ESTIEM Magazine | Autumn 2018 | Leadership in the 21st century

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55th Issue

THE ART OF LEADERSHIP ..or the art of engagement

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21ST CENTURY LEADERSHIP ..through the six batteries of change

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HOW WE ALL GET FOOLED ..by data!

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LEADERSHIP ST IN THE 21 CENTURY European Students of Industrial Engineering and Management Issue 55 2018/2 | ISSN 0874-5242 | Price €0.- | www.estiem.org

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INTRODUCTION

Table of contents INTRODUCTION 4 Project Leader’s Speech 5 President’s Speech 6 Introduction to ESTIEM

FOCUS TOPIC

12 Crew resource management 14 21st century leadership through the six batteries of change 16 From product management to product leadership 18 ESTIEM leadership lessons taken to corporate level 20 What does the word success mean to you? 21 The art of leadership

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SCENE 22 Experiences of a LSS green belt project 25 The road of an ESTIEMpreneur 26 Pushing the world forward 28 Serving citizins with technology 29 How we all get fooled by data! 30 How I read 100 books in one year

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24 16

CAREER 32 ESTIEM Alumni interview: Martin Schönbeck 33 ESTIEM Alumni Interview: Marlies van Laarhoven 35 Career centre 38 How to write a CV with no job experience?

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INSIDE ESTIEM

40 The new vision event concept 42 How ESTIEM helped me to my master’s thesis 44 An interview with the 29th board 49 The growing together mentoring

EXPLORE

38 44

50 My ERASMUS experience 52 Four places you can discover with ESTIEM 55 Upcoming events

48 52

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INTRODUCTION Project Leader Jovana Tišma Design Sjors van Weert Dominik Rampp Márcia Galvão Article Acquisition Anna Mertsalova Selim Çirpan Annarita De Maio Proofreaders Lea Lemberg Alexandru Florescu Annarita De Maio Enrique Biosca San Miguel Evdoxia Pantazi Hanan Ismail Mark van Uden Melis Dönmez Pedro Schuller Pekka Huhtala Sebastian Hummel Selim Cirpan Advertisement Acquisition Guido Schäffer With special thanks to Ana Mendes Zuzanna Rososzczuk

PROJECT LEADER’S SPEECH Dear reader, Leadership can be described as our intention to change the world for the better. Leadership in the 21st century responds to unique challenges and it solves the problems that we encounter. With changes in technology, needs of businesses and customers and the whole world in general, leadership is also changing. The skills that leaders possess now and the skills they possessed before are very different. With the 55th issue of the ESTIEM Magazine we will take you from a sunny Erasmus experience in Jaen to Summer Academy in St. Petersburg. With the Focus Topic of this issue, you will find out everything interesting about leadership in the 21st century. You can see a reflection of what leadership actually means, what responsibility lies in leading oneself and others. Did you know that, in a fast-changing world, great leaders energise their organisation to boost change success? Ever

wondered how not to get fooled by visualisations? Find out Contact leader.magazine@estiem.org more about these topics in the Scene section. ESTIEM Permanent Office Paviljoen B-6 P.O.Box 513 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands Fax: 0031-(0)40 2473871 info@estiem.org www.estiem.org Disclaimer The contents may not always reflect the opinion of the publisher. Any reproduction or copy is permitted only with the permission of the editors.

We are constantly trying to improve our organisation and ourselves. The Inside ESTIEM section will give you insights

exchange in Spain. Or do you wanna explore European cities where we have Local Groups? Check out what Local Responsible’s are telling about their cities! With the 55th issue of the ESTIEM Magazine, we—the Magazine team—hope to challenge you to be the best you can be, to learn, improve yourself and thrive in a field you chose. Professors, companies, ESTIEMers, enjoy reading!

on topics related to ESTIEM. Anđela will tell you about the brand new Career Division and Dominik tells his story about how ESTIEM helped him to his Master’s thesis.

In high ESTIEM,

Jovana Tišma,

ESTIEM Magazine Project Leader 2018

In the Career section, we interviewed our alumni, and they kindly shared successful stories about their career paths with us. If you are trying to write a good CV, take a look at the Careersection and see what a good CV looks like. Do you want to explore some other universities in Europe? Dani wrote about his experience during his Erasmus

Our Partners Continental Eindhoven University of Technology Chalmers University of Technology Tampere University of Technology Eurosender

4 ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century


INTRODUCTION

PRESIDENT’S SPEECH Dear reader, The 55th edition of the Magazine has a topic which affects everyone: Leadership in the 21st century workplace. When you start thinking about the topic, there is already one big thing noticeable, which changed when comparing it to the 20th century. It says leadership, not management. Over the last decade, the way people work has changed. Nowadays, being a manager will not get you anywhere, you have to be a leader. You have to inspire people in order to work on certain things, not force them to do so. You have to be one of them, not be above them. That is only one big change in how leadership in the 21st century changed. But there is more: Technology is advancing and people are able to work everywhere just by opening their laptop, anytime they want. This means people are not obligated to work on certain hours, they can work whenever, wherever. It also brings the fact that you can work together with people all around the world. This opens a complete new world of collaboration possibilities.

(IEM) students. This affects our way of thinking in two

If you compare ESTIEM to any company or organisation,

develop. We try new things and we want to follow new

you will see a big difference. ESTIEM has always been ahead of these issues. ESTIEM was and is scattered all across Europe and we have to use new technologies to communicate with each other. In ESTIEM, everyone is used to work together on projects by only communicating digitally. Therefore, ESTIEM already uses that way of working on a large scale where a lot of companies are still struggling. We, as ESTIEMers, are the early adopters of this new way of working. We are also used to lead people, not to manage. ESTIEMers would never force someone to do something they do not want to do. ESTIEM is built upon the idea that everyone

ways. Since we are students, we are eager to learn and to trends. Secondly, we are all interested in IEM. Therefore, we have a sort of ‘natural’ interest in leadership. This edition of the Magazine is a great example of that. We want to learn more about leadership and especially leadership in the 21st century. This way we can assure that we will be the first ones to be aware of the new leadership styles. As leadership will change over time, ESTIEM will be the first to adapt. That being said, it is my pleasure to let you dive into this new edition of the Magazine. A lot of energy has been put into it and I am sure you will learn a lot about leadership in the 21st century and enjoy while learning.

can work on something they want to work on. Now this becomes more and more important in the working place environments as well. More and more companies are starting to acknowledge that leading will get more things

In high ESTIEM,

Jorik Meijers,

ESTIEM President

done than managing. But this knowledge was already in ESTIEM before. One might thing, where does that differentiation comes from? Why is ESTIEM ahead of these issues? If you ask me, it is because we are Industrial Engineering and Management

ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century 5


INTRODUCTION

ALL OVER EUROPE... Back in 1990, students from five different countries founded an organisation, which they named ESTIEM: European Students of Industrial Engineering and Management. After 26 years, it has grown into an organisation bringing

The decision-making body of ESTIEM is the Council, which

together over 60,000 students from 79 universities in

meets twice a year, in autumn and in spring. Each university,

31 European countries, and it is still growing. All these

represented by its so-called “Local Group�, sends two

universities offer courses in IEM. Based on this structure,

student representatives. The six members of the Board of

ESTIEM forms links between students, academia and

ESTIEM are elected during the spring Council Meeting. The

companies in order to create an Europe-wide, multi-level

Board is responsible for the management, coordination and

IEM network. ESTIEM has continuously increased the

administration of the association.

number of its activities, thus being able to offer a great variety of events to IEM students and an opportunity to

Besides taking leadership positions in the Board and as

experience different cultures, take part in international

Project or Committee Leaders, ESTIEM members can also

projects and become friends with other ESTIEMers from

take up responsibilities by working in one of the Projects,

all over Europe.

Committees or Initiatives. With lots of teams and tasks to choose from, there is a place for everyone.

Naturally, the backbone of ESTIEM is the European IEM student. The students involved in ESTIEM incorporate

For more detailed information about our organisation and

both the skills required for modern business and an open-

its activities, please visit our website at www.estiem.org.

minded approach towards other people and cultural issues.

79 Local Groups in 31 countries make ESTIEM a large network.

180+ events are organised by Local Groups every year.

6 ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century

3,000 travels are made yearly by 2,000 students.

8,000 members and a reach of 60,000 towards IEM students in Europe.


INTRODUCTION

STUDENTS INVOLVE THEMSELVES IN VARIOUS INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS AND COMMITTEES.. ESTIEM is also a playground for great ideas developed by highly motivated students. If a student manages to convince ESTIEM’s Council of their idea, they can start their own international Project. Committees

always looks for new and innovative opportunities. Right now the committee is changing a lot and it focuses on the

Ambassador

CRC strategy which has been presented at the last Council

The Ambassador’s main responsibilities are currently

Meeting in Karlsruhe. Hereby, the focus lays on supporting

working as the link between ESTIEM and every external

the entire network and not only Central ESTIEM, but also

entity, while analyzing for potential collaborations and look

on generating long-lasting partnerships with companies,

for ways to increase ESTIEM’s visibility. The Ambassador

universities and NGOs to benefit both partners’ needs.

should attend every main strategic event of all the NGOs

Furthermore, there will be a focus on restructuring the

that ESTIEM is currently partner with and provide input, as

committee. Regarding this, the methods and tools being

well as gathering valuable information that could afterwards

used in the last years will be tested and new methods will be

be implemented within our own network. Nevertheless,

found. Also a new training concept will be developed and

it has been an unsettled position throughout the last few

implemented to ensure proper CRC skills both for newbies

years, leading to some uncertainty regarding the exact

and experienced members. The committee aims for more

responsibilities. In an effort to stabilise it, work has been

sustainable fundraising in the future.

done this year to clarify the accountability, the decisionmaking power and areas of intervention of the Ambassador

Human Resources Committee

to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of the position, so

Human Resources Committee is responsible for supporting

that the mission is fulfilled.

ESTIEM and all its entities in managing, maintaining and developing their Human Resources to fulfil ESTIEM’s

Analysis Committee

mission by ensuring the stability of the network and by

The mission of the Analysis Committee is to support

creating a stimulating environment for growth.

ESTIEM in a more fact-based decision making process,

Since August, we’ve created a new team and now we have

in order to help the organisation move forward while

new Responsibles. For the last months, we’ve started to

supporting ESTIEMers in their professional development.

work on the creation of a training system which will help

Currently, our team is working on several higher scale

newbies to become more competent so that they can get

projects, whilst helping the new applicants to complete

active afterwards. Recruitment to Central ESTIEM carries

their introductory assignments. One of our goals for the

on with Open Positions Newsletter, the Get Active!

year is to have more working CoMs and we are already in

Survey and Get Active! Chats and we’re creating a new

the process of organising the next. We are continuously

job description template for the Newsletter to have the

working on the feedback analysis to get more insights into

right expectations for people applying. The latest edition

past events, as well as the feedback automation, which will

of ESTIEM 360 was organised by LG Budapest in October

enable quicker insights into future feedback forms. This

and the new edition will be organised by LG Eindhoven in

year, we are planning to revise the LG dashboard, in order

January.

to give Local Groups even more useful information and create a LG requirements dashboard to help track their

Research and implementation of motivation management

compliance.

methods have already been done. We’re also planning to create an HR toolbox to guide Leaders regarding HR-

We are still working very closely with Tableau and started

related matters. Definition of the accountability matrix to

using their new data cleansing tool, Tableau Prep. This year

have a clear overview and task distribution within Central

we want to enhance our collaboration by organizing a data

ESTIEM has been finalised and now we’re looking for a

school in cooperation with them, so definitely keep an eye

platform for its implementation. The talent database of

out for that if you’re interested in data science and want to

active members is still under development. And also we’ll

learn from experts.

be in collaboration with KMC to standardise the handover process in the future.

Corporate Relations Committee In order to create and develop academic and corporate

Information Technology Committee

partnerships that will contribute to our network, the CRC

The Information Technology Committee aims to provide ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century 7


INTRODUCTION technological support to all ESTIEMers, with one of our

accountable for ensuring a coherent brand for ESTIEM.

tasks being the maintenance of our portal. Right now, we

In a more operational way, in order to communicate with

are implementing close support to all PCIs by restructuring

our stakeholders, we have Social Media Managers that

and updating all the information.

are accountable for managing Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, and PR Material Managers who are responsible

Knowledge Management Committee

for Central ESTIEM Printing Materials and External

The Knowledge Management Committee is responsible

Materials. Also, Graphic Designers and Video Editors are

for storing, transferring and processing relevant knowledge

here to make all of these plans become a reality. For the

in ESTIEM and supporting central and local entities

next months, we will focus on updating ESTIEM templates,

regarding the safe storage and efficient future use of

creating new PR Materials, creating a mentoring programme

knowledge throughout the network. There have been

called “From Zero to Hero”, CoMs and PR-related events.

radical changes in the committee right after the last KMC Coordination Meeting, which took place in Novi Sad in July.

Trainers’ Community

The committee team has seen a lot of change, with many

As the Trainers’ Community, we aim to provide ESTIEM

interested ESTIEMers having joined the committee since

with personal development opportunities by passing on

the mandate began.

knowledge, skills and attitude in our training sessions, while supporting the future development and the growth of

This year, the Knowledge Keeping Task Group has worked

our community. For the past sixth months, we have been

on managing the ESTIEM Drive, monitoring the transfer

working towards this goal. Since CM Karlsruhe, where we

of the documents from the Portal and Drive to ELIUM

accredited six new ESTIEM Trainers, we have organised the

and ensuring the official documents in ESTIEM are up to

first Training Advanced Trainers in seven years. It was a

date. The Knowledge Transfer Task Group, on the other

successful event, which brought the community together

hand, has worked on the handover process with the HRC

and boosted motivation. After finding the Local Group to

collaboration and knowledge distribution in ESTIEM.

host the next Training New Trainers Event, we immediately

Lastly, the Quality Monitoring Task Group’s main job was

started working for TNT Karlsruhe, which took place in

to improve the feedback system for measuring the quality

October. We are also gathering our Trainers Team for

of services in ESTIEM and also working on the creation

the first TNT of 2019 in Porto. We continue to develop

of a new measurement system for the working quality in

internal and external training opportunities for our trainers

Central ESTIEM.

and work on providing them new perspectives with upcoming collaborations.

Members Committee Recently, the Members Committee has shifted its focus

With the mission of supporting the future development of

from general Local Group support towards the sustaining

our trainers’ pool and training new trainers while building

or proceeding with Local Group statuses. As such, our

a training culture in ESTIEM, we will continue to ‘Learn,

main focus has been revising the membership process.

