Nelichotivý fakt přinesl zářijový průzkum společnosti Edenred a Conectio mezi stovkou tuzemských společností. Vyplynulo z něj, že podniky v Česku neumí systematicky chválit své zaměstnance. Například 61 procent oslovených zaměstnanců na různých pozicích včetně těch manažerských nedostalo za poslední měsíc pochvalu vůbec.
Pro výkon podniku a náladu ve společnosti je přitom podle personalistů i psychologů ocenění klíčové. Šéfové firem ovšem často argumentují tím, že se bojí chválit jedny před druhými. Nebo prostě jen nevědí, jak na to. Jak mám tedy správně chválit zaměstnance?
Radka Dohnalová odpovídá
Dobrá pochvala by měla být autentická, správně načasovaná, konkrétní a relevantní. Všichni jsme jistě už slyšeli frázi: „To se ti povedlo!“ I taková obyčejná fráze může fungovat, ale nesmí být vypálena bezmyšlenkovitě a automaticky. Vždy totiž záleží, kdo ji říká, komu, proč, v jakém kontextu a jak. V opačném případě může působit povrchně a neupřímně a bude vzbuzovat nedůvěru.
Dobrá pochvala je vědomá, cílená, upřímná. Víte, proč ji dáváte, a míníte to opravdově. Není v ní kalkul ani jiné postranní úmysly.
Dobrá pochvala je ta, která je správně načasovaná. Pokud vás tedy nadchne něco uprostřed tvůrčího procesu, řekněte to, nečekejte další týden na výsledek. Raději chvalte častěji za menší věci, ale hned, ne jednou za kvartál. Lidé pro vás pracují tady a teď, to znamená, že vaše chování vnímají taky tady a teď.
Dobrá pochvala je konkrétní: ,,Moc se mi líbilo, jak pohotově jsi při téhle schůzce zareagoval(a) na jejich otázku…“ Správná pochvala musí také odpovídat kontextu a povaze člověka. Někdo rád uslyší pochvalu veřejně, jinému to stačí v soukromí, nekomu stačí připojit pár dobře míněných slov do e-mailu. Někoho potěší vzletná slova, u jiného by to stejné vyvolalo nedůvěru.
K tomu, abychom vůbec mohli chvílit, je potřeba vidět přínosy lidí: zastavme se a podívejmě se, co se vyšim lidem povedlo. Dnes, tento týden, tento měsíc. Všechny velké vize se totiž naplňují přes malé dílčí kroky. Právě motivace k nim nám pomáhá se přibližovat k našemu cíli.
Redaktorka Lucie Hrdličková se zaměřuje na problematiku života v korporacích.
Ilustrace: Jan Hunter Doležálek
Tento sloupek byl psán pro týdeník Ekonom a byl publikován 27. 10. 2016.
Na naši druhou návštěvu Japonska se nelze dívat jen z jednoho úhlu pohledu. Různé věci jsme totiž prožívaly velmi odlišně. Na otázku: „A jak jste se vlastně měly?“ Tedy není jedna přímá odpověď… O některých věcech můžeme říct, že byly „Super!“ Některé však stále ještě vstřebáváme.
Jednak jsme jely do Japonska kvůli workshopům, které probíhají v rámci našeho prvního programu autentického leadershipu pro japonské manažerky, který jsme zahájily letos v září. Ty byly naprosto úžasné hned z několika důvodů: Atmosféra workshopů byla plná pozitivní energie i obohacujících diskuzí. Bylo to pro nás další potvrzení toho, že koncept a témata autentického leadershipu fungují bez ohledu na kulturu. Právě z toho jsme měly trochu obavy. Japonsko je v ženském leadershipu pozadu za Evropou a Amerikou a pro ženy je skoro nemožné skloubit práci a rodinu. Autoritativní přístup, který v japonském managementu převládá a je typický, je natolik tvrdý, že jsou postaveny před volbu „buď – anebo“. Potvrdilo nám to několik žen, které se buď do vlastního podnikání pustily, nebo se ve firemní hierarchii vypracovaly na vysoké pozice. Osobní příběhy těchto žen jsou silné.
