for generative AI capabilities to deliver meaningful value for employees and customers alike.

Today, those efforts support more than 1,700 team members across the organization and position Farm Credit Mid-America for continued success as AI capabilities evolve. 

Janice's leadership style is rooted in communication, transparency, and trust.

Through regular one-on-one conversations, weekly team meetings, and a commitment to sharing the "why" behind decisions, she creates an environment where employees feel heard, valued, and empowered to contribute. Team members are encouraged to share ideas, tackle stretch assignments, and take ownership of solutions without fear of failure.

The results speak for themselves. Her team consistently maintains engagement scores above 90% favorable while delivering exceptional service outcomes, including average resolution times under three hours and consistently high customer satisfaction ratings.

Perhaps even more telling is the feedback from those she leads.

"She makes me want to be and do better," one team member shared.

Another described Janice as someone who "lives our values" through teamwork, collaboration, honesty, integrity, and a genuine commitment to helping others succeed.

One of Janice's defining strengths is her commitment to helping others grow.

She takes a highly personalized approach to development, using regular career conversations to understand each team member's goals and connect them with learning opportunities, mentors, leadership experiences, and professional networks. Whether supporting aspiring managers through shadowing opportunities or encouraging team members to lead projects, Janice intentionally creates pathways for growth.

Her approach reflects a belief that leadership isn't about helping others reach their potential. That commitment has helped build a confident, capable team that embraces continuous learning, collaboration, and innovation.

When describing Janice's impact, colleagues point to many qualities: visionary thinking, emotional intelligence, integrity, resilience, curiosity, and courage. Yet the common thread running through all of them is service.

Her passion for customers guides decision-making. Her commitment to knowledge sharing strengthens those around her. Her investment in people creates opportunities that extend far beyond her own team.

By combining strategic vision with genuine care for others, Janice has helped shape a culture of continuous improvement while preparing her organization for the future.

Congratulations to Janice Smith, HDI's 2026 Best Service & Support Manager. Your leadership, dedication, and commitment to service continue to make a lasting impact on your team, your organization, and the HDI community.