Share and Grow Together’.

We expect to find better ways of assuring both Guests and Observers’ sustainability, in addition to the Mentoring Programme. Furthermore, we are involved in the

Departments

development of the Curricula Database Project to provide some extra objectivity to the analysis of ESTIEM’s IEM

Intercultural Department

curricula. Languages Division As the monitoring of Local Groups is also a main

The Language Programme is always working to shape

responsibility of ours, we are focusing on addressing

its services towards your needs. Therefore, we came up

Regional Coordinator’s skills and how to provide them with

with an educational strategy that combines all of our four

tools and training sessions so as to cover our LG’s needs.

services, in order to provide you with the best language learning process. It led us to two types of events: Language

Public Relations Committee

Courses - basic and intermediate ones - as well as a new

The Public Relations Committee aims to ensure visibility

concept called Europe4D. In order to offer you a different

for ESTIEM, by communicating the brand and identity

language learning experience, in collaboration with

of the network through the use of its communication

Europe3D, we created an event that is going to take the best

channels. Since August, our structure has adapted, due to

of both divisions and take the Intercultural department to

the centralisation of ESTIEM’s image. With this, we have

a new level. Another important step we made was finishing

created a position called Branding Responsible, who are

our next Online Language Course of

8 ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century


INTRODUCTION

German, which was released at the end of October. Lastly,

hard and having commitment to your responsibilities. Being

we are working on gathering input on our current concept

the most dynamic project in ESTIEM, we offer highways to

of Language Sessions, trying to update them and make

personal development, personal innovation support and

them more attractive to the Local Groups.

entrepreneurial spirit.

Intercultural Discovery Division

Career Opportunities Division

Europe3D is a seminar series where the participants get

Since the last Council Meeting, the Career Center has mainly

a deep insight about the hosting country in three unique

been focusing on the public and corporate relations, in

dimensions: politics, economy and culture. An environment

order to reach full potential and become more recognised.

with a blend of different cultures helps the participants to

The official team was organised and now consists of two

get a better understanding of basic local parameters existing

groups - General Knowledge Team and Local Country

in the European countries. Lectures given by experts in

Teams. During the last year, outr aim was to establish a

politics, and economy; combined with trainings about

strong base for the future development of the initiative and

intercultural awareness, provide participants a theoretical

also to include it in changes happening in ESTIEM.

insight. With a high level of interactive participation, it is a unique opportunity to start changing your world.

Consultancy Division This year T.I.M.E.S. is back on track with another edition.

Career Development Department

In this 25th edition of T.I.M.E.S., Local Groups have already started organising their Local Qualifications.

Entrepreneurship Division

T.I.M.E.S. Final will be held in Porto at the end of March.

Businessbooster is an ESTIEM Project that promotes

As always, every team will compete to reach the title

and stimulates entrepreneurship among students. Since

“IEM students of the year�. The TIMES team has been

the last Council Meeting in Karlsruhe, Businessbooster

supporting the Local Groups, helping with the preparations

has changed and advanced in three fields: the first field

and making adjustments to improve the sustainability of

is the Boost Events, a format which is open to valuable

the tournament. The new structure of TIMES, which was

cooperation and innovative event ideas. The second field

accepted in CM Karlsruhe, will be implemented in the next

is the creation of startups within Businessbooster, which

edition. While we are organising this edition, we are also

are the Entrepreneurial Quiz Game and Language Learning

preparing for the implementation of the new structure.

Bot. Last but not least, the Entrepreneurs Community

The smooth transition between the structures will be our

(formerly ESTIEMpreneurs Community) has a strong focus

main focus throughout the year, alongside making sure this

on the Businessbooster workforce through the use of a

edition will be a success.

stakeholder-based approach, in order to connect easier to externals and leverage value creation.

Personal Development Department

In Businessbooster, we believe in mutual benefits for long

Leadership Division

term success. Being part of Businessbooster means working

Summer Academy surprises its participants with its feeling of peace, trust and silence. And this summer was not an ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century 9


INTRODUCTION exception! It all started with Summer Academy St

surrounding industries to the network - avoiding being

Petersburg led by George Begemann and ended with

stuck in a yearly topic. While the event concept itself stays

Summer Academy Zagreb, led by Maeddine Touak and

the same, a strong focus will be on giving practical insights

Natalia Kobza. Another important step we took was the

and to bridge the gap between the academic and corporate

first edition of the ambassadors programme, which was

environments. Participants will be able to practically solve

successful. And since we want to let Summer Academy

problems and work actively on given challenges. This

continue changing ESTIEMers lives, the next winter

happens in order to foster and embrace contribution,

academies and ambassadors’ programmes are already being

motivation and to gather sustainable knowledge about the

prepared! The best academic leaders, the best memories

respective topics. Responsibles for participant preparation

and the best environment! It’s your chance!

will make sure that every participant receives detailed information and data about involved companies, topics

Soft Skills Division

and aims even before the event starts. After every event,

Since the last Council Meeting, the BrainTrainer Team

a content-based report will be published for the network.

decided to put a special focus on re-establishing continuity in its offerings. Therefore, we would like to thank Local

IEM Development Division

Groups Madrid, Aachen, Dortmund, Moscow and Aveiro

IEM Development is quite a new division inside the

for organising great events with us this year and for

Academic Department. We have created a team and

empowering ESTIEMers together with their Trainers!

started to work towards our goals. We started organising

Apart from that, we have taken actions to improve

the next IEM Education Forum, which will be held in

participants’ satisfaction with training sessions by collecting

Zagreb, in Spring 2019. Besides that, we wanted to know

their expectation before the event happens. With the

more about education in every Local Group and how

report Trainers receive, they are able to shape their

much are they interested in improving their education. A

sessions to better address participants’ needs, thus raising

survey has been created and, based on the answers given,

their quality. Currently we are focusing on implementing

we will create the best practice document to help and give

the one year plan within Department Strategy that was

suggestions to other Local Groups.

voted upon last Council Meeting. Lean Six Sigma Division Academic Development Department

For the past six months, the Lean Six Sigma Team has worked a lot in the area of CR to provide project opportunities so

IEM Insights Division

that our participants can achieve their Green Belts. We are

The goal of Academic Days is to share ESTIEM universities’

collaborating with different companies and hope that we

knowledge with the network. It supports the personal and

can offer more and more internships together with them

professional development of students across Europe willing

during the next six months. Besides this, we implemented

to complete their curriculum. In order to achieve this, each

the Instructor guidelines we created. Additionally, we are

Academic Days event provides participants with deep

focusing on the sustainability of the amount and quality

insights into a specific topic in which the organising Local

of our Instructors, therefore we also optimised the

Group’s university has a high expertise.

preparation of our Instructors before the event with the help of the Trainers Committee.

Since CM Karlsruhe, Academic Days has been organising new topic events, like “Maker Movement Days” in

Other projects

Dortmund and “Lean Production Days” in Minho. The team has also structured new concepts to be implemented,

ESTIEM Magazine

allowing Academic Days to be more than just an event

The ESTIEM Magazine aims to present new trends in

based service, like “Event Reports”, which will allow the

industrial engineering, as well as insights about ESTIEM to

entire network to receive the knowledge shared during the

its readers. During the last six months, besides our daily

events, develop high quality Online Webinars and Annual

business consisting of article acquisition, proofreading

Courses about much required topics for IEM students.

articles and designing the latest issue, we’ve established a

Lastly, we are launching the first edition of the Supply Chain

new PR strategy.

Management Global Competition. We’ve been working on the final proofreading and final Since CM Karlsruhe 2018, Vision has a brand new strong

design process. Also, we are still working on the distribution

and future-oriented concept. The project now allows

process. We will try our best to ship the Magazines directly

motivated Local Groups to present their core topics (from

to Local Groups in the future, but for now they will be

areas between technology, society and economics) and

printed in Warsaw and handed out at the Council Meeting.

10 ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century


INTRODUCTION

OUR MISSION Connect and support the growth and sustainability of European associations of IEM students, to foster relations and to develop their IEM students, personally and professionall

OUR VISION

Be the connector of IEM Students with an IEM Europe An IEM Europe is the ecosystem of companies, universities, organisations and other entities interested in the field of IEM. We are striving for each IEM Student to have a connection not only with other students all over Europe of the same field but also to other companies and universities, to ensure each student as a voice as well as the opportunity to make a difference, and to allow each outstanding innovative idea to become reality.

OUR FOUR CORE VALUES

Embracing diversity

Striving for development

We see multiculturalism as a strength of ESTIEM. We benefit from our cultural diversity by being able to approach chances and challenges with different insights. Respect is not just something we strive for, but part of the very basis of our network

We grow together by trying hard and learning from mistakes, we are eager to go through a learning process and see accessibility and freedom as highest goals. ESTIEMers gain practical experience and important softskills needed in today’s world.

Encouraging participation

Aiming high

ESTIEM being a democratic organisation with a flat hierarchy encourages the participation of all its members. We inspire each other to partake in ESTIEM’s activities and develop new ideas.

We are not afraid of stepping out of our comfort zone. ESTIEM’s members are proactive students that always give 100%. We encourage an entrepreneurial spirit among students and other stakeholders by gathering and exchanging experiences and best practices.

ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century 11


FOCUS TOPIC

CREW RESOURCE MANAGEMENT \\ How CRM revolutionized safety onboard On 27th March 1977, two Boeing 747 passenger jets – a Dutch aircraft from KLM and an American Pan Am - began their preparations for departure at Los Rodeos Airport on the Spanish island of Tenerife, Canary Islands. Due to a terrorist attack at the neighbouring Gran Canaria

Jochen Di Vincenzo Local Group Karlsruhe

Airport, many flights had been diverted to Tenerife causing in the airport becoming quite crowded. Parked aircrafts occupying the taxiway forced departing aircrafts to taxi on the runway. The fatal collision occurred when the KLM 4805 started its take-off run while Pan Am 1736, shrouded in mist, was still on the runway and about to turn off onto the taxiway. The massive impact and resulting fire killed all 248 people on the KLM plane and most of the 396 passengers of the Pan Am plane, with only 61 survivors in the front section of the aircraft. As one of many reasons leading to the catastrophe, personality traits of the KLM crew have been pointed out as a key factor. Captain Veldhuyzen van Zanten’s haste to depart early led him to increase thrust twice with take-offintention prior to Air Traffic Control (ATC) clearance. Even though the other two pilots in the KLM cockpit, first officer and flight engineer, expressed doubts about whether the Pan Am aircraft had left the runway, van Zanten

12 ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century

ignored their concerns and decided to continue take-off. Investigators stated afterwards that captain van Zanten’s senior position - as KLM’s chief of flight training - over his first officer and flight engineer contributed to their inability to effectively delay van Zanten’s decision to start take-off until full clarification from ATC. Unfortunately, this vast disaster is not the only one where poor crew communication played a crucial role. Only one year later, United Airlines Flight 173 ran out of fuel and crashed in a suburban Portland neighborhood. When UA 173 approached Portland, the crew noticed a problem with the landing gear and started preparing an emergency landing while the plane flew circles in a holding pattern. The


FOCUS TOPIC

captain focused on the landing gear problem for an hour,

However, over the years, people’s mindset changed

ignoring repeated warnings from the first officer and the

and CRM became a key factor in every pilot’s training.

flight engineer about their dwindling fuel supply.

Nowadays, it seems obvious for us that people collaborating in such safety-critical environments need to be skillful in

As a reaction to these accidents, the American Space

communication and leadership. But it took a long time and

Agency NASA and the aviation industry organized a

many incidents until CRM finally had been implemented in all

conference to discuss and introduce “Crew Resource

civil and military procedures. Recent successful emergency

Management” (CRM). Beginning in the 1980s, CRM has

landings like the Hudson River incident 2009 where CRM

been implemented in the cockpits of many airlines around

played an important role keep testifying to the enormous

the world. Primary goals of CRM are to foster situational

importance of these communication standards.

awareness, self-awareness, leadership, decision making, flexibility and communication among flight personnel.

Today, these break-through developments in CRM allow us

Besides this, CRM aims to support a climate and culture

ESTIEMers, our friends and families to get on a plane with

where authority may be respectfully questioned. In the

a calm feeling, trusting the crew and their leadership and

beginning of the program, this happened to be a quite

communication skills.

delicate subject especially for the strongly hierarchy-based cockpit crews.

ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century 13


FOCUS TOPIC

21st CENTURY LEADERSHIP THROUGH THE SIX BATTERIES OF CHANGE Energize your organisation for… change!

Kurt Verweire

Climate change, social turbulence, economic shifts,

Or, they simply run out of fuel as they fail to

disruptive

transformation…

address employee resistance in an effective way.

21st century leaders are dealing with a complex and

Great leaders however, know how to energize their

uncertain world that is changing faster than ever.

organisation for change. Through a five-year research

Unfortunately,

organisations

project, collecting information from more than 500

through change remains a daunting task. For more

executives of 111 organisations of different size and

than three decades both researchers and consulting

industry, we have identified six critical sources of energy

agencies report that up to 70% of all change initiatives

– six batteries of change – that great leaders use to boost

fail. They fail to achieve or sustain performance results.

their organisation’s change success.

technologies,

digital

successfully

leading

Six batteries of change – the holy grail of change

Peter De Prins

Various activities in your organisation can generate positive energy to drive change, or negative energy that inhibits change. In extreme cases, negative energy can create short-circuits that completely neutralize all positive actions. As a change leader, it’s your task to infuse the organisation with the right energy; to help your organisation achieve its strategic objectives and to make this a positive journey for everyone involved.

Geert Letens

Rational batteries

Emotional batteries

Clear strategic direction

Ambitious top team

Intellectual energy

Spiritual energy

A smart strategy is crucial to make a difference and keep

The most important source of energy is your top team

everyone in your organisation focused the same goals.

– it drives change by setting an inspiring change ambition.

Powerful management infrastructure Systemic energy

Healthy culture Social energy

Forms the bridge between the strategy and the many

Culture can enable change – or be a barrier to

projects that help to implement it. It comprises the

it. In environments that are open, collaborative

organisation’s structures and systems that help mana-

and receptive to new ideas, change is more like-

gers both to run the business and to build the business.

ly to be successful than in unhealthy environments.

Action planning and implementation Physical energy

Strong connection with employees Psychological energy

Effective change gets things done. This demands

Effective

sound

ves

process

and

project

management

that

translates strategy into clear customer benefits.

14 ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century

change

employee

increases commitment.

security Engaged

and

dri-

employe-

es embrace change and the opportunities it brings.