Autentický leadership je o spolupráci. Jedno velké téma, o které nejen sdílíme při workshopech, ale sami jej prožíváme. Se všemi výkyvy, úspěchy a pády. Právě na naši spolupráci s Japonskem se hodí označení „zajímavé“ se všemi rozporuplnými pocity, které s tímto slovem máte spojené. Zcela odlišná kultura totiž výkyvům ve spolupráci dodává nový rozměr, který se učíme zvládat s odstupem a nadhledem. Dále v blogu se dočtete o čtyřech fázích, které jsou typické pro přizpůsobení se cizí kultuře. A protože ne vše je vždy růžové, i o tom chceme napsat, protože i to k životu patří. A taky věříme, že ty nejtěžší momenty jsou právě ty, které vás nejvíce posunou.
Takže jak jsme to tedy konkrétně prožívaly my? Vystihuje to Scarlett Johansson alias Charlotte v kultovním filmu Ztraceno v překlad, když říká: „I just feel so alone, even when I’m surrounded by other people.“
Kulturní adaptace je proces, který zažívá každý, kdo žije nějakou dobu v zahraničí nebo se jinak blíže potýká s jinou kulturou. Má čtyři fáze a my jsme nyní úspěšně prožívaly tu druhou…
Honeymoon
Frustration (Negotiation, Culture shock)
Adjustment
Acceptance (Adaptation)
Z fáze 1 do fáze 2 – Z nadšení do frustrace aneb Japonský bizár opět útočí
Chtěly jsme zase psát blog plný vzrušujících zážitků a kulturních překvapení, takový, který bude napsán lehce a vtipně a s nadhledem. V září – při naší první návštěvě v Japonsku – to šlo lehce a tak nějak samo. Fascinace nás prostupovala od shora dolů, bylo neustále se čemu divit, co objevovat. Veškeré nadšení a okouzlení, které jsme zažívaly jsou typické pro první fázi kulturní fáze, nazvanou Honeymoon. Prostě líbánky.
I tentokrát jsme byly v neustálém údivu. Tím, jak je japonská kultura zcela jiná, tak vás rozhodně neomrzí. Třeba teplá sedátka na záchodě nás fascinují neustále – čím luxusnější místo, tím jsou teplejší, stejně jako makety jídel, které vidíte před většinou restaurací a bister, nebo nadšení do hry Bingo, kterou jsme hráli na vánočním večírku. Když si myslíte, že se do vlaku už nikdo nevleze, tak se šeredně mýlíte. Prosincová návštěva nebyla však jen o nějakém povrchním nadšení a údivu. Fascinaci nad různorodostí vystřídala frustrace a nedorozumění.
„Všechno špatně…“
Jde ale o přirozenou věc. Druhá fáze „Frustration“ je opak – jste frustrovaní, iritovaní, cítíte se nepochopení, naštvaní, vidíte jen problémy…
Nebylo nám v tom dobře a nelehce se o tom píše. Jednak chceme být autentické a na rovinu, tato návštěva byla fakt náročná, na druhou stranu nechceme dělat ukvapené závěry, chceme tomu dát odstup a faktický základ. Někdy ale hrdost postrádá smysl. Zkušenosti a evropský mindset tady neplatí. Zažité vzory myšlení nám stěžují pochopit místo, kulturu a situace, ve kterých jsme. Hlavně se to nelehce píše, protože je to vše velmi zamotané a někdy prostě nevíte, čí jste. V hlavě se vám honí otázky typu: Kde jsou hranice mezi kulturou a charakterem člověka? Komu můžete věřit, když jsou meetingy jedno velké divadlo? Podle čeho poznám, kdo má pravdu? Tentokrát byla návštěva velmi energeticky náročná – tím, že věcem nerozumíte a snažíte se to nějak pochopit, nejde vám to, jste naštvaní a vykolejení, více se soustředíte, více se držíte na uzdě, … to vše vyčerpává.
Konec týdne, kdy už jsme si „diagnostikovaly“ fázi frustrace, se nám začalo dařit se na vše dívat trochu víc z nadhledu a odstupu a na problémy se dívat více věcně a fakticky. Právě to, že jsme věděly, jaké fáze kulturní adaptace jsou, nám pomohlo se „nebabrat“ se tak dlouho ve svých emocích. Když znáte vzorce fungování, pomůžou vám udržet si odstup. Stejně jako víte, že po bouřce se zase vyjasní.
