Ten years ago, I was walking through the doors of what is now my longest employment in one company.

“There were many qualified candidates”, my then-manager told me. “But I believe you have potential, so that’s why we chose you.” Thank you Simona & Sanda, for believing in me. Turns out, I was a long-term investment, indeed.

But along the years, my personal maturing and career growth went hand in hand. Here are some things I’ve learned during my journey.

1. In a new role, look for quick wins.

My first assignment was also my most difficult one.

Coming in as an HR Business Partner to the Supply Chain organization, from external recruitment, I had no knowledge of processes or people. The organization was huge (3 plants, 10 distribution centers, 3 warehouses, about 900 people in SC), and I had never been an HR BP before. I was desperate to prove myself to the people who had just given me a wild card. So I made a list of issues I found, potential long term investments, but more importantly, quick wins that could be achieved in 3 months or less. It took me more than 3 months to establish credibility, but those quick wins were surely a good base for that.

2. In difficult circumstances, be kind.

In HR, one is easily seen as either a “servicer” (“Hey, can you help me create a new position/give this person a raise/keep that guy from resigning?”) or a “policeman” (“Why are you always checking my headcount?” “Why do you need to know how many shifts we run?”). And it’s easy to turn to be tough, and much harder to be kind and to understand where the other person is coming from (I know, cause I’ve tried both).

In order to add value, one needs to walk a fine line between understanding and challenging. That’s one lesson that’s probably a lifetime one for me - and most leaders I know.

3. Look for opportunities to make it work.

One of the things that’s said about CCH as a workplace is that we are persistent and resilient. We make things work. I have countless more examples from my colleagues than from me - during COVID-19, our production teams have installed new lines by themselves, being helped virtually by the engineering teams from our partners; our Business Developers found ways to keep customers supported, even via digital tools which were re-vamped at high speed.

So, always when I’m tempted to give up on an idea, I see sparks in my team that inspire me to keep going. Instead of saying “That won’t work, because...”, I ask myself “what is this situation trying to teach us? And how can we adapt in order to make it work?”

4. Give back.

It doesn’t matter if you are 6 months or 10 years in a company - you always have a responsibility to give back and to teach, train, coach, mentor and support others. Regardless of your level, it may be some words of encouragement or showing the newest hire in your team where to find useful information. I still remember doing coaching trainings for managers about 8 years ago and being asked “but isn’t this some sort of [gasp] therapy?” Now, the team in Romania has about 30 certified coaches (not thanks to me, but to @Mihaela Ionita) and our Group Mentoring program is nominated for a CIPD award.

5. Authenticity, hope and clear aspirations bring out the best in people.

After some difficult years following the 2009-2010 crisis, Romania got a new GM. He started by telling funny stories about himself and his pet turtle, and then proceeded to paint visionary pictures of how the team’s legacy should be. He gave every year a name, and the names ranged from “Epic” to “Legendary”, and results rose to prove it. Jaak is not the only leader who believes in the ability of his team to have results - and throughout hierarchies and geographies, I’ve met countless others, and I can confirm first hand that - both as a collective and individually by our managers - we are inspired to achieve more when we’re presented with the belief in our potential, and with some clear aspiration where we can get to.

6. Keep an open door.

Remember point 2? Being tough and mean to people not only won’t get you liked, but you may at one point in time meet again, maybe in a subordinate relationship.

7. Anyone has a lesson to teach - you only need to be open to listen.

I’ve learned lots not just from my mentors (@Dan, @Gina), or several line managers, but also from my peers (@Rohit), or from my team, from our Management Trainees, or interns. Once you become open to change and learn continuously, you realize anyone with a growth mindset, regardless of level or experience, can teach you - and sometimes you learn more from HOW people work, than from WHAT they tell you.

8. People remember HUMANS more than results.

You know that saying “I will not remember what you said, but HOW I felt”?

I believe showcasing ourselves with vulnerability connects us with each other. This year I advocated for our internal platform of photo & video sharing (our “internal Instagram”) as a method for sharing our stories and personal views. Little did I know, back then, how valuable it would prove during lockdown. We got over 1000 photos and videos, ranging from home office spaces, to pets at computers, to people taking up cooking, or just missing their office teammates. Few were connected with results - and you know what? That’s just what I had hoped for. Togetherness can’t be measured in KBIs.

9. Always leave your mark, no matter the level.

One of the people who inspires us most these days is Anna, our trainee from Czech. As I am working with leaders across countries to ask them to tell their stories more, internally and externally, Anna became an overnight ambassador of storytelling in her own country. She studied, read, we had calls, she held already some local sessions and now empowers others. She leaves her mark by believing in something and advocating for it, and linking it to her current assignment in Employer Branding.

10. It’s us who create meaning - not our jobs giving meaning to us.

I coach a lot, and one of the subjects coachees often come with is “How can I find meaning in what I do?”

I tell them: “You don’t FIND meaning - you are the one who GIVES meaning to what you do, by bringing your whole self into your role.”

Meaning is not attached to a role or to an activity. Nor does it depend on a function or a leadership level. We create value by bringing ourselves fully, not holding back, by shaping what we do and connecting our activity to our deeper self, and then bringing that up, in conversations and in meetings.

My meaning is to bring inspiration and help people think about themselves and their impact. I bring this into my role, and then in countless other informal interactions, because it comes from within.

It’s been 10 years - but I am always looking forward to what’s next.

How has your learning journey been, at your company? What have you learned? I’m curious to find out.

#thisishowIlearn #thisishowIgrow