FOCUS TOPIC Some of the batteries deal more with the strategic side of the spectrum (left side of Figure 1) while other batteries typically focus on the operational side of change (right side of Figure 1). The top three batteries capture the more formal and rational elements of change, while the bottom three batteries are essential to charge the informal and emotional side of change.

The Batteries of Change Model The model has been validated through the analysis of the ‘batteries of change’ survey. Our research demonstrates that every battery is strongly correlated with change success. However, the probability of sustained success largely depends on the number of batteries that are addressed at once. In an environment where change has become more persistent and pervasive, you have to develop capabilities that allow you to charge all your change batteries. Only 30% of the organisations that managed to charge two batteries or less considered their change programs as successful. An astonishing 95% of the organisations that charged five or six batteries reported successful change.

Change leadership is energy boosting

and managers at various organisational levels). The data

These numbers turn the batteries of change model into a

from our survey provides companies the opportunity

holy grail for change leaders. Change projects fail because

to benchmark their change capabilities with other

there is a lack of energy to successfully complete change

organisations, while at the same time allowing them to

programs and initiatives. The six batteries of change are a

detect potential pitfalls and obstacles for change within

useful instrument to assess which organisational practices

their specific context. In a fast and continuously changing

drain energy from your organisation, and which ones help

world your change approach merits to be more than one-

you to succeed.

size-fits-all.

Analysis across the organisations in our database

As an organisational leader, the batteries of change provide

illuminates typical patterns that all require different change

you a powerful compass to orient your actions and behavior

interventions to restore energy balance (between rational

from a holistic perspective. Successful 21st century leaders

and emotional batteries) and promote energy flow (across

are above all change energy boosters!

the various batteries through the connection of employees

ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century 15


FOCUS TOPIC

FROM PRODUCT MANAGEMENT TO PRODUCT LEADERSHIP \\ Building a legacy There are two types of jobs in this world that are difficult to understand by your family, friends and the casual observer. The first one a Product Manager. The second is obviously the one of Chandler Bing. No, really, what was Chandler doing all those years? What does a product manager do? A product manager is responsible for shaping the product, communicating with stakeholders, providing developers with stories and defining the product’s entire roadmap.

Milan Đorđević Local Group Belgrade

Product managers thus have great responsibilities and challenges to overcome. They are the product’s voice, conscious, nanny, and annoying aunt Muriel. They are the team’s mother, grandmother, punching bag, and a white wall to bounce ideas and problems off. A product manager has to master organisational processes, translate stories into tasks, lead the prioritisation of these tasks, and manage stakeholder communication. They have to gain the respect of their colleges and prove themself as the go-to person for any product related issues and ultimately grow into becoming the product’s promoter and guru.

The first few steps towards product leadership are not

This is in fact a journey towards product leadership. A

necessarily exciting. They include arduous documentation,

journey that starts with knowledge authority and ends

detailed manuals and complex Gantt charts. A good product

with a legacy built by shaping the awe-inspiring products

manager doesn’t take all the knowledge to the grave - they

that customers love, competitors copy, and team members

promote it, store it and make it easily accessible. It is their

believe in.

heritage.

The Product Know-it-all

The Sprints of Our Lives

Gaining the respect of your fellow engineers, designers,

Coming from a project management environment is

C-level executives, process managers, analysts and

beneficial when taking over the product development

marketeers begins with knowing your product, far and

processes, no matter the style and method. Taking Scrum

wide. When the need for troubleshooting arises, great

as an agile development framework, it is important to

project managers know where to ask for help, they provide

understand the interrelations between priorities, resources

the necessary instructions and follow-ups. They are the

and estimations. A product manager is always expected

product’s table of content, expert and PR manager.

to have them in perfect balance, all while organizing Sprint grooming, planning, review, retrospective and joining daily standups (in Scrum, a Sprint is a time period during which specific development work has to be done and ready for review). Throw product and feature specifications and numerous stakeholder meetings into the mix, and you’ll further understand Product Managers’ need to adjust their attention span, dedication to detail, their understanding of the urgent and the important, and their shrewdness for planning for the now, but always keeping an eye on the future. Needless to say, being agile is beneficial for the entire

16 ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century


FOCUS TOPIC business, the engineering teams and the whole tech department, but it also provides product managers with greater flexibility and freedom to ride the ever-changing waves of market and consumer trends. After all, everything was supposed to be finalised yesterday anyway. The product and the team’s dedication is a reflection of the product manager’s responsibility, involvement and quest for answers. Lazy product managers have lazy teams, slow apps, and too many loading indicators. ‘Being in the driver’s seat’ is a cliché comparison that does indeed apply here. The Developer’s Challenge At times, being a product manager feels like being the dumbest person in the room. The engineers solve the problem, the designers visualise the best possible user experience and the data scientists have the numbers before the product manager even thought about the query. But you have to keep in mind that that’s not what product managers are there for. They’re there to ask the questions and break down problems into smaller quests and provide a different set of eyes that see the bigger picture, unlike all the other experts in the room that are only focused on completing only their part of the project. There will always be some who challenge the product manager’s authority. At times, it will seem like they speak in riddles and radiate supremacy. But rising above it, being a

There comes a time when you have to let go. Instead of pixel perfecting and micro managing the product, product leaders relinquish control. They part ways with Sprints and tickets. They inspire the rest of the team, envision the evolution of products and new ways to meet customer needs, and provide value never expected before. By inspiring the team, taking over the product’s vision, and sharing their knowledge and expertise, a product manager becomes a product leader.

Jack of all trades, keeping a cool head and having the bigger picture in mind results in long term respect, appreciation and sense of security when the product managers are around. They are the glue that holds everything together. Pixel Perfection vs Product Leadership

As the famous Latin proverb says: per aspera ad astra. “Only through hardship (and Sprints) to the stars.”

ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century 17


FOCUS TOPIC

ESTIEM LEADERSHIP LESSONS TAKEN TO CORPORATE LEVEL ”Leaders think and talk about the solutions. Followers think and talk about the problems.” Brian Tracy once said ”Leaders think and talk about the solutions. Followers think and talk about the problems”. When I think of ESTIEMers, I think of problem solvers - we solve cases, build new strategies and are not afraid to fail. ESTIEM is the place that taught me to never stop asking myself “why” and

Svetoslava Simeonova

make people around me do the same, make them be problem solvers rather than problem describers.

LG Paderborn, Sofia

world. This world, and in particular the corporate world, often differs from what we are used to in ESTIEM – a friendly, open

Unfortunately, the ESTIEM journey is not endless, at some point we have to make the step towards the not-so-open-minded atmosphere where innovations are driven and welcome. Indeed, it is not a world everyone fits in, but even being so different from your wild “work hard, play hard” days in ESTIEM, you can use the knowledge you gained during your active ESTIEM years’ to become a leader in your organisation. Here are a few examples from my corporate experience as a former ESTIEMer. 1. You think in cases.

2. You are the one to “stand up”.

It may sound so natural to you – we solve cases in

Just like Council Meetings where we stand up for what

everyday situations, at university, during trainings, but still

we believe is right or wrong, or to take the responsibility,

the majority of employees finds it hard to structure the

in corporations there are events, meetings, conventions

information given, create a business case or solve one.

where someone asks if anyone is willing to ask a question

During T.I.M.E.S events and even during Board and Leader

or come to the stage. Of cause I do not have data to

years, Council and Coordination Meetings and other

prove this, but I believe if you are an ESTIEMer, it is way

events, we are forced to challenge each other and provide

more likely you will stand up. It is definitely not because

elaborate solutions, while not making it too complicated.

ESTIEMers feel uncomfortable sitting, but they feel eager

Think cases, think teams … you know the rest.

to share their opinions openly – a skill many employees lack and many managers would kill for. Trust me, no fake news!

3. You have the emotional intelligence and right confidence. What a great leader should be first is a great person. You will lead people, not computers, and you should be there for them. Whether you have been in the ESTIEM board, a leader of a P/C/I or an event organizer, you have probably dealt with issues within your team like uniting people from different backgrounds and interests. In the end, you have to make it work so that everyone enjoys working in your team and feels understood.You should also win their respect.

18 ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century


FOCUS TOPIC While there are number of articles, videos, trainings and so on on how to be a good leader, the best way to learn is by practicing, by maybe even failing at a project, getting feedback from team members and, in the end, by improving. Becoming a better version of yourself is an everyday task that pays off. 4. You are the “entrepreneur”.

5. You know how to have fun.

Operational tasks or any task that lasts too long or are simply

Yes, I just used the word fun in an article related to work in

not what we imagined them to be can make us feel down,

corporations. If you use your skills to get people together,

unless we know how to turn this daily routine into something

have fun and network with your colleagues, it can be much

interesting. Improvising on the field, being innovative, being

more pleasant to get to work. Especially in big corporations,

the change maker is fun. I cannot imagine that an ESTIEMer

you can use their global platform to manage sustainable

that had to deal with 20 tired and mentally exhausted

friendships from all over the globe.

people at a workshop cannot be innovative in any situation.

A proof that ESTIEMers are the leaders of today and tomorrow – picture from Continental Corporations’ Quality convention in Berlin in June 2018, where 6 ESTIEMers have participated as Heads/Managers, interns and partners of the organisation From left to right: Joris Hoogerdijk, Sissi Simeonova, Paul Evans, Christoph Hagedorn, Jukka-Matti Turtiainen, Andreas Flodström

All these observations do not come from books I have read, they are all from my experience as intern/employee at Continental Japan, Nestle Bulgaria and currently back to Continental in Frankfurt. I was never afraid of the different cultures, companies and industries because I had the most important skill of all – adaptation. In the end, all the things I talked about lead to you being the adaptive, open-minded leader of tomorrow.

”The future depends on what we do in the present.”

As Gandhi once said: ”The future depends on what we do in the present”, so I would advise you to go on every ESTIEM event you like, travel, open your mind for new ideas and eventually you will end up being the change maker within a corporation, start-up, NGO or anywhere else you want to be. Your leadership skills are being developed even while doing Haka, even while reading this article.

ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century 19


FOCUS TOPIC

WHAT DOES THE WORD SUCCESS MEAN TO YOU? \\ Does it require being a leader and standing out among other people? Do we have a universal recipe for being successful? Nowadays, being successful means leading people and

more important not to be a leader, but to do what you are

gaining recognition from everybody around you. It seems

good at and what you really like.

like without proving you are better than others, it is

Anna Kornilovich

Local Group Saint Petersburg

impossible to feel useful. That is one of the reasons why

The main lesson from this story is that the process of

everyone is striving towards leading positions inside teams.

becoming a successful person is not about trying to be

These thoughts lead us to the main question: is it really

better than the people around you. The most important

obligatory to be a leader if you want to be successful?

thing is to use your own knowledge and skills in a right way. Not seeking for any special recognition, not trying to get

Let’s approach this topic using the example I learned not so

all the prizes after all the work is done, but enjoying the

long ago. It is the story of Canadian astronaut Christopher

process and appreciating the mutual result. You might not

Austin Hadfield, who worked within a team for most of

be a leader in a group, but you must remember that the

his life. In his book ‘An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth’,

success your team gained is your own achievement as well.

he wrote about the benefits of being ‘a zero’ in a team. Being ‘a zero’ means to do exactly as much as required for successful work: not harming your team’s work, nor standing out at the same time. At the initial stages of his work on the ISS, he himself adhered to this rule. Hadfield did what was required for the successful completion of the

“You might not be a leader in a group, but you must remember that the success your team gained is your own achievement as well.”

mission: he used his knowledge and abilities wherever he could be useful. Yet, he did not seek special recognition, it

For me, being successful in ESTIEM means using and

found him. The result of the whole team was a success for

improving my skills in every project I participate in. We

each participant.

inspire each other, learn something from every member of the team and improve ourselves continuously. And I believe

This is an excellent example of a person who was willing

that I can inspire at least one ESTIEMer to work for their

to share his knowledge with others and we can still call him

dreams and not to feel the need to be a leader in order to

a leader although he was not a real one inside the team.

be successful. Be yourself, try new things and be a part of

He achieved incredible results, even though he wasn’t

your team’s success!

standing out. It clearly shows that sometimes it’s much

20 ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century


FOCUS TOPIC

THE ART OF LEADERSHIP… OR THE ART OF ENGAGEMENT What is the first thing that comes to your mind when thinking about leadership? Are you foremost thinking about skills and techniques to influence others to do what you want them to do and how to make them follow you? While this is, unfortunately, how many people interpret

seemingly without any effort. The great entrepreneurs in

“Leadership Skills“ trainings. The true meaning of leadership

the previous paragraph did not get where they are by just

is empowering people to unfold their great potential in

being smarter or working harder, but by being passionate

their work and life. That being said, there is a great deal of

about what they did and do. Success and financial wealth is

responsibility in leadership due to the great impact one can

only a side effect, because…

have on others‘ lives.

Discipline comes automatically. Discipline is what it takes to make your vision come true. None of the life changing

Have you ever thought about the fact that leading others

inventions of the past have come easy and they all required

brings a great deal of responsibility to do what is right? In

a lot of hard work to overcome a great deal of frustration

the definitions there is a subtle, but important difference

and keep on going against all odds. But it becomes much

between leadership and management.

Sebastian Geese Local Group Siegen

easier, if you are passionate about your vision.

Leadership is concerned with doing the right thing, while

Conscience is what can separate the great from the good.

management

It does probably not diminish a leader’s qualities if business

aims to do things

success is the only objective. However, leaders should

right. In order to

also be aware of their potential to contribute to a greater

unfold one’s full

good and to have a positive impact on many. Götz Werner

potential,

one

is probably one of the lesser known business leaders of

needs

a

the last years. As founder, co-owner and advisory board

leader’s ability to

both

member of one of Germany’s biggest drugstore chains,

envision the right

dm, he established a company where profit is considered a

direction as well

lost opportunity and whose current CEO mentions ”profit

as a manager’s skills

minimisation“ as their main objective.

to get things done efficiently.

On a final note, it is important to realise that you first need to lead yourself before leading others. How do you

In his bestselling book ”The 8th

consider it possible to give others a purpose, inspire them

Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness“, Stephen Covey

into a certain direction and empower them to connect to

populates that leaders need four important characteristics:

their true passion if you haven’t mastered it for yourself?

Vision, passion, discipline and conscience!