Z fáze 2 do fáze 3 – Po frustraci přichází přijetí aneb Dolů…až na dno a zase nahoru…
Být na letišti nebylo nikdy tak příjemné! Po intenzivním týdnu plném „ups & downs“ jsme věděli, že už jsme zase na cestě „vzhůru“. Jedna z nejtěžších věcí na tom byla, že víte, že jste frustrovaní, že vás to ovlivňuje, že je to špatně a chcete z toho pryč, ale ono to prostě nejde… Co nás tedy drželo celou tu dobu? Společný cíl, který máme s Japonskem od začátku vyjasněný – společně stavíme mezinárodní firmu a také, že zatím je spolupráce přínosná a obohacující. Obohacující byly i samotné workshopy. Když se totiž jeden den bavíte ve firmách s manažery o tom, jak je téma ženského leadershipu v Japonsku důležité, ale upozaďované téma a pak vidíte, jak se účastnice programu posouvají, cítíte obrovské naplnění a smysl v tom, co děláte.
Také nám pomohlo, že jsme tam byly dvě, že jsme bydlely samostatně a že jsme se mohly vyventilovat, probrat prožívané situace a že jsme mezi sebou mohly situace odlehčit. Jsou to chvíle, kdy si uvědomíte, jak důležité je mít v týmu správně lidi. Díky těmto drobnostem se v prožívaných emocích nebabráte. A to je pak obrovská úleva a vzpruha.
Fáze 3 – Pochopení aneb Začínáme rozumět tomu, co se děje a proč
Fáze „Adjustment“ je o přizpůsobení se jiné kultuře, začnete více chápat, proč se co děje, odhalujete další a další vrstvy kultury a už to není o tom, že by vás to štvalo, ale spíš vám to začíná vše do sebe zapadat jako mozaika. Kousek po kousku, získáváte celý obraz a získáváte ztracený odstup. Tahle třetí fáze nám začala na letišti po odbavení a bezpečnostní kontrole.
Fáze 4 – Přijetí a adaptace aneb Co nás ještě čeká
Poslední čtvrtá fáze „Acceptance“ je o přijetí kultury. Rozumíte tomu, co se děje, jste sžití a zase nadšení a fascinovaní tím, jak je kultura jiná a odlišná. Rozmanitost vás neděsí, ale fascinuje. Někdy to trvá týdny, měsíce, jindy roky nebo vůbec. Pořád ale nejsme na konci. Uvidíme.
Hlavně si zachovat zenový klid…
„The more you know who you are, and what you want, the less you let things upset you.“ To zas ve filmu říká Bill Murray a je to něco, co celkově velmi sedí na autentický leadership. Nastavování očekávání a neustálé zhodnocování a přehodnocování toho, co děláme je nutné. Jak s oblibou říkáme: „Je to proces.“ Pro nás samotné to nyní platí víc než kdy jindy.
Visits of Board Members of Global Corporations to headquarters can be compared to visits of state level representatives. While certain meet Prime Ministers, demand red carpet protocol and expect all the flashlights shining on them, others come to listen, acknowledge and shine the light on others. Stefan Ries belongs to the second category. Came on time, perfectly prepared, smiling and shared his views not only on SAP’s purpose, but also on trends and the latest developments in HR and technology business. Moreover, he was genuinely appreciative of all the achievements and growth SAP has achieved in the Czech Republic.
It was a very special day for SAP, as they were officially opening a new office centre at the Metronom Building in Prague 5. The offices were designed according to the latest trends “Future at Work” reflecting global 24/7 connectivity, enabled by cloud and complex infrastructure. For Stefan, the notion of work-life balance is outdated, as there is truly life balance in reality.
To me, he represents a living symbol of an authentic leader of the 21st century, winning both minds and hearts of all people around. Stefan Ries, Chief Human Resources Officer and Labour Relations Director, is also a member of the Executive Board of SAP with global responsibility for Human Resources. He was appointed to the Executive Board of SAP in April 2016. He was born in Bavaria, and is currently based in Walldorf, Germany. His career path has taken him through various functions at IT companies such as Microsoft, Compaq and SAP and he also spent four years at Egon Zehnder International as a member of High Technologies/Information Technologies Practice Group. His passion themes include diversity, innovation, talent management and sustainable workforce.
Mr. Ries, it is a true privilege to interview you, as we both share passion for many HR issues. As Chief Human Resources Officer and a Member of the Executive Board, which global HR strategies do you find the most relevant for 2017?
