What made my past 6 work years worth it

As I’m nearing the end of my 6 years in Customer Advisory, I’ve been reflecting on what my key learnings were. I’ve concluded that there are 3 main ones:

1. How to lead next-gen talent

I’ve learned that many young people come into their first job with a lack of confidence, thinking, “I’m completely new; I haven’t been around nearly as long as the rest of you "old farts", so what do I know?” We – the more experienced bunch – tend to forget this. What it’s like to present yourself at the first team meeting, feeling nervous about not saying the right thing, and afraid you are overstepping. Hence, my key learning is that we need to address this openly and encourage them to believe in themselves. We need to remind them of their value and that they have been chosen because they bring something else to the table that those of us who have been around longer can learn from. We also need to be their advocates. To speak up on their behalf and actively give them a platform to shine, while having their backs as they stumble, fall, and lose part of their confidence. If we manage to do this, we can build the next workforce that will take us to unseen places.

We succeeded by fostering autonomy and trust. I believed that they were able to manage projects and initiatives, and if they failed (as we all do), it’s okay and part of the process. I always said, “It’s okay to make smart mistakes, just don’t make lazy mistakes”. Make the mistakes that will make you smarter, but not the ones out of laziness where you don’t learn. We had a strong team culture. We believed that we only succeed if all of us succeeded. No one was celebrated as an individual without mentioning how he or she received help from someone else – because let’s be real, we always get help. Nobody can do it alone.

I also learned that I need to take the time to understand the values and motivational drivers of each team member to enable them to unleash their full potential. I need to understand to what degree a team member is driven by wanting to support someone else, feeling safe, wanting to take chances, having a strong sense of human connection, or something completely different. I had to uncover the hidden intrinsic needs that aren’t stated in the HR systems – although perhaps they should be.

2. How to manage transformation

Transformation is an emotional business. The reason is that it’s all about people. People are the ones who must make the change – use the new system, learn in a new way, and engage customers differently. We humans are creatures of habit, and something new seems scary (Mendelsohn A. I., 2019). It poses a threat to us and whispers, “If you do this differently, then there is about a 100% probability that it will be worse than before.” Therefore, businesses must understand how they can positively regulate our employees’ emotions. For example, creating emotions of feeling safe, purpose-led, and understood (Deci & Ryan, 2000). Employees must also feel part of the journey and that they have some say in what is about to unfold – finding the sweet spot in the push and pull model (Dann, 1977). Of course, this is easier said than done, and sometimes when businesses need fast results, they need to push more than pull, and it has to be more top-down than bottom-up.

My team and I created and worked on various programs all targeted towards facilitating transformation. We launched a virtual community platform, an enablement program, a YouTube Show, various passion communities, a catalyst program for SAP’s top performers, and a Brand Transformation Program. We tried to find the perfect sweet spot of using executives to push the programs top down but also engaging the stakeholders early on to drive them bottom up. We tried to get a representative from the regions and the organizations that were impacted by the transformation and get their input and buy-in. We made sure they had an outlet to let their voices be heard and could present their findings and insights to the senior stakeholders who made the final decisions. In working with SAP’s Catalysts (SAP’s top performers), we focused on their development as people and not just as employees. We launched a program called “Grow your mind”, which was aimed at upskilling their EQ. In developing people’s emotional capacity and intelligence, you create a workforce who are open and more prepared for transformation. People who can even spearhead it and act as ambassadors who lead the way for the change. They can do this because they have the emotional maturity to build resilience and go against the primal human instincts of wanting to either fight or flee from the change.

3. How to have fun while doing it

Lastly, we had the audacity to have fun while doing it. Not only did we laugh a lot, but we had fun by creating an impact, sharing vulnerabilities, connecting, giving feedback, and so on. We had a lot of self-irony, and we were open about our weaknesses and shortcomings. We watched TED talks about how to listen with intent, how to differentiate between empathy and sympathy, how ADHD can be a superpower, etc. and discussed it in our team meetings. We had a lot of curiosity about each other and a genuine interest in getting to know each other better, beyond the professional “masks.” I said to the team, “If you are not having a good time at work, you need to tell me, and then we need to discuss what we can do to change that immediately.” We spend approximately 1/3 of our lives at work, and I will not be responsible for someone not enjoying 1/3 of their lives if I can (Gettysburg College, 2023).

Having fun was what allowed us to make an impact. I look forward to having more fun in my new chapter.