Having reached that level of maturity and having realised the impact of your role as a leader, you can truly get a fire

Vision describes a person’s ability to see what might

burning in a person’s heart. I want to close with a quote

be possible at one point, but not imaginable yet. Take a

from the Spider-man movies when Ben Parker tells his

moment to think about visionary minds like Steve Jobs or

nephew Peter while dying that ”With great power comes

Elon Musk. One might question some business attitudes or

great responsibility“.

motives of theirs, but with no doubt they had and have visionary ideas for products of the future. Elon Musk has nothing less in mind than making mobility independent of oil and enabling mankind to live on Mars. Sounds outright insane, doesn’t it? But would that not have been the same reaction when 50 years ago someone would have told you about their idea to develop a smartphone? Passion is the fire you feel burning inside yourself when you engage with something that you truly want. It is that one thing that gets you up in the morning and keeps you going,

This article was written under the initiative of the IEM Caring Foundation. The foundation brings together people who want to lead change towards a caring society. Conscious Leadership is one of the foundation’s five Fields of Impact. The other four Fields of Impact are Social Entrepreneurship, Equal Opportunities, United Europe and Strong Sustainability. Go to www.iemcaring.org if you want to find out more!

ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century 21


SCENE

EXPERIENCES OF A LEAN SIX SIGMA GREEN BELT PROJECT During and after my Lean Six Sigma (LSS) crash course in München in May 2018, I had mixed feelings regarding the upcoming Lean Six Sigma project. I was lucky to have landed a job in the Finnish worldleading company Konecranes, which specializes in the

Antti Sinkkonen Local Group Lappeenranta

manufacturing and service of cranes and lifting equipment for ports, shipyards and other industrial environments. However, I felt quite uncertain, as it would be the first time I would work as a project leader and have the true responsibility of a project and its outcome. I also knew that I would be on a very tight schedule and working with products that I had never seen before, in a totally new industrial environment. Looking back now it sounds very interesting and an excellent opportunity to learn, as it was! Assembled horizontal gear reducer Currently I am working in the Strategy Quality Development team of the company, which for example arranges Lean

The title of my project is “Capacity assessment & FMEA

Six Sigma trainings for the whole company world-wide and

analysis of gear housing machining”, FMEA stands for Failure

manages the overall quality development processes and

Mode and Effect Analysis. I am focusing on the machining

projects through all business units. Originally, I applied only

of the gear cases e.g. housings. Currently, there are two

for a Green Belt project but ended up doing a lot more than

large machining centers used to machine the casted gear

just the project: I have been conducting a comprehensive

housings so they can be assembled into a ready gearbox.

data analysis as a part of a Master Black Belt project and

In picture two you can see a Burkhardt+Weber machining

developing a Lean Six Sigma project portfolio management

center which is similar to what the gear factory uses. The

tool for Konecranes.

objective of my project is to evaluate the available capacity

All of the above has helped me with my own project

in terms of theoretical working hours and actual machining

and working parallel on something else other than my

hours in order to reflect upon whether there is enough

own project has allowed me to look at the project from

capacity to meet customer demand in the long run. The

different angles and gain knowledge from people around

other part of the project is to assess the risks involved in

me. For all you future Green Belts, I suggest to occasionally

the machining process that may cause long-term machine

take your eyes from your own work and spend some time

downtime and thus have a big financial impact on the whole

thinking about what you are really doing and trying to

company.

achieve. Headless pounding and frustration will not get you anywhere, I can tell you that. The project that I am conducting is for the Hyvinkää gear factory (CHG). The gear factory produces gearboxes and transmission parts of gears for industrial equipment. As you might know, port cranes are gigantic and the largest ones can lift 1200 tons high in the air. As it can be understood the gearboxes of these kind of products cannot be small either. Here’s a picture of a gear box. To give you some scale, the largest ones I have so far seen at the factory are some three meters long and weigh up to 1000 kg, so certainly we are not talking about small objects. Burkhardt+Weber machining center

22 ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century


SCENE real data and Lean Six Sigma’s statistical approach has been I started my project with a meeting with the managers and

more than helpful with this.

engineers of the factory to delimit the project and define the current problem statement. I was surprised how effortlessly

Working in a large global company comes with its pros and

everything went: key process measures, project team and

cons. At Konecranes, the Lean Six Sigma methodology is

project scope were defined in 30 minutes. However, at this

being rather well integrated to all business areas and even

point, I had no idea about the products or the processes I

the top management of the company trusts that the use

was going to work with in the coming weeks.

of Lean Six Sigma methods will provide good results and

The general manager advised me to spend some time at the

continuous development for years to come. However,

factory and talk with the machine operators. This would

bigger is not always better. In a big company, it sometimes

be my advice to all of you future Green Belts too. Do the

may be tough to find the right people and run the project,

Gemba Walk! It is crucial for you and the project team to

because often employees, especially on the manager level,

be on the same line and to understand the basics of the

are working on multiple projects simultaneously to their

process in the beginning of the project.

own work and thus may have difficulties to provide the necessary time for your project.

“It is certain that at some point, you will encounter situations where you have no idea what to do and how to proceed, and that is when you need support.”

I also noticed that during the summer, the vacations often cause major problems and delays for a project. At the moment, I am waiting for answers and data sets from two different sources, which will only be available in two weeks’ time. It can be frustrating but something you should get used to if you want to work in an international company. One of the most important things that I have noticed is that

Also, I would encourage you to really think about who you

everyone involved in the process should be on the same

are going to choose for the project team and who are the

level, and have the same mindset and will to develop the

people that are going to support you with the project. It

process. If the goals of employees and managers contradict,

is certain that at some point, you will encounter situations

it is rather hard to propose and implement any major

where you have no idea what to do and how to proceed,

changes to the process.

and that is when you need support. Perhaps the hardest part of the define-phase for me was to come up with the benefits estimate and I was actually not even able to draw any estimates or potential savings. At that point, I did not have any information regarding the costs of the process, therefore I decided to just skip that part and complete the benefits estimate later. So far, the most difficult part of the project has been gathering the data. Pretty soon after the starting meeting, a production planner gave a large data set from SAP but the data set itself told me only half the truth. I needed the actual machining data from the machining centers and it took quite a while before I was able to extract the correct data and properly understand the connection in between them. I assume that collecting and verifying the data in the measure-phase might be one of the hardest tasks in most

Sample individual value plot from the project.

of the Green Belt projects, but it is essential to get the right data and understand the casualties of the data and the

During the project I have extensively used Minitab and

process you are dealing with.

other tools that were taught in ESTIEM’s Lean Six Sigma

Personally,

analyzing

has

been

much

easier

and

course. My most used tools have been Fishbone-diagrams,

straightforward as it is convenient to ask for guidance

Individual Value Plot, Boxplot, Interval Plot and Capability

and opinions to some important objections that I have

Analysis. Also, Pareto-diagrams have proven themselves

found from the data. First, I approached the data with

to be very useful in many different situations and they

basic pivoting in Excel but pretty soon moved to Minitab

are also easy to understand and interpret for the senior

to spot those unusual data points. One of the key tasks

management.

of my project was to verify the current capacity level using ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century 23


SCENE I really suggest digging deeper into Minitab and its fascinating

you will not be following your daily working time with a

features. You can make a great difference to your analysis

stopwatch and sometimes you might encounter surprising

and presentation just by adding reference lines or adjusting

developments that will mess with your schedule.

the scale of the Y-axis. However, be sure to know when to

Additionally, I cannot stress enough the importance of

use Excel and when to use Minitab as often you can crunch

delimiting the scope of the project. Quite easily you will

and analyze the data much more efficiently using Excel. As

end up biting off more than you can chew and as the project

taught during the course, you should pick the right tool

moves on, you notice that it has become harder and harder

for the right job. If you do not know which method suits

to manage and control the project. The worst scenario is

your case best, try them all and see what presents the best

that you will not be able to finish the project at all.

results – trial and error. Overall, I could say that so far, this project has taught me much more than any university course or prior job. Being able to develop your project management skills together with convenient analytical tools in a very interesting industrial environment is something that in my opinion every industrial engineering student should do. As you dive deeper into the company and process you will start to understand the sheer size of the business and all the factors, the X’s affecting the Y’s. The Lean Six Sigma project is also an excellent chance to start building your career in an interesting company: often these kinds of projects have follow-up projects and perhaps you will be responsible for implementing the solution after closing the original development project. In addition, you will be able to show your supervisors that you are able to work independently in challenging projects and build a Sample boxplot from the project.

network inside the company which is important for your upcoming career.

Perhaps one of the most important factors in your project is going to be the scheduling and timing of your project.

Those of you who are still thinking whether to apply

What will take the most time? How much time will the

for a Lean Six Sigma course or taking one in your home

other team members invest in the project? I suggest to

university: Don’t think, go for it! The Lean Six Sigma

schedule a few meetings with key people pretty soon after

methodology teaches you great tools and methods that

starting your project. This really helps you to kickstart the

will help you analyze and develop different processes

project and establish a closer relationship with the persons

in all kinds of industries. Using the Lean Six Sigma tools

who know the process like the back of their hand.

allows you to observe the problem from different angles

Like I already mentioned, I was working simultaneously on

and find objections that other don’t see. I see it as a clear

different Lean Six Sigma related topics so I had to distribute

competitive advantage and I am certain that it will be

my time between them. It is not as easy as you think, as

beneficial for all you fellow ESTIEMers too!

Established

1994, history dates back to 1933

Core business

Manufacturing and service of cranes and lifting equipment

Type

Publicly listed company to Nasdaq Helsinki

CEO

Panu Routila

Headquarters

Hyvinkää, Finland

Total sales, MEUR

3136,4

Personnel on average

15 519 at 600 locations in 50 countries Facts about Konecranes

24 ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century


SCENE

THE ROAD OF AN ESTIEMPRENEUR

ESTIEM builds entrepreneurs.

Luckily, most of the things described above, were already being practiced by us during our time in this amazing

Not in the fluffy sense of the word. Not people tailored

student organisation. Since both of us held leadership

to create new businesses and sell them for billion euros, as

positions, both in our Local Groups and on central level,

many American movies portray them.

our routines were already set for our entrepreneurial days. Putting everything in the “ESTIEM frame”, the companies,

Real-life entrepreneurs are solution savvy, problem

universities and ESTIEMers were our clients back in the

solvers, people who look at the world as a place full of

days; our presentations to investors and other potential

opportunities and not obstacles. They see the thrill in

stakeholders were to all the Local Groups sitting in the

the process of developing an idea that creates value to a

Council Meeting, to whom we needed to present our

certain person or need, and they work relentlessly, with

value proposition and work. This clearly demonstrates

sleepless nights and coffee as fuel, towards providing the

the strong correlation between an entrepreneur and an

best possible service or product to their customers.

ESTIEMer.

The thing is: Entrepreneurship is part of the human DNA!

But let’s reframe it again. What is an entrepreneur?

We have survived ages of evolution, most of the times

Entrepreneurs are people who have ideas and passions or

sharing land with stronger and faster animals. It was our

see these needs in the world and decide to stand up and do

ability to adapt and overcome whatever crossed our way,

something about it. And they put everything on the line to

with ingenious inventions ranging from the wheel to a

achieve their goals. They have the ability to gather people

simple sweater to keep us warm in cold winter nights, that

around them who want to build that dream with them.

allowed us to survive. However, schools today encourage “fitting in”, using standardised tests and outdated teaching methods as a way of building the ideal profile of the modern professional. Traits

like

innovation,

tenacity,

negotiation,

sales,

presentation skills, are left aside, abandoned by the current

Francisco Ramires Local Group Minho

Tomas Ribeiro

Local Group Porto

“Put yourself in this playground, and reminiscence about your childhood, when everything was possible, and then say to yourself quietly, but with determination: I am an Entrepreneur.”

educational system. Entrepreneurs are everywhere. They run small businesses Luckily for us… we had ESTIEM!

that support our economy, design tools to keep us connected to friends, family and colleagues, and they find

It was here that we, current co-founders of Strain, a digital

new ways to solve society’s oldest problems. They build

recommendations platform which offers Millennials a fast

models to simplify the process, rewrite the code of the

and easy way to pay less for what they love with a simple

website to it make it easier to register for events or just

post on their social media, were taught the skills needed to

find a way to help you not lose your name tag. It does

navigate through the business world with confidence that

not matter. They are everywhere, solving problems of all

most of the students our age lack.

kinds.

Every day we deal with clients. Every day we need to make

If you are starting your entrepreneurial journey or you are a

fast and accurate decisions regarding our business. Every

random person who wants to grow, don’t be afraid to give

day we need to build presentations to stand in front of

a chance to this incredible network. You will be challenged,

audiences to tell our story. Every day we need to sell our

groomed and allowed the opportunity to nurture your

value proposition or network with someone in a particular

own entrepreneurial traits, and who knows… maybe you

event we are invited to.

will join Strain in the future!

ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century 25


SCENE

PUSHING THE WORLD FORWARD You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.�

Kjell Lillie-Stolze Local Group Berlin

This quote truly highlights what entrepreneurship is all

with different life and work styles all over the world. It

about, however, it was not said by Steve Jobs, Peter Thiel,

invokes a large scale thought process within each one of

Mark Zuckerberg or any of the other entrepreneurs

us and ultimately helps us take on the challenge of changing

whose names have dominated the media. This quote

the world.

is by an English primatologist and anthropologist, Jane

Goodall, who famously conducted a 55-year-long study

The idea of providing a high quality service for a wide range

concerned with the societal and familial interactions of wild

of people first emerged while we were stuck in a traffic jam

chimpanzees.

in an Uber for an entire hour while attending an ESTIEM

event in Kiev. We thought to ourselves that it should be

There is an important lesson to be learnt from the quote

as easy for businesses to find customers as it is for Uber

above: YOU can change the world and it is up to YOU

drivers to get rides as long as you provide a good service.

whether this impact will change the world for the better or

The gears in our heads started turning and we were already

for the worse. Entrepreneurs do not just want to change

coming up with ways to make this possible.

the world, they want to push it forward. To change the world you need to understand the world as Jane Goodall

We realised how our generation is stuck between chasing

did over 55 years ago. Every good idea aims to solve a

success and chasing their dreams, between managing

problem, often a problem which nobody knew existed

their work or managing their household. We wanted to

before.

help them with their daily struggles and ordinary needs so

they could have the liberty to only focus on achieving their

Though, how do you solve a problem nobody is aware

dreams. This is how gwhy was born.

of ? To start with, you need to develop your awareness of

the world. In fact, ESTIEM is providing us with an ideal

At that point, we were only two people with a problem

medium to travel to different countries and get familiar

and an idea. Our first task was the most crucial. We had to

26 ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century


SCENE

build a strong team in order to turn our ideas into actions

vision on high quality services into reality with the help of

and make a change. Again, and for the second time, we were

the experiences and skills we gained from ESTIEM.

able to take advantage of being ESTIEMers. A strong team

is not only about the capability of the members or the skills

Let’s go back to our introducing words. Everybody has to

they have, it is also about how well they can work together

decide what their impact on the world should be. While

as a unit. Yes, a chain is no stronger than its weakest link but

other people have an impact by working towards the goals

also if the links are not connected to each other, it is bound

other people define, entrepreneurs wake up to challenge

to break down in no time. ESTIEM is a playground where

the status quo by introducing smart ideas every single day.

people learn how to work towards a solution and work

They work towards this goal without worrying about failure

in a team with numerous people from various countries

or concerning themselves with other people’s opinions.

and cultures, as well as improve themselves in many levels. Thanks to the contribution of ESTIEM, we were able to

For those reading this article right now and dreaming about

build a strong, well connected multinational team. It was

starting their own businesses one day and building something

not necessary to train anybody, people were already able

from scratch: it might sound crazy or intimidating but you

to analyse, come up with solutions and cooperate from the

should keep in mind that everything starts with a mere idea.

beginning and found their place in the project.