First of all, let me thank you for the opportunity to meet and I am especially glad to be here in Prague as Prague, and the Czech Republic in general, represent a very special place for SAP. We, as a company, find ourselves in a very fortunate situation as the company is growing. Our growth is fast not only thanks to the growth of the industry in general, but we in SAP have managed to outperform that. All the subjects that have been already covered by my colleagues in previous interviews, such as cloud computing, big data, smart data, artificial intelligence – these are the key relevant topics for us from the business perspective. However, moving to the cloud has to be reflected also from the HR strategy point of view. The cloud strategy is important, because customers see the benefits of faster implementation cycles, robust best in cloud solutions can be implemented very easily and software development having much faster cycle time. Now, let me address the HR perspective. The first key topic for us, but also for many our customers is linked to business transformation and how we can support that while keeping a motivated and excited workforce. The second topic is linked to the talent and how to make sure that we are continuously seen as the employer of choice and how we can retain talent. Leadership development comes as the third topic; in terms of SAP environment, we currently have 85,000 employees worldwide and 7,500 managers and leaders who are the key drivers of the business transformation. Learning comes next, as during the business transformation we need to make sure the organisation as well as the individuals continuously learn. Last year, we spent 100 mil EUR on learning exclusively and this year we are planning to spend 140 mil EUR and the trend will continue. It is a large sum but we see this investment as necessary. Last but not least comes the issue of sustainability of people , comprising of all activities associated with diversity and inclusion. I am happy to share with you later more about latest initiative, Business Beyond Bias. We combine the latest technology and machine learning to select the best talents for your organisation in order to reduce unconscious bias when looking at CVs and much more…
Let us now move from the global perspective to the special position of the Czech Republic…
I remember that in 2004, which is only 12 years ago, I was sitting just on the opposite side of the street, having the pleasure to open our shared service centre that had 25 employees! Today, I am back to open a new building for 1,700 employees. That is an incredible success story. Not only from the HR perspective as we are proud to find excellent talent that we are employing both in the Czech Republic as well as abroad, but also from the business perspective. In Prague we have a human resources shared centre. Last year, we decided to have a small special team to help with on-boarding all new hires across the world. At the beginning, almost everybody thought that this was complete madness to try to ensure that everybody has a good on-boarding experience all the way from Tokyo, Japan to Sao Leopoldo, Brazil. But today, we see that it works. We have very positive employee feedback and customer satisfaction rates and both speak a lot not only about the quality of the work but about the contribution of the Czech Republic for SAP world. And we look forward to further supporting the unbelievable success of the last decade.
Thank you for your words of appreciation, it all sounds very nice. However, Prague is a place for many subsidiaries and from my own experience the relationships between headquarters and a subsidiary can sometimes have rather challenging nature, perhaps resembling a mother-daughter relationship during the time of adolescence…
I have been involved in the HR for 26 years, so I truly know what you are talking about. We tend to see that the headquarters have a gravity around the location and as a subsidiary you might feel either detached or attached. In our case, it is different. Out of 85,000 employees, only 17,500 are based in Germany, the rest is abroad. There is no gravity around Walldorf as being the heart of SAP. We have so many hearts around the world and we love to support the distributive “power”, in the absence of a better word, for all of our organisations. I have already mentioned the example of Prague and on-boarding processes, which in fact has become a headquarter itself since it has the expertise and accountability to drive certain processes.
I myself experienced the stereotypical challenging relationship headquarters vs. subsidiary when working for American companies, but it is not the case in SAP.
I think the issue at stake is the identity. Prague for us has a huge identity. We stand not only for shared services but also consultative services, such as on-boarding but also payroll. Again, it is our team in Prague that runs payroll for the rest of the world, and the same is true for data management and many other functions.
We are meeting at the occasion of opening new premises at Metronom building that reflect the trends associated with the theme Future of Work. What are some specific elements linked to this notion?