From there on you can work towards creating a good base

with a strong structure and building upon it. With the skill

We encountered a problem, came up with an idea to solve

set, experiences and network you are gaining in ESTIEM,

it and the team made it all happen. But what’s the next step?

you have numerous assets to exploit and hopefully become

There were a lot of things to do that we might name as “the

one of the crazy ones one day.

next step” and there still is, yet we take firm steps to put our

ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century 27


SCENE

SERVING CITIZENS WITH TECHNOLOGY Currently, technologies are becoming autonomous, self-sufficient and even self-learning thanks to, e.g., AI deployment. This means that they can develop at an even faster pace than during the last 30 years.

Since this time new technological innovations have been

was a diagnosis of the cascading trap of technology:

driving the development of the digital economy and

as technologies are developing faster than we are able to

changing the principles of the global economy.

adopt them, how do we make sure that they are aligned with a sustainable development paradigm? Together

Natalia Kobza

Local Group Warsaw

Smart Cities is currently a very popular topic. It is a

with a group of experts, the company analysed over 100

concept of city development that advances urban areas

examples of solutions implemented in the Polish market.

that use different types of data to supply information to

In the report, they present 15 carefully selected solutions

the city authorities in order to manage assets and resources

which are the most effective and do not require large

efficiently. Representing more than 80% of the global GDP

investment expenditures like electric bicycles of Geobike

(World Bank, 2017), these ecosystems will produce and

and their city bicycle system GeoVelo or sensors measuring

absorb most of the innovations brought to the market.

at real time water and air pollution of Syngeos. There can

Data exposing their extraordinary potential, as well as

be a huge opportunity for the companies to introduce new

the scale of problems they currently have to deal with, is

technologies and solutions to the cities and, consequently,

shown at every conference and news outlet.

to solve important problems in the area of transportation,

Małgorzata According to the World Bank (2017), more than 50% Hermanowicz Cogito Technology Consulting

of the world’s population lives in urban areas (in 2007, the number of urban residents equaled the number of rural residents) and in 2050 it will exceed 65%. Urban agglomeration processes operate on different scales in different continents, but it is estimated that on average 1

health, energy and pollution.

“Only when we build processes that involve citizens around new technologies, they could be utilised and contribute towards closing the cascading trap of technology.”

million people are moving every week from the countryside to the cities. Therefore, cities are facing massive problems with overpopulation, environmental protection, traffic

Despite the fact that at the beginning the idea of ​​smart

congestion, data acquisition, etc. On top of that, issues

city was mainly associated with hard technology, it quickly

like climate change, work automation, food security or

became clear to city decision makers that innovation is not

cybersecurity have a massive impact on social life. Cities

only a new tool, but it requires a smart local government and

are overflowing with new urban solutions, but do they

most importantly smart residents. Thus, in order to make

respond to actual problems?

it successful, hard and soft technological projects should be combined, so that innovation could truly serve citizens.

Cogito Technology Consulting, a company based in Poland,

Only when we build processes that involve citizens around

addressed these problems in their newest report “Serving

new technologies, they could be utilised and contribute

citizens with technology”. The starting point for the report

towards closing the cascading trap of technology.

28 ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century


SCENE

HOW WE ALL GET FOOLED BY DATA! A while ago I read an article that describes a new version of propaganda in the United States and Russia named ‘Firehose of Falsehood’. It describes a method of propaganda and promotion used by several key figures including Donald Trump. Two methods sprung out to me: ‘Lacks commitment to

(expressed as a number) that describes the size and

objective reality’ and ‘Lacks commitment to consistency’.

direction of a relationship between two or more variables”

I asked myself how it is possible that that many people buy

while causation is defined so that it “indicates that one

Trump’s obvious lies and insults.

event is the result of the occurrence of the other event; i.e. there is a causal relationship between the two events. This

Seeing through deceptions and falsehoods when you see

is also referred to as cause and effect”.

a visualisation becomes more difficult as the telltales are

Why does this difference matter? Think about this: when

hidden away. With this article, I hope to arm all of you

is the most ice cream eaten throughout the year? When

against bad data visualisations and let you see right through

do the most forest fires emerge? These graphs will overlap

them.

and thus have a big correlation as the graphs will both

Robert Lintzen

Local Group Eindhoven

peak in the summer. However, does this mean that we all How an average can deceive you

should stop eating ice cream to prevent forest fires? This correlation doesn’t provide any adequate reason to believe

“Bill Gates walks into a bar and everyone inside becomes a

that eating ice cream causes forest fires. So next time you

millionaire…on average.”

see a graph, find out if it shows correlation or causation.

While this joke easily shows that you are being deceived, it is not always easy to spot a deceiving average. An average is a great tool to get a grasp of the data but it should be used with care. An average can mean (pun intended) one out of three things: •

Mean average

Median average

Mode average So what now?

Most often, the mean average is referred to when we talk about an average. Sadly, it does not always describe the

Sadly there are a million more ways how data can deceive

dataset in the ideal way. One outlier (such as Bill Gates)

you such as through the sample taken, through the

can easily skew the mean average. In such situations, the

absence of context or discarded data. On top of this, the

median (the exact middle value of a data set when they

visualisation can be misleading through the colours used or

are sorted on size) or the mode (most occurring value) can

the axis. There is too much to discuss in one article. But

show a more representative figure to describe the data.

the best tip is and will always be to approach a visualisation with scepticism.

If you want to know more: Correlation vs Causation One more important thing to understand is the difference between correlation and causation. Correlation is defined by the Bureau of Statistics as “a statistical measure

Vox News Strikethrough - Why obvious lies make great propaganda: https://goo.gl/Wx3VwE Huff, D. (1954). How to lie with statistics. WW Norton & Company.

ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century 29


SCENE

HOW I READ 100 BOOKS IN ONE YEAR \\ and how you can, too

Jelena Roksandic Local Group Novi Sad

I have always loved to read since, but it really started when

NEVER READ SOMETHING YOU DON’T WANT

I was nine years old. It was a competition between me and

TO

my best friend at first that resulted in my love for reading

In general, I always try to finish reading a book I started.

books. A couple of years ago, I saw a challenge of reading

However, there are times when it is ok, even preferable,

100 books a year on the internet, and I wanted to try it.

to stop reading a book. This is especially true when the

The first year was a struggle, but later it became a habit.

book is badly written, way too difficult to understand or is

100 books a year is a goal I’ve been able to reach for the

just too boring to hold your interest. If you keep reading

past few years despite being a full-time student and working

something you don’t enjoy it can put you in a mood called

in ESTIEM in my free time. How did I manage this, you ask?

’a reading slump’. It means that you will not be able to pick up a book and read because you don’t feel like reading at

Here are five things I did that helped me find more time

all. But besides that, books you hate will take twice (or

to read:

perhaps, even thrice) the amount of time to get through. Books that pull you in will get to your goal much faster.

NEVER BE WITHOUT A BOOK I am almost never without a book or ebook or audiobook

TRACK YOUR PROGRESS

in my possession. A lot of reading that I got done happened

If you want to read a hundred books in a year, you have

while I was waiting for my classes to start, or on the bus

to read an average of two books a week for fifty weeks,

and train. The moments when you have nothing to do

with just a couple weeks left for emergency time. To keep

add up throughout your day and instead of checking your

yourself on track, I suggest writing down each book you

Facebook feed or Instagram pictures, you can read a book.

read, along with the date you finish it. A book journal is a

If you always carry a book with you, you’ll find yourself

really good place to do this – that way you can make notes

sneaking a few pages here and there until you’ve read a

about your impressions of the book as well. Also, there

quarter of it by the end of the day.

are all kinds of tools online that can help you organize your reading. Goodreads is one that I really love because it shows you how much books you are behind.

30 ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century


SCENE GENRE HOP

SOME RECOMMENDATIONS YOU CAN START

In order to prevent getting bored of books, I shift around

WITH:

my genres here and there. Poetry books are great for a quick read to get you back into the mood for literature. Graphic novels give the mind a break from blocks of text. Young adult novels are fantastic for solid, page-turning fiction. I try to vary the level of books I’m reading, too. If I’ve just finished a fairly heavy, difficult read, I might try to read something light and fun next. So do not be afraid to try something new. READ IN DIFFERENT MEDIA As much as I would prefer to read all of my books in physical print editions, I don’t have quite enough time (or shelf space) for that. I usually have at least one print book and one audiobook going simultaneously. An audiobook still takes most of us longer to get through than the same book read in print. If you have time to sit down and read something, you should be looking at a printed page. The audiobook is an inefficient use of your time unless you need your eyes elsewhere. I also read the occasional ebook – though I don’t prefer that format. But it might be helpful for you to have your book with you on your phone or ebook reader wherever you go.

Now, I want you to take on the challenge ESTIEM is a place where we learn and grow together, we

in a year. Post a photo of you reading a book on your social

strive to be a better leader every day. And as Margaret

media with a hashtag #ESTIEMersRead and share your love

Fuller said “Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.” So, I

of books with your ESTIEM friends.

challenge you to join a movement of reading more books

ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century 31


CAREER

ESTIEM ALUMNI INTERVIEW \\ Martin Schönbeck

Tell us about your career until now.

for sure though: I’ll always stay in touch with the ESTIEM

After graduation I joined EY as a consultant, where I had

Alumni network!

the opportunity to engage with many different clients in

Martin Schönbeck Local Group Eindhoven, Trondheim

the public and private sector to help them improve their

Which impact did ESTIEM have on your career?

business and embrace the future. Nowadays I work as a

The experience I gained in ESTIEM has helped me

project leader within our People Advisory Services practice.

tremendously to succeed in consultancy, ranging from intercultural awareness to team development and

What does your average working day look like?

leadership. The entrepreneurial spirit in ESTIEM has

About half of the time I spend with (and sometimes run

also encouraged me to discover and develop many new

between) clients where I meet with senior leaders and

opportunities.

coach our project teams. The other half I spend on business development, sales processes and internal responsibilities,

Tell us your most memorable ESTIEM story.

either in the office, somewhere abroad or in an airport

Having attended more than one hundred ESTIEM events

lounge.

and having met thousands of ESTIEMers, it is simply impossible to choose one. Still, my journey by train from

What are your plans for the future?

Eindhoven to the Council Meeting in St. Petersburg back in

I prefer not to have a fixed plan for the future, but rather

2003 remains one of the most memorable ones.

seize the opportunities that come my way. One thing is What is your advice to current ESTIEMers? Your name:

Make sure you don’t miss out on anything in ESTIEM - work

Martin Schönbeck

hard and play hard! Studies are of course important, but

Your Local Group:

don’t underestimate the value of the skills you learn in

Eindhoven & Trondheim

ESTIEM if you have to choose between attending a lecture

Year of graduation:

or an ESTIEM event.

2007 Your current job: Consultant Your current living place: Trondheim, Norway Who do you choose as the next ESTIEM Alumnus to be interviewed? Frank Heffter

32 ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century


CAREER

Marlies van Laarhoven \\ ESTIEM ALUMNI INTERVIEW

Tell us about your career until now.

are moving towards an economy driven by purpose and

My career started off as a classical IEM career, until I decided

networks. In fact, I believe organisations that adhere to

to find my own way outside the trotted paths.

these developments will be most successful in the future. Therefore, I’ve founded my own company Stratwise,

During my studies I had a chance to do internships at

consulting leaders and organisations to grow with a purpose

Electrolux in Sweden and Canon in Japan. I graduated

in a sustainable world; fit for the future.

in 1993 and pursued an international career at Procter & Gamble. P&G has been the perfect first employer,

What does your average working day look like?

offering me a lot of opportunities to be responsible and

Stratwise is a network-based organisation in itself. This

entrepreneurial together with talented international

means that one of my priorities is to continue to build

colleagues. I learnt how a successful company is run; it was

strong relations with talented professionals, who bring

like doing my MBA on the job.

complementing experience and skills, to be able to scale

Marlies van Laarhoven Local Group Eindhoven

up to a suitable dream team as client needs require. I want Being more a generalist than a specialist, I chose to broaden

to be at the forefront of new developments and therefore

my experience by joining a strategy consulting firm, Arthur.

dedicate part of my working day to gain knowledge

D. Little, in 1998. A few years later I co-founded Quintel

and methodologies, for instance currently in creating

Strategy Consulting in the Netherlands. For several years

sustainable systems. With that in my backpack, I work with

I was both a consultant and CFO of our company of 40

clients to support them in successfully realising their next

people.

development step, always working towards a purposeful sustainable future.

The turning point for me came in February 2008. One morning it dawned on me how our economy, planet and

Your name:

people are in need of a transition and that there are much

Marlies van Laarhoven

more strategic issues to attend to. I realised as well that the

Your Local Group:

values of my peers had developed in ways that no longer aligned with my values. It was time to step out.

Eindhoven Year of graduation: 1993

A company is not a set of numbers, but merely a group

Your current job:

of people trying to achieve a shared ambition. I acquired

Founder at Stratwise

insights and techniques to be able to give fresh perspectives

Your current living place:

on what makes a group of people successful in line with

Amsterdam, the Netherlands

the purpose of their organisation. These perspectives make

Who do you choose as the next ESTIEM

organisations more effective and play a key role in strategic

Alumnus to be interviewed?

decision making. I believe organisations can have both a

Andreas FlodstrĂśm

sound business and look after their long term impact (both internal and on their external surroundings). Moreover, we

ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century 33


CAREER What are your plans for the future?

almost 30 years. But I remember the feeling of possibility in

We’ve only just started to make the transition towards

Graz, an outrageous vision being within reach. This makes

sustainable systems and network-based organisations,

it still an amazing event to me. In the months of intensive

so my journey is at the beginning. I firmly believe in this

work that followed, we created ESTIEM at the speed of

transition and as long as I can, I will pursue this vision.

light.

Which impact did ESTIEM have on your career?

For me, a similar feeling of possibility was in the air, when in

When starting ESTIEM, I experienced how a network of

2014 we explored the idea for the IEM Caring Foundation

people can achieve outstanding results. Looking back,

at the Council Meeting in Istanbul and the Alumni Meeting

all the innovations I’ve achieved, whether it be at P&G

in Budapest. I felt the time was right to make a next step in

or at consulting clients, were always a result of working

the life of ESTIEM and expand the impact of our network.

in a network state of mind vs. using hierarchy. With the

I was happy to be one of the founders of our foundation.

platform that the IEM Caring Foundation provides, we are

A very memorable event was the first Convention in

taking this a step further with completely self-managed

Frankfurt in 2015, when we felt so strongly present as a

purpose-driven teams (a so-called teal organisation, based

group and connected to our potential role in the outside

on ‘Reinventing organisations’ by Laloux). ESTIEM, also

world. I believe that we have only just started to unleash

for alumni and professors, remains a safe place to try-out

the power of our network, of purposeful collaboration

new ways. And that’s how it’s still helping me today in my

across all the generations of ESTIEMers on an equal basis,

career. Moreover, our impressive network of talented

across Europe and across different industries. Who knows

students, professionals and academics is a great source

what can be accomplished by the time of ESTIEM’s 50th

of inspiration, potential partners and clients for my work

anniversary?

towards a sustainable world. Listening to students and young alumni has been very interesting; it made clear to me

What is your advice to current ESTIEMers?

that Millennials naturally share these values and will be our

With such a vast network, anything is possible. Any idea

change agents.

you may have can be realised. Therefore, don’t hesitate to bring forward your idea towards a next development that

Tell us your most memorable ESTIEM story.

enriches the ESTIEM network. Know that you can draw on

I’ve had the privilege to be an active contributor to the

resources of people in the network, not only students, but

fundamental design of ESTIEM in June 1990 in Graz. Back

also professionals and academics. If you fail, no matter, at

then, we just wanted to establish a network of students to

least you tried. But chances are, you’re going to succeed

be able to organise exchanges and other events in order

and you’ll leave a lasting impact to the benefit of next

to gain international exposure. No-one had in mind that

generations of ESTIEMers. So, pursue your big outrageous

ESTIEM would become so large and still thriving after

ideas! Just go! And keep going!

34 ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century


CAREER

CAREER CENTRE \\ a new online platform for ESTIEMers Devoted to providing ESTIEMers with knowledge and opportunities which qualify them for finding a job or practise abroad, the CC has, amongst many others, one big goal: To prepare IEM students for the career they always wanted. Where it all began….

the past and you are afraid that it will be noticed?

For a long time, it seemed like something was missing regarding the Career Side of ESTIEM, perhaps a service

Career Centre got you covered with...”drum rolls”... the

or a platform offering ESTIEMers some different jobs or

knowledge part, which gives you everything you need to

study paths. Many events were organised, including two

know before you apply for a job. From basic things, such as

events in Eindhoven, which inspired a change. During those

‘How to write your CV’, to complicated topics (for example

events, participants had a chance to learn from experienced

how to behave on a job interview or how to present

Alumni members how to start an international career and

yourself on social media that companies are looking at), we

how to apply for a job abroad. All the knowledge they got

search for all needed resources so you could feel safe and

and the development of the event inspired our members

confident while applying for your job. All the resources and

to come up with something new. As a result, during the

the information are then sorted into articles, divided and

Coordination Meeting in Paderborn in October, the Career

organised on the Portal waiting for you to use them and

Centre - a new online platform within ESTIEM - was

Anđela Renovica Local Group Novi Sad

become the best version of yourself!

born under the leadership of Jorik Meijers (LG Eindhoven). Inspired by ideas presented in two Coordination Meetings, the Career Centre has then started growing and developing and is now composed out of a few different fields of work.

As no country and culture are the same, it is also important to put the focus not only on a general

part

everybody

(knowledge can

benefit

from presenting basic info) but also on a country-

What do we offer?

specific part (knowledge

As we all know, getting a job

focused on getting a job in

can sometimes be really hard.

a specific country, including

In order to fulfil your dream,

cultural differences). The

or decide upon different options that work in IEM field is offering to you, you must search through a lot of websites or offers of practices in real life.

CVs,

motivational

letters,

formal and informal relations and interviews are some of many instances where differences are visible.

With Career Centre (CC), you will reduce that time of search to a few clicks on the portal. In order to help you,

For example, the first stop in our search for knowledge was

CC was constructed out of two main parts:

asking LGs to help with sharing their job experience. We started with German LGs and focused on resources and

The opportunities side helps you browse through the

lectures such as ‘What is different on a German CV?’ or

different jobs, internships or thesis offers. You can learn in

‘How to prepare for an interview in German companies’.

different universities, specialise in different topics and also

After that, the plan is to broaden the search and find as

find offers from companies which are interested in students

many different pieces of information as we can get through

from our field of studies. In short, it uses ESTIEM as a link

every possible resource ESTIEM offers.

between you and all of the opportunities you can use. You can scroll, read about the offers and apply and as a result (if

Why does ESTIEM need a Career Centre?

you are the right person) get a job or internship.

As said before, ESTIEM aims to provide enough preparation and opportunities for IEM Students to start off their

But what if you don’t have all the knowledge required?

careers. For that reason, Career Centre supports the

What if you didn’t have enough interviews or internships in

mission of ESTIEM offering the professional development

ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century 35


CAREER of IEM students through internships, jobs’ knowledge

job’’. CVs with international experience always look great

centre and also thesis, while aiming to be far easier to use

and thanks to the Career Centre, they are easier to get!

and specific than other portals. It offers opportunities for

That sort of an experience shows your ability to work in

IEM students, it is more reasonably made, and reachable to

a different environment, as well as the willingness to move

everyone in the IEM field, while also taking into account the

outside your comfort zone. Other than that, it shows that

limited knowledge that students have.

you can deal with different influences, taxes and laws, and also that you are adaptable to different techniques of work.

As you can probably assume, with facilitated knowledge

Not only will this help with making your CV richer, but it

from Alumni members, mutually shared tips and tricks and

will also improve your practical knowledge and allow you

also information and support that will help you get the

to feel more comfortable on your job.

job you want, it will be far easier to go through the whole process.

2. Challenge your perspective A lot of great new ideas were born while combining

What will happen in the future?

knowledge from people with different cultural backgrounds

As we know, ‘‘Luck is what happens when preparation

and perspectives (for example, the idea to start ESTIEM).

meets opportunity’’. Therefore we are preparing to grow

While working abroad, your work ethic, beliefs and points

in a few different directions. During the upcoming years,

of view will be challenged and prone to a change, leading

opportunities like volunteering or gap year programs will

not only to a professional but also personal development.

also be shown in the first part of the portal. In the second

In our country, we are influenced by different good or

part, there will be more of the Alumni stories, career

bad mindsets about other countries, as a result of our

articles and hacks. Inside the division, there will be another

education, friends, social media and views. By exploring and

tryout of organising events such as “Be X for Y days”

working with people of a different cultural background,

(Where ESTIEMers can see how it is to perform a certain

we are able to break through our stereotypes (even the

job for a week) and different types of lectures. Since the

ones we weren’t aware of ) and focus on collaboration

Career Centre is a young project, its development will be

and progress that starts by working together. One study

full of surprises. The results are yet to be seen for many

even found out that students exposed to different cultures

of our future plans, but one thing is sure: the results from

are more likely to engage in creative processes, such as

the past are making us excited for the ones that will come.

the generation of unconventional ideas. (footnote Angela Leung from the Singapore Management University)

What’s in it for you? There are many perks to applying for international jobs.

3. Understanding your job better.

We included the top 5 reasons to challenge yourself in

By working abroad, you are able to understand strategies

making this sort of change in your life:

used in different countries and afterwards combine them and find a good one for your own company. You will also

1. Gain experience

make many valuable contacts and be up to date with the

A famous quote says: ‘‘You need a job in order to get

latest developments in your field, especially if the field you

experience, but you need experience in order to get a

are working in has a more developed market. And what is

36 ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century


CAREER

a better way to beat every type of competition you could have, than knowing that there is a better way to do the job?

To conclude, going abroad is not an easy choice. A lot of us think about it, but not many decide to take that step,

4. Build your personality

and that is also okay. We don’t want to force you to do

Some challenges change who you are forever. Living far

something you don’t feel like doing, but if you ever change

from home, working in a new field, in a foreign language

your mind, you know where to find us and all of the

and learning every day will definitely not bring you home

knowledge and support you need.

as the same person who left. The moment you decide to move, you become a modern-day pioneer. An enthusiast, explorer of the unknown and someone who dares to

Keep in mind: “The time is now.”

understand, not only the other country but also yourself in those different conditions.

If you like the idea of Career Centre and wish to contribute to its growth in the future, or if you have a suggestion

5. Improve your communication

or a change that you would like to propose to us, don’t

Communication is not only about the language. It is about

hesitate and send us an email to leader.career@estiem.org

culture and the mindset different people have. It helps

or contact any member of our team through their social

to understand a different way of thinking and working.

media profiles!

When you settle abroad and engage in the new culture, you become more tolerant and adjustable and also less judgmental (as said by many researchers).

ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century 37


CAREER

HOW TO WRITE CV WITH NO JOB EXPERIENCE? Your CV, short for curriculum vitae, is a personal marketing document used to sell yourself to your potential employers. It should tell them about you, your professional history and your skills, abilities and achievements. Ultimately, it should highlight why you are the best person for the job or internship.

What to include in your CV?

Additional sections Additional information are a great way to fill your CV and

Jelena Roksandic Local Group Novi Sad

Name, professional title and contact details

highlight your abilities and key skills even more. Some ad-

The first part of your CV, positioned at the top of the page,

ditional information could be special skills, hobbies and in-

should contain your name, professional title and contact

terests - be careful though, avoid listing hobbies that don’t

details. Under no circumstances should you title your CV

add value to your CV and put interests that make you stand

with ‘curriculum vitae’ or ‘CV’ as it’s a waste of valuable

out or are relevant to the job.

space. Treat your name as the title instead. When it comes to your contact details, your email address should be pro-

Once you’ve put together your CV – don’t assume it’s fi-

fessional and don’t forget to include your phone number.

nished.

For home address you can just include your town and cou-

Every job is different and tailoring your CV accordingly is

ntry. You can also add a link to your LinkedIn profile in this

vital to standing out. Edit it in line with the job description

section – but only if it’s up to date!

whenever you make an application, and you’ll be able to ensure it matches the specifications every time.

Personal profile A personal profile, also known as a personal statement or professional profile, is one of the most important aspects of your CV. It’s a short paragraph that sits just underneath your name giving prospective employers an overview of who you are. You should tailor your profile to every job you apply for, highlighting specific qualities that match you to the role. Aim to keep your personal statement short, no longer than a few sentences. Experience and employment history Your employment history section gives you a chance to outline your internships and work experience. If you just graduated university or you are still a student and you don’t have work experience, you can include your ESTIEM experience here. You should list your experience in reverse chronological order as your recent role is the most relevant to the employer. When listing each position of employment, state your job title, the employer, the dates you worked and a line that summarises the role. Then, bullet point your key responsibilities, skills and achievements. Education and qualifications Like your experience section, your education should be listed in reverse chronological order. Include the name of the institutions and the dates you were there, followed by your degree. You could also list a few of the most relevant

*The CV on the right is made up for purpose of

modules, assignments or projects underneath.

this text.

38 ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century


CAREER

ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century 39


INSIDE ESTIEM

THE NEW VISION EVENT CONCEPT

History

Jochen Di Vincenzo Local Group Karlsruhe

In 1993, a project called „Vision“ took place for the first time in ESTIEM. Its concept was to enable motivated participants to go on a study trip abroad as a reward for extraordinary involvement and passion during small seminars with company representatives and professors. Around 1998, the final conference of Vision replaced the study trip. ESTIEMers attended several seminars of the respective series and then joined together in the final conference. These final conferences were a place where people, who joined several seminars, exchanged their knowledge and opinions.

From the beginning on, Vision had a clear Mission: To give IEM students a practical insight in an out-of-the-box topic, bridging the gap between theory and industry, by organising a series of seminars throughout Europe.

Status March 2018 For a long time, Vision had the same main concept from

of the series while the rest just travelled once. Keep in

1993. Before I applied for Vision Leadership at CM

mind that according to the underlying concept all 81

Karlsruhe 2018, I asked myself a few questions: “Do

participants should have travelled to all six events! While

people still find it tempting to travel from one Vision

looking closer at the Final Conference of this series (with

seminar to the next one and then join the final conference

its eight participants) it also got quite clear that only one

for the knowledge exchange with other participants?” and

of them went to a Vision event before. While looking

“Is the Project Vision, as it is now, still providing the best

closer at the concept of Vision, it became obvious that the

purpose and output for IEM students in Europe?” The

purpose of sharing, discussing and enhancing knowledge

Vision team started to look into the last Vision project

is so no longer served. People don’t travel from one

that had been completed at that time - Vision Renewable

event to the next one and join the Final Conference.

Energies (2016/2017) consisting of six events. A total

The whole concept, this whole idea of joining several

number of 81 people travelled to these events. From

seminars, does not longer seem to fit in our reality.

these 81 participants, only six people attended two events

At the beginning of 2018, we, the Vision Central Team, asked participants, organizers and other ESTIEMers about other weaknesses of the current strategy:

Subtopics are often so close to each other that there is no value in joining more than one event of a series

LGs don’t apply for organizing events because they don’t see themselves in the position for fulfilling a given, highly

specialised topic

No red line connecting the events of a series

No benefit from joining the Final Conference

Events are grouped around few months in a year, lot’s of months without any events

Specific topics narrow the number of LGs who apply, less applications for events, leass possibilities to choose

Less interactive/ practical parts at the event

40 ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century


INSIDE ESTIEM Adapting the mission Giving IEM students practical insights while bridging the gap between theory and industry is the core of Vision. The term “out-of-the-box-topics” has never been really clear. What is the box? And what is “out-of-the-box?” It seems more convincing to state the topics of Vision as “current and future topics and trends from an environment between economy, society and technology”. This is a more precise definition leading to a framework of possible topics. Putting it all together brings out a slightly adapted Mission statement:

“The aim of Vision is to give IEM students practical insights in current and future topics and trends from areas between economy, society and technology while bridging the gap between academic and corporate environment.”