We like to share our best practices with others and that is also the reason why we have invested a lot of money and space into a new building that will allow us to accommodate, in addition to employees, both guests and customers. I have never heard anyone leaving Prague without being amazed by its success story. We therefore leverage our experience when we talk about our HR software, called SAP SuccessFactors, since customers can touch, look and feel people but also system solutions in one place. Trust is the essential component, I call it the ultimate currency, to the Future at Work concept. It is important to establish the business environment that gives a person complete trust with regards to tasks and responsibilities. That is why we do not see much sense in introducing any time keeping record system. Is that easy to introduce something within a company having 85,000 workforce members? No, you still need some hierarchy to make sure that the strategy will be linked to individuals’ tasks and responsibilities. Given the latest technology, we can perform our roles and tasks anytime, anywhere. You are just given a task and trust. The rest is up to you. However, when you look around these nice and modern premises, we also consider important coming to work to connect and network. You cannot create only in isolation and continuously work from home. As an organisation, you are only as smart as the collective wisdom of the individuals together. I am a strong believer in the future of the work consisting of new usage of technology, working from various places, including abroad, independent work but also team collaboration. Therefore, offices where people come, meet and connect together, will be still needed. But with technology and connectivity comes also a need and responsibility to recharge the batteries. We could easily come and work 24/7 but that is not the right balance. I do not believe in work-life balance, as I think it is the life balance that is desirable. The key element is to educate leaders and managers to have a dialogue with employees as to have the clear understanding of the expectations from one another. Receiving an email during the weekend from an executive does not mean answering it during the weekend because there is a need to recharge the batteries, spend time with family. I really try hard to keep my weekends free for the family, unless there is a case of emergency. I am also trying to find some time during the weekdays, be it either in the morning or evening to make sure I also recharge my battery.
I am not a fan when the government tries to get involved and set conditions. I have recently met with the German Minister of Labour about the need for a mechanism that would switch off the devices by 7 or 8 pm. And my reply was simple: Excuse me, but in which world are you living? Look at the youngest generations, being born and raised with social media. Do you really believe that they will join our company if they know that by beginning of the evening their devices will be switched off ? And as we are connected around the world that will never happen.
We are both passionate about diversity and inclusion. You have just launched Business Beyond Bias program. What results are you expecting?
Over the last couple of years, SAP was very successful in diversity and inclusion. We also received the Economic Dividends for Gender Equality (EDGE) certificate in March 2016. Being a leader, many companies look at us and ask why we are doing that. And the answer is simple. We have such a wonderful experience with diverse workforce and we know that such diverse workforce also represents our customer base. Our customers cannot be treated as a one-size-fits-all organisation, they are super diverse themselves and that is what we need to reflect. We think in terms of a number of locations where we are based, how many nations we address and referring back to our debate on headquarters, there are more than 85 nationalities in Germany alone. This is something special. In the past and particularly in Europe, diversity has been a lot associated with gender diversity. We have managed to overcome that notion. We have a great initiative that hires people with autism, currently we employ more than 150 of them around the world. Last year, during the refugee crisis, when thousands of people were coming to Germany, we used the welcoming DNA we have and now we work with more than 150 students and interns working.
Business Beyond Bias is a programme that allows to overcome personal bias during the recruitment process. To be more specific, just imagine that you have got several CVs in front of you and there is a candidate who got a degree at the same university as you had. Well, most probably, based on your bias, this person will make it to the next round of the selection process. Because just by the definition that you come from the same university, you have a bias. The second example will be about a job description. Think about a nurse. Is it written for a women-nurse or a male-nurse? So, again there is a gender bias because we prefer nurse with female gender.
Now, using the latest software technology called machine learning in combination with HR software, called SAP SuccessFactors, you can eliminate the bias. How is it possible? The machine software will propose the first round of candidates for the interview. The person will still have to make the decision but based on the computer pre-selection, you will look at a completely different set of candidates. We have tested it ourselves with literally millions of data sets and it works. It helps you improve the process and not to disregard a certain part of the talent pool that was not considered before. Therefore, I do not agree with the complaints on war of talent or tiny talent pools. For me, this is not the case. The talent is there and we need to learn to look at them differently.
Speaking at the beginning of the advent period, what are your expectations and wishes for 2017?
SAP’s purpose is to improve people’s lives. That is our role within our broader ecosystem on this planet. We do not want to see people dying from diseases. Here, we can help with our technology: for example, with our technology SAP HANA we have connected all global cancer treatment centres around the world, so they have information about patients available. A doctor in Tokyo can, in real time and within seconds, consult and compare the symptoms to another patient, for example from Brazil. Just think about the massive power of data available and I hope that our technology will continue to help the people to improve their lives and ultimately to make a difference. Our employees are proud of that fact. Now we have five generations at the workplace, and particularly our youngest generation, the digital natives, want to contribute to the success of the company with an impact to the role and purpose in their lives.
For myself, I am looking forward to spending time with my family, recharging batteries and dealing with stress effectively. However, visiting all our locations around the world is extremely rewarding and energising for me, I love looking into SAP people’s eyes and seeing them proud and fulfilled.
Do korporátu chce stále méně mladých lidí. Velké značky poradenských či advokátních firem pomalu vypadávají z čela vytouženého žebříčku popularity. Když se mladých zeptáte proč, odvětí, že jim firma sežere moc času a naopak dusí kreativitu. „Pestrobarevnost se v českých korporátech zatím moc nenosí, což je problém − nejen pro ně, ale i pro mladé lidi s ambicí dělat věci jinak a lépe,“ svěřil se nám v jedné anketě mladý designér Ivan Nevřela. Podle letošního globálního průzkumu společnosti Deloitte 56 procent dvacátníků a třicátníků odmítá pracovat pro velké firmy, protože nesdílí jejich hodnoty.
Stále více firem si (i nám) klade otázku, jak to zlomit?
Radka odpovídá
Home office, atraktivní pracovní prostředí… Stop: tento výčet omílaných benefitů už zjevně nestačí. Abychom mohli absoloventy nalákat i dlouhodobě, je nutno přenastavit celý postoj firmy.
Staré paradigma vybudované na hierarchii a poslušnosti jedince pomalu končí. Nové paradigma se mnohem více soustřeďuje na smysl a vizi, kdy organizace a její zaměstnanci znají důvod, proč jejich firma či projekt existuje, a sdílejí společný směr. Zároveň je to o dialogu a naslouchání, kdy netrváme na jedné, naší pravdě, ale dokážeme připustit různé úhly pohledu.
Mileniálové jsou prostě jiní. Buď můžeme být frustrovaní z toho, jak se chovají, anebo se od nich my, vychovaní ve stylu ,,tady si sedni a makej a na nic se neptej“, můžeme něco naučit: Mají spoustu zájmů, kterým se chtějí věnovat, protože vědí, že se život netočí jen okolo práce. V době, kdy 34 procent lidí je ohroženo syndromem vyhoření, stojí ten jejich postoj za pozornost.
Pokud chceme být úspěšní, je potřeba s nimi držet krok. Vyžadují rovnocenný a partnerský přístup. Cokoliv dělají, vyžadují, aby jim to dávalo smysl. Nemají strach odejít, když jsou nespokojení.
Na druhou stranu můžeme mileniály naučit, že rutina nemusí být vnímána vždy negativně, nebo jim pomoci pochopit, že nezáživné a nudné věci jsou součástí jakékoliv práce bez ohledu na obor nebo funkci. Umět přijmout zodpovědnost a pracovat s ní stejně tak. Samozřejmě nejde o dogma.
Absoloventi jdou za lidmi, kteří je inspirují. A jdou za firmami, které se ptají, ,,jak vám můžeme pomoci posunout se blíže ke splnění vašich snů?“
Redaktorka Lucie Hrdličková se zaměřuje na problematiku života v korporacích.
Ilustrace: Jan Hunter Doležálek
Tento sloupek byl psán pro týdeník Ekonom a byl publikován 13.10.2016.
I`ve been recently invited to deliver a Talent and Flow workshop for a group of women managers in Moscow…Wow…What a great opportunity! Not only for me personally, since supporting women (and not only them) in the corporate environment has been my work and passion in the last three years, but also for ATAIRU company, as after we established ourselves on the Czech market, we embarked on the journey of internalization. Radka Dohnalova, the founder of ATAIRU, went to launch ATAIRU program to Tokyo in September, Moscow was my turn in November…
I was aware of the fact that the timing of the workshop was a bit of stretch. I was already booked the day before for a full day workshop after which I would have to fly to Moscow, arrive at midnight, deliver the workshop the next day and come back the day after. Since there was no possibility to change it. I accepted it. Sales people are not only ones to have the “harvest season” during the last quarter of the year. To speed up travel, I decided to fly with hand luggage only.
The training outline was ready, the materials printed, I had several preparatory calls to make t find out all the necessary details, but I still kept wondering what else I could do… This feeling just perfectly corresponds to the challenge I often address when working with my clients: we women are not satisfied with 100%, we tend to outperform and get at least 120 %.