New concept Local Groups apply for organizing Vision events with a

The more knowledge the participants gain about the topic

relevant topic from an economic, social or technological

before the Vision event, the more complex the company

environment. The topic can be strongly embedded into

experiences are. At the event itself, it is also possible to

one of these three fields (for example “Technology behind

have a slot dealing with the basic knowledge required.

efficient aircraft engines”), but it can also be in the middle

But the focus of the respective event should definitely lay

of all three areas (“Aircraft Industry and its impact in

on how the topic is dealt with in industrial and corporate

environment, society and economics”). Every event has

environment. This is also where the separation line of

its own, outstanding and relevant topic. Core of every

Vision and Academic Days lays. Another separation point

event is “bridging the gap between academic and corporate

is the concept of “practical insights”. Participants should

environment”. Participants get basic academic knowledge

be able to practically experience things with experiments,

on the topic before the event – interesting videos, articles

trainings, practical workshops and simulations. For the basic

and academic papers. This way, they get the chance to

event structure itself there is not a big need for change since

inform themselves about companies, technologies or

participants rated the current structure as good and since

concepts they are going to explore during the event.

there are currently no obvious dysfunctions.

In a nutshell - main benefits of the new concept:

LGs are able to choose a Vision event that is best fitting to their partner companies, local industry,

experiences of members or contacts. They can choose a unique and outstanding topic that reflects their LG.

High quality of events due to custom topics.

More applications and a wider range of topics to choose from.

Better adapted to travel wishes of participants. Concept fits travel reality.

Topics are different from each other - no need to search for 10 subtopics for possible events

People can travel to more than one Vision event without the risk of experiencing things twice

Events are spread over the whole year, not just over several months. More ESTIEMers are able to join events.

ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century 41


INSIDE ESTIEM

HOW ESTIEM HELPED ME TO MY MASTER’S THESIS “Supporting IEM students in their professional and personal development” - you can read our mission on the first pages of this Magazine. But can developments in ESTIEM also be analysed from an academic point of view? With this motivation, I wrote my master thesis about how communication inside ESTIEM can be improved. How did I find the topic?

Dominik Rampp Local Group Dresden

In Autumn 2017, I had a lecture called “Designing E-learning

ninjas started creating a new portal. With that motivation,

arrangements”. The lectures main topic was, as you might

I approached the professor who held the aforementioned

guess from the name, how to design and maintain a virtual

lecture if it would be possible to write a thesis about

collaborative platform where students can interchange

ESTIEM and described him how members work on the

ideas about what they are working on with other students

central level. From that point, things went quite fast: I

and help each other. Sounds quite familiar once you are

worked out an exposé, presented it to the professor who

working on central level, doesn’t it?

was really excited about the topic and gave me lots of feedback and improvement points. After a meeting, I knew

Also decisive was that during my time as an LR and Magazine

that I would write about “multi community management in

Leader, I realised that many members are not informed

international teams: a case study about the students’ NGO

about what happens in ESTIEM. At the same time, our IT

ESTIEM”.

What is community management? The plan for my thesis was to approach the problem about information asymetrics in ESTIEM with the recent research results about community management. As we have a forum on the portal, most of the companies have internal information systems that aim to connect employees and make them help each other whenever they have a problem, e.g. specific knowledge about a process. Some of them, as e.g. Bosch have now employed so called community managers: they aim is inter alia to build up and maintain online communities, facilitate and conclude discussions and help employees to exchange knowledge. With this example in mind, my thesis aimed to research whether it would make sense to have such a community manager for ESTIEM, in particular the Forum on our portal. How did I proceed?

And last but not least, after I presented the concept of a

Is it easy for you to explain ESTIEM to someone who

community manager, I asked the interviewees if ESTIEM

doesn’t know about it? According to many members I

could have a community manager, which attitudes such a

know, it is not. Why? Because everyone sees ESTIEM from

community manager should have.

a different point of view. With that in mind, I interviewed 5 ESTIEMers with several backgrounds: some of them

After having held the interviews, I made a Qualitative

were already graduated, some were in the board, and each

Content Analysis: this means first clustering the

one of them was or is active in a different PCI in ESTIEM.

interviewees’

The interviews had three main purposes: first of all, I

comparing the statements and concluding them. As a final

wanted to identify current issues about communication

step, I had my results from the Qualitative Content Analysis

inside ESTIEM. Second, I asked the interviewees about

evaluated by the 28th and 29th board in a survey.

improvement points, especially for the ESTIEM Forum.

42 ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century

statements

into

different

categories,


INSIDE ESTIEM What were my results?

using the Forum? Another aspect is that the Forum is based

ESTIEM needs an internal communication platform where

on a technology that is between 10 and 15 years old. This

members can exchange, discuss and everyone from a new

means that especially with more recent communication

member to an alumnus can be addressed. This is only

tools as facebook or reddit, new functions as likes, upvotes

possible in a tool that can be accessed by every member,

or subcomments established.

which is our portal. The biggest value a community manager could add would Although the number of new posts increased on the Forum,

be facilitating and concluding discussions, as we already

the number of messages replied to a post decreased. All of

know from Coordination Meetings or Training events

the interviewees pointed out that the discussions on the

where facilitators are leading discussions. Apart from that, a

Forum are formal and posts are rather long.

community manager could enhance participation by pushing specific members like Local Responsibles or ex-leaders to

But is that the only reason why are many members not

share their opinion on certain topics.

How can you contribute as an ESTIEMer? Although it came up that the software behind the Forum is rather old fashioned, an online platform also depends on how we as ESTIEMers use it. Based on some interviewees’ statements I collected a bunch of thoughts how you might contribute to change the discussion culture: •

From my own experiences, ESTIEMers want to gather fresh input when they write a post. Keep in mind that the Forum is a discussion tool and not an announcement tool

Don’t be afraid to reply to a post. Ask if you don’t understand a point or a thought, you won’t be the only one!

It was stated more than once posts are rather long creates a very formal discussion atmosphere. If your thoughts can be shared in two sentences, share your thoughts.

At the end of the day, ESTIEM is what we make out of it. This

“For me, the biggest challenge is to make people accept the tool [...] if people don’t accept the tool, it is useless. So you have to make the people accept it and seeing the benefit of using the tool.” - an interviewee

also applies to our discussion culture on the Forum. So, don’t be afraid to share your thoughts!

ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century 43


INSIDE ESTIEM

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE 29TH BOARD OF ESTIEM

44 ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century


INSIDE ESTIEM

PRESIDENT Q1: As president, one of your responsibilities is to

VICE PRESIDENT OF ADMINISTRATION

form and maintain a team. Which values would you say represent your board? I see two great values that we have as a board. We are completely honest with each other, since the beginning stages of our mandate. This is mostly because everybody is very open for feedback and comments for one another. I think that everybody sees the value in feedback, namely improving yourself and your ideas. The second value is that we are not only a board, but also a group of friends. We want to make the best of this board year and not only work-wise. We want to experience this year together and share memories and stories. Q2: You’re accountable for the fulfillment of your board’s goals and the ESTIEM Strategy. How do you plan to ensure a smooth year, with the

Q1: During this year, you’ll encounter several

implementation of your ideas?

situations where you’ll be under pressure and

Here, I see a lot of important aspects, too many to name

stress (especially during the Council Meetings),

them all. What is important for this, to continue on the

while also being expected to make fast decisions

first question as well, is to have a good team. If you can

and support ESTIEMers with their questions and

have the best board goals ever but there is nobody willing

struggles. How are you planning to deal with that?

to cooperate, everything will all be in vain. A second, very

I believe that a lot of self control comes from the respect

important, aspect, is to communicate. Communicate to get

you have for yourself and the people around you. I will keep

feedback, communicate to get new ideas, communicate to

that in mind and try to have a balance in that and I also trust

show the importance of your ideas.

my team to support me during tough times. Q2: What are you expecting to learn from the position of VP of Administration that will be the most useful in your future? My general approach to things is to either expect nothing or expect everything. For this year I decided to stay openminded and try to learn from every experience I will have. I could have said that I expect to learn about strategic management, team interactions or how to organise big projects like a Council Meeting. However, I believe the board year is more than that and the knowledge that will be most valuable for me in the future is not obvious and the ways I will obtain it are unpredictable. So to sum up, I will use a famous quote in ESTIEM: The future is not ours to see.

Q3: If you had to choose a superpower, what would

Q3: The past board gained some weight during

it be?

their board year, resulting in ripped pants and even

Since I was little I knew that it has to be stopping time. I

a ruined suit. How do you plan to cope with such

believe that time is the most precious thing we have,

dramatic affairs, if these happen to you?

imagine how much more you can do if you have control

Well, I think I didn’t gain any weight the last 5 years, so this

over it! However, there should be some limitations, such

is a bit difficult to imagine for me. But I heard that duct tape

that, for example, you can do it once per day, so you can

can repair a lot!

not abuse this power.

ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century 45


INSIDE ESTIEM Q4: What are your favourite comics collections

Q3: What are the best and the worst purchases

and why?

you’ve ever made?

I was always more of a DC girl. I like that in their comics

My best purchase is an old sound installation from the 80s

they are not afraid to refer to the darker side of their

including four active speakers, a receiver and a vinyl player.

heroes, so it is not always black and white. Batman comics

The speakers sound amazing and I still use them every day.

and Watchmen are my all-time favourite, but I also enjoy

For my worst purchase, nothing sprang to mind. The

some good old Tintin comic!

closest I come to a bad purchase is a knock-off GoPro: I only used it a few times and never did anything with the videos it shot.

VICE PRESIDENT OF FINANCE Q1: What drives you?

Q4: If you had a boat, what would you name it?

I believe my motivation comes from two things; self-

“Tax Sea-vation”

development and the desire to go on adventures. I like to first gain an overview, then specific knowledge on

VICE PRESIDENT OF ACTIVITIES

the matter, to eventually put this knowledge to use. This is

Q1: What is the most important thing Local

also what drove me to ESTIEM and the options it offers.

Groups should know regarding ESTIEM events in your opinion?

As my second driver, I love to experience new things, do

The most crucial thing for Local Groups to realise is that

things that I don’t know the exact outcome of. Examples

organising an event is not a task but an opportunity. An

of this are that I used to photograph abandoned buildings

event is not just for participants but also for the Local

together with one of my friends, the thrill of entering an

Group to enjoy and learn. They should add something

unknown place to make photographs, and the road trips I

from themselves to the event and enjoy it as much as the

made (to countries like Morocco and Albania) in a 40-year-

participants.

old car. Q2: How does the ESTIEM spirit show itself in Q2: As Vice President of Finance and as a board

your daily ESTIEM life?

member, you will have to, on many occasions,

ESTIEM spirit is a really interesting part of our culture.

make hard decisions. What will you base your

We often don’t realise during an event how open-minded

decisions on?

we are. Becoming best friends after three hours, making

I base it upon the intent of the other party and the purpose

promises for the next event, traveling for 36 hours just to

of the decision. What can other people achieve if I decide

spend a weekend in a new city or visit the bar you had so

in a certain way and is the intent of the other party right?

much fun two years ago. Moreover, feeling like home all

In general, I will look at the end goal and then decide based

around Europe and looking for ESTIEMers to travel with is

on what comes closest to fulfilling this.

how ESTIEM spirit shows itself in not just my ESTIEM but also my daily life.

46 ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century


INSIDE ESTIEM Q3: What importance does kebab (or its variants

stakeholders to IEM associations and their students, it

such as shawarma or döner) have in your life?

is crucial to be known and recognised for good reasons,

As a half-Turkish-half-Greek person, kebab is not a choice

further allowing us to provide value for our network.

for me, it is a way of life. When I eat kebab, I don’t think about the food but the experience itself. I eat kebab for

Also, PR is everywhere and in the little things. Every time

lunch, for dinner and of course for breakfast. As the new

that someone talks about ESTIEM or uses our logo in a post

VP of Activities, I’ll make sure kebab is going to keep its

or on a hoodie, it is influencing the image that others have

place on the top of the sunshine mountain.

of us. So, it is important to not neglect the impact of these actions on the success of our organisation and to see the opportunities it can bring us in the long run. Q3: Which cultural aspects do you like in ESTIEM and why? At my first event, CM Austria in 2015, I remember feeling amazed by everything that was accomplished and that was done by students for students. That’s something I love in ESTIEM, the freedom and the chance to develop ideas and to find people willing to make it happen. Beside that, in every ESTIEMer there is a friend. Everytime we travel, the hospitality of people, who, even though they don’t know you, put a lot of effort into making you feeling at home, is amazing. When you have been part of ESTIEM for a while, it is easy to forget and take these small things that make our network so unique for granted.

VICE PRESIDENT OF PUBLIC RELATIONS Q1: Who is Ana Rita Mendes? Who am I? Well… I believe we are shaped by our experiences and the people we meet, not supposed to remain the same and should always strive to be the best version of ourselves. The Rita 22.0 is undecided, quiet, not that confident, but willing to challenge herself, go into the unknown and, all in all, a nice person who cares about others (most of the times). At the end, I’m just an ordinary girl who wants to be extraordinary and leave a mark on this world in one way or another. Q2: Why is Public Relations important for ESTIEM?

VICE PRESIDENT OF EDUCATION

Public Relations (PR) is important for every organisation to

Q1: What is the biggest issue in the field of

maintain a good communication with all the stakeholders.

education in ESTIEM you want to face and solve

It aims to create a positive image of the association and

during your board year?

beneficial partnerships that allow organisations to get

Despite ESTIEM being an IEM oriented organisation, we

visibility and recognition for what they do.

have very little knowledge of the current development of IEM in Europe and our contribution to it is very small.

For ESTIEM, as a facilitator of knowledge from the

I believe that the first thing ESTIEM needs to do to have a ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century 47


INSIDE ESTIEM stronger educational network is to have a clearer overview of which topics are undergoing the most development nowadays. This can be achieved through widening our network of professionals and academics that support us, collaboration with our NGO partners, organising more educational activities, such as the IEM Education Forum and Conference, and increasing our own research within the Academic department on these topics. This way I believe we can position ourselves more adequately to show the IEM students of Europe the newer developments, improve their education and make their voices heard. Q2: What was the achievement in your life you are most proud of? Well, getting elected to the board ranks pretty high in this list for sure! But I’d say the thing I feel the proudest of is when I organised my first event, Summer College 2016 in Madrid. It was a fairly large and good event, we managed

Q3: What is your personal opinion on siestas?

to have healthy meals and good evening activities besides

Same as on football. I can see the beauty in it in certain

a good working environment in the event. I couldn’t

special occasions, but let’s say I’d rather do other sports

feel prouder of how we did as a Local Group and how I

on a day-to-day basis. Also, as with football, despite not

performed as the Project Leader… In fact, this motivated

being a die-hard fan I have a pretty strong opinion on how

me to attend my first CoM just a week after the event

it should be: Never longer than 40 minutes, and if you put

ended and get active in Central ESTIEM, from there, it’s

on your pyjama or get into bed, it’s not a siesta anymore,

history and good memories!

it’s sleeping during the afternoon.

48 ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century


INSIDE ESTIEM

THE GROWING TOGETHER MENTORING \\ An update Are you in the final phase of your studies? Do you feel a great longing to start a rewarding and meaningful career and unfold the great potential of your life? Do you have a desperate feeling but you do not know what you look for and which opportunities are waiting for you? Then, you should consider joining the Growing Together Mentoring. This programme gathering ESTIEMers and ESTIEM

An open call with instructions about how to apply will be sent soon. Do not hesitate to direct any questions to growingtogether@estiem.org!

Alumni helps ESTIEMers to develop themselves towards a successful career and life with the help of an experienced mentor. The 5th Growing Together edition took place in 2018,

conversations the common outcomes for the mentees

supported by mentors with a wide range of experience.

are getting to know oneself, one‘s ambitions and goals

Every mentee can expect to find the right mentor for

better and identifying how to achieve them with a career

their specific needs, as the mentors cover a wide range of

that fits their desires. In addition, the mentors describe the

industries, professions and levels of seniority – with the

programme as a source of continued inspiration.

most senior mentors providing their experience from 30 years of professional careers, nowadays working in senior

The Growing Together programme has been supporting

management positions of big global companies. It takes

ESTIEMers for 5 consecutive years. The first edition started

some commitment to closely work together for one year,

in Autumn 2013 and since then approximately 20 mentor-

but all mentors and mentees describe the experience as

mentee pairs per year embarked on their challenging,

very rewarding. Through trustful relationships and deep

inspiring and fruitful journeys together.

Sebastian Geese Local Group Siegen

ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century 49


EXPLORE

MY ERASMUS EXPERIENCE

Danijel Pavlica

Local Group Novi Sad

It’s the summer of 2017 in Novi Sad. The weather is

thing, but in Spain, using my newly acquired basic Spanish

unbearable and my mind is all over the place as I am

language skills. And without a boss. The thing no one tells

deciding what should I bring to Jaén, a city in Spain I

you about Erasmus is the level of bureaucracy one needs

don’t know anything about. But then it came to me, all

to face before, during and after an exchange, but I decided

the reasons why I am packing my suitcases and how I

not to give up. No person behind the desk asking for “one

ended up moving abroad for one year. Everything started

paper more” was stronger than my wish to spend one

when I realised that studying and working full-time at the

year abroad. After impatiently waiting for it, you receive

end wasn’t such a brilliant idea. In order to escape from

that one e-mail saying your application was successful –

the routine and challenge myself a bit, I decided to do

subliminally telling your life is about to change completely.

what I enjoy quite a lot – start learning a new language.

Leaving your family and friends for a long period, knowing

The choice was Spanish, as I wanted to know more than

you can´t be with them whenever your heart wants to,

“¡Hola!”, order something else than “cerveza” and avoid

for me was utterly challenging. Regardless, as the plane

being a mime artist while unsuccessfully trying to have a

landed in Madrid and after seeing faces of my Spanish

conversation with parents of my Spanish friends. Sitting

friends, I felt like home again and concluded that Erasmus

in an office from 9 to 5 and talking with foreigners from

will be similar to an ESTIEM event – just two semesters

all over the world at the beginning was acceptable, until I

long.

saw an Erasmus open call and realised I can do the same

”Your life is about to change completely.”

“Why Jaén?” was the question I would get right after the

immense amount of cultural heritage made throughout its

“how are you?” one, but I could understand the curiosity of

more than a millennium long history. University of Jaén, on

people. Little did I know that “a random city in Andalusia

the other hand, celebrated 25 years of existence and it´s

with a not so known university” would grow so much on

still climbing its wayto become a known one. Nevertheless,

me. The city of Jaén, also known as the “World Capital

due to the internationalisation programme, it educates

of Olive Oil” for being globally the largest producer of

around 1300 foreign exchange students from more than 60

“the liquid gold” has around 120,000 inhabitants and an

countries every year.

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”Those foreigners quickly become your friends.” That is, perhaps,the biggest advantage of Jaén as an Erasmus

“Erasmus Family.Those are the people that will make your

destination – in a small city, at every corner you will meet

days, turn every idea into adventure, be the reason why

your Erasmus friends. When it comes to life in Jaén, I was

Erasmus is not just an exchange – but a state of mind that is

quite surprised that it is livelier than some bigger European

now an inseparable part of you. Suddenly, you find yourself

cities I have visited so far. That fact owns to its people,

sitting in your room frantically reading articles about the

who live in a special Andalusian way that hasn't been

phenomenon called “post-Erasmus depression”, realising

touched by hordes of tourists and the best way to depict

that one year has passed frightfully fast. This time, you are

their lifestyle is by saying that Andalusia is home to many

saying goodbye to friends that are now like your family,

of the iconic cultural elements and the place where the

walking the very last time through the streets of the city

popular image of Spain comes from. Erasmus, alongside the

in which you lived life-changing moments and profoundly

academic part, wouldn´t be the same without all the people

wishing that the exchange never ends. Unfortunately, it

one meets. Instantly, you find yourself reaffirming that the

does.You are packing your suitcases and in a blink of an

world is a place filled with extraordinary people andthat

eye you are in your country, your city and your old room,

each and every one of us has a story. Those foreigners

thinking that nothing much has changed since the last time

quickly become your friends and you create bonds so

you were there. Sooner or later, it will come to you, the

powerful that in no-time you discover the meaning of the

only thing that has changed in this scenario are you.

It’s the summer of 2018 in Novi Sad. The weather is unbearable and my mind is all over the place as Iam reminiscing about Jaén, a city in Spain that will forever be a part of my story. Thank you, 30 th Generation of Erasmus.

ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century 51


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4 PLACES YOU CAN DISCOVER WITH ESTIEM \\ Budapest, Kyiv, Lisbon, Moscow Budapest The capital of Hungary is one of the most beautiful and

Hungary and one of the oldest lines in the world. It also rides

nostalgic capitals of Europe. Budapest has it all: a rich

on the side of Pest mostly underneath the elegant Andrássy

historical heritage, fairytale architecture, outstanding

Avenue, which connects the city center with the City Park.

culture and a fine cuisine. This charming city is located

Throughout the events we organized in the past few

on both sides of the Danube river: Buda is special for its

months, we were eager to show many of the majestic

romantic streets and alleyways, while Pest offers great

secrets our beloved city has to offer. The participants

cultural treasures and the more vibrant and lively part of

also enjoyed to explore some of the hidden places

the city can be found here too. Budapest is full of secrets

of Budapest. Just to mention one, our popular Ruin

and there is no better way to uncover some of them then

Bars, where you can find everything from inventive

by hopping on the vintage Tram No. 2 or by taking Metro

art installations to crazy dance parties. Often, these

Line M1. Tram No. 2 runs parallel with the Danube on the

pubs are the favorite spots of visiting ESTIEMers.

embankment of Pest. It passes many great sights, such as

To be honest, there are not enough words in

the Buda Castle or the Parliament. Metro Line M1 or, as

the world to describe Budapest. So do not miss

we call it, the Underground is both the oldest metro line in

any opportunities to visit the only Hungarian LG!

Kyiv Kiev is one of the oldest cities in Europe and is situated

them is gorgeous and painted in bright colours. One of

on the picturesque banks of the Dnieper River. As it

the best known and most popular of the capital’s sights

was founded more than 1500 years ago, people call it

is Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Kiev Cave Monastery), which

“The Mother of Russian cities”. The perfect time to visit

was founded in 1051. It is a unique monastery complex,

Kiev is in May, when the chestnuts start to blossom.

which is included in the UNESCO world heritage list.

The starting point for exploring the city should be from

The monastery played a very important role in the

the central square of Kiev - Independence Square (Maidan

Ukrainian culture development — the first printing-house

Nezalezhnosti). It is the heart of Kiev, as each celebration

was established here and many famous chroniclers, writers,

takes place there. Moreover, the main street, which

scientists, painters, doctors lived and worked there. Today,

crosses the square, is closed for cars during weekends,

the main sight of Kyiv Pechersk Lavra is a model of the

so you can stroll there and enjoy time with friends.

Cathedral of the Holy Dormition. It is one of the most beautiful

There are a lot of orthodox churches in Kiev and each of

churches in Ukraine. One of the most interesting museums

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Technology

span four floors, so there’s plenty to see and definitely

Experimentanium. It is 1400 square meters of exciting

the

Museum

something suitable for all tastes. Previous exhibitions have

entertainment, two floors and about 250 interactive

showcased the works of the controversial British artist

exhibits which you can touch, twist and experiment with.

Damien Horst and Indian-born sculptor Anish Kapoor.

The Experimentanium is a scientific and entertainment

The World War II memorial complex, which was opened

center which demonstrates laws of science and phenomena

in 1981, includes a museum with 18 different galleries,

of the world. In the museum it is possible to check

an eternal flame, plaques honoring particularly heroic Soviet

conductivity of various objects, run a cloud to the ceiling,

cities and an outdoor display containing military planes and

draw intricate patterns using a pendulum, build bridges

other equipment from various wars. In the central area

without nails and rope, sit behind the wheel of real firefighter

there is the Motherland Monument. It is a giant titanium

truck, watch the birth of a tornado, look into infinity,

statue of a woman with a shield and a sword in her hands

observe lightning, force a magnet to fly and many more.

that celebrates the Soviet Union’s victory during World

Permanent exhibitions of the museum are dedicated

War II. 62m high and visible from various points around

to

branches

Science

as

Mechanics,

Kiev, the monument is the city’s most distinctive feature.

Acoustics.

This complex is a fantastic area with an amazing view of

Another place worth visiting is the Pinchuk Art Centre. It

Kiev, as there are two viewing platforms on the statue.

is the most interesting art gallery in the city. The gallery

The easiest way to get there is to go to Arsenalna Metro Station,

focuses on contemporary art and features ever-changing

which is the deepest one in the world (at about 105 meters).

exhibitions by world-renowned artists. Exhibition areas

So come to Kiev and the city will definitely impress you!

Electricity,

physics,

such

and

and

Optics,

of

of

Magnetism

Lisbon Lisbon is mostly known for being one of the best destinations in Europe with its cheap lifestyle and amazing weather. We Portuguese are also as proud as Punch of Lisbon’s role in the Age of Discovery, and more specifically Belém’s harbor, being the starting place for dozens of exploratory voyages around the globe, including Vasco da Gama’s expedition to India in 1497. Therefore the historical and cultural density of Belém is enormous and undeniable. There is a wide range of monuments and interesting places to visit, from Belém’s tower, one of the finest works from the Portuguese late gothic Manueline style, which used to be the protection and overlook of the Tagus river entrance, to CCB (Belém’s Cultural Center), a beautiful and contemporary building with plenty of exhibitions and important meetings.

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In between, there iss so much more to visit: Jerónimos’ Monastery, Calouste Gulbenkian Planetarium, Monument to the Discoveries, going for a walk alongside the river and much more. The best part of Belém is, however, the Pastéis de Belém bakery. It sells the world-famous traditional custard tarts and that is why queues for the sweet, rich, perfectly crisp treats often stretch along the pavement. So don’t forget, when in Lisbon, get a glimpse of Portuguese history while spending a morning surrounded by an impressive view of the Tagus river and eating one of the best traditional sweets!

Moscow The FIFA World Cup was held in Russia this summer.

Croatia, taught Croatian chants and sang Croatian songs.

The event is now remembered by all fans for the Russian

Can you imagine what happened when Croatia won? In

team’s incredible victory over Spain’s team, for the

addition to screaming and tears of joy, our participants

unceasing crowds of fans at Nikolskaya street, and, of

all had time to give interviews to several international

course, for the atmosphere throughout the World Cup.

channels, so that perhaps some of you saw familiar faces

ESTIEM LG Moscow held the best student event of

during a live broadcast. In this incredible atmosphere

this summer at the same time - the Football Activity

we spent so much time singing the ESTIEM song

Week, which gave all participants wonderful friends, a

in different places and with different people, learned Kalinka-

storm of emotions, the warmest memories, love for

Malinka from foreigners and just enjoyed the moment.

Russia and the desire to some day visit Moscow again.

We managed to visit the most modern brewery in Europe.

We visited all the most famous attractions in just seven days.

Moscow Brewing Company, which entered the Russian

The most memorable and favourite place for everyone

market in 2008, is already among the top ten largest beer

was the fan zone on the Sparrow Hills, which we visited

producers in Russia. The company gave us the opportunity

three times. Sparrow Hills is located next to the main

to learn the secrets of making Russian beer and other

building of Moscow State University, which is the largest

traditional low-alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages. They

university building in the world, built on Stalin’s orders.

also treated everyone with beer after a tour of the production.

In the fan zone, we, together with the participants from

See you in Moscow!

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NOVEMBER 2018 BusinessBooster visits SLUSH, Helsinki 29 November to 06 December 2018 DECEMBER 2018 Winter Academy “Brainhacks 4.0”, Darmstadt 02 December to 08 December 2018 Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Training Event, Belgrade 03 December to 09 December 2018 Milan & Russia visit Istanbul-ITU 06 December to 10 December 2018 Nordic Regional Coordination Meeting, Lulea 06 December to 10 December 2018

Automotive Industry Days, Dresden/ Braunschweig/Bremen 08 December to 14 December 2018 BrainTrainer Innovation and Creativity Management, Sofia 10 December to 16 December 2018

JANUARY 2019 ESTIEM 360, Eindhoven 07 January to 14 January 2019 Rocking the Alps Skiing Activity Week Xs, Darmstadt 12 January to 19 January 2019

Advent Activity Week , Zagreb 14 December to 17 December 2018 North East Regional Coordination Meeting, Poznan 16 December to 20 December 2018 New Year Activity Week, Berlin 29 December 2018 to 02 January 2019

Winter Academy “Find your Inner Warriors”, Lappeenranta 13 January to 19 January 2019 Mediterranean Regional Coordination Meeting, Famagusta 21 January to 26 January 2019

ESTIEM Magazine | 55th issue - Leadership in the 21st century 55


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