I was thinking about the Russian mentality about how we get even closer and more “attuned” to the audience…and suddenly, I remembered that Russian women are always immaculately dressed, groomed, with an impeccable makeup… in Russian term, “bezupračnyje”.
Well, would at least a nail polish do? Suffering from the lack of colours and daylight, I chose coral red. It looked good and after I put it on, I realised that only it made me feel more self-confident but also energised. Thy only thing that kept worrying me was that it might get scratched during the flight and handling the luggage. No problem, reapplying it would fix the issue, but as I was travelling with a hand luggage only, a nail polish remover had to stay on my bathroom counter.
The training in Prague went well and finished on time. Except for the call from school that my son was suffering from stomach-age. Needless to say that I was already leaving a sick daughter at home. I let my husband deal with at this time, only asking myself if this is another law of nature that I missed in science classes that explains the likelihood of children becoming sick more often when a working mother goes on a business trip in comparison to when a father leaves a house. Despite the total chaos in Prague caused by a rupture of some water pipeline right in the city centre, I managed to get to the airport five minutes before the counter opened for check-in. Everything went smoothly, I used the time to call home, talk to my stressed husband and to finish few documents that needed to be sent.
Passing through the security control and taking out the sealed plastic bag with my toiletries made me feel appreciate this provision for the first time. So much in hurry I did not close the foundation properly, so it was all over the bag. Having spent all my spare time at the airport working, I had no time to deal with that now since it was the last call. I just made sure the bag was sealed and boarded the plane.
Working and partly napping, I arrived in the freezing city. After landed, the announcement welcomed us to Moscow, the hero city… The often discussed resurge of Russian patriotism did not escape my ear. Thirty minutes after midnight I was finally at the hotel. With the time change, I was looking for a quick shower and then six hours of sleep! I opened the luggage and found out that it was not only the makeup left open but also nail polish. The combination of these two products made an incredible chemical substance that was soon all over the place and my hands… The bathroom looked like after a rather recent flight. And no polish remover, even at the reception. I believe my quest of it was one of the weirdest questions the night receptionist ever got.
Well, five hours later (it took a while to de-contaminate), I was ready, waiting to be picked up and run the workshop. Nails were fine, most of the coral red gone from my hands, make up on… I felt like I am the queen of the world and I can do anything?…
After getting to the office, meeting the participants, having a last minute discussion and yet another adjustment to the program, I felt like I had a runny nose… I excused myself to quickly run to the bathroom so we could start… However, in the bathroom I realized that it was not a runny nose. This time, dark red from my heavily bleeding nose started to be all over the place. So, even that office bathroom looked “heroic”. What to do? How to calm myself down? Where to find ice when it was -14 degrees outside or even a towel in these modern offices? How to explain to everyone that I am ok except for the bleeding nose? My makeup was a mess and my blouse was stained…Minutes were passing, the nose kept bleeding…
And suddenly I took a deep breath, I told myself that it is ok. That`s life. I am good as I am… I do not need to be perfect. I got some ice and a cooling pack from a freezer… The bleeding stopped and I remembered my favourite song by Freddie Mercury “Show must go on…my makeup may be flaking but my smiles stays on…”
I washed my face, no makeup anymore. I covered the stains with scarf. I smiled at myself, entered the room and started to deliver the workshop. Eight hours later, I was exhausted but fulfilled. I saw an inspired group of ladies saying how great it felt to decide one day to themselves. They were grateful for the opportunity to tap into their inner talent, motivation and authenticity. We spent an evening on a dinner cruise in freezing Moscow and had fun sharing stories, laughing and relaxing.
I realized I did not need the nails to be done, and did not even need the makeup. My greatest talent as a communicator and inspirer is with me. Actually it us with me every time I tap into it. Next time, I will take it more easily and have rather more sleep than try to “polish” things…
And so should you…
Thank to my great friend Tereza Urbankova, and also a communication professional, for her help with proofreading. It is Tereza`s gift and talent, so she not mind…
Děkujeme Vám
Udělali jste významný krok k tomu stát se autentickým leaderem. V nejbližší době se Vám ozveme.
Despite the total chaos in Prague caused by a rupture of some water pipeline right in the city centre, I managed to get to the airport five minutes before the counter opened for check-in. Everything went smoothly, I used the time to call home, talk to my stressed husband and to finish few documents that needed to be sent.
