GRIT GRIND GRATITUDE; How CEO1MONTH at Adecco-Middle East, Changed Me

I sit here, writing my last blog post as CEO1Month at AdeccoME and muse on over the many ways in which I have changed. 

                               

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"No one ever dreams of becoming a CEO for 1 month straight out of university, I certainly didn’t either. I bagged an opportunity that seemed impossible and then worked relentlessly hard to make it a reality"

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I dared to dream, because I knew if I did, nothing would be impossible. Yet my story didn’t just stop at achieving the seemingly impossible. My journey had just begun and after one month of this outrageously wonderful experience I can see how it has changed me as an individual and helped broaden my vision.

I first arrived at the office as a wonderstruck fresh graduate, ready to face any challenge thrown at me. But my one month has taught me far more than merely facing challenges and overcoming hurdles. They say power must be exercised with equal responsibility and I got to witness that in practice. Knowing that every decision taken alters the lives of everyone around you is always looming over a CEO’s head. While I was required to craft the future of Adecco, I was always conscious of the impact it shall have on its clients, customers, employees and the society. I learnt that often a small change in process results in drastic changes in structures, practices, tasks and maybe even impact society.  I hence learnt to be humble and mindful of this as I upheld Adecco’s core values and worked towards implementing its key strategic priorities

Quite early in my path I did also witness failure. I’ve often heard Management gurus talk about failure and how it changed them. From Steve Jobs and Bill Gates to Nelson Mandela, all vouch for the character that failure instilled in them. For me, I witnessed it in its brutal gut wrenching reality. But what was important was that failure though discouraging, didn’t make me distraught or succumb to feelings of hopelessness. Instead it made me strive for a solution. I didn’t find myself mad or heartbroken over the failure of my presentation but eager to turn it around. I was lucky though, because I was surrounded by people who were ever willing to help me, guide me and show me the error of my ways. All I needed to do was reach out, ask and then listen. Yes, indeed my CEO1month journey has taught me the power of diverse opinions and taking informed decisions. Passion kept me relentlessly chasing after what I believe, but it was the people who helped me forge the right path towards it.

At the juncture of an unbelievable one month behind me, I learnt the importance and need to change. As a management student we learnt theories on organizational change, the crucial importance of it and how to achieve it. As a CEO1month, I was required to lead and embrace change, relating why it was necessary and brainstorming on how together we could achieve it. Suddenly I took on the role of being a transformational leader and talking about why we mustn’t resist it. This required not only organizational analysis but also a deep understanding of self-reflection as change frequently reveals the importance of leveraging ones strengths and eradicating ones weaknes

"For any person starting out, being a CEO is a dream, an impossibility, an ultimate target to achieve and to live this dream is inspiring in itself."

To be able to sit through staffing meetings, PPM meetings, understand finances and budgets, and be a part of client meetings and see all the functions intertwine to affect the PNLs is the most crucial aspect I have learnt. To have the exposure to understand every detail of the business, to be a part of every conversation as it happens and grasp how things pan out in real time has been life-changing. I have had the fortune to lead client meetings on my own and the fact that AdeccoME had the confidence in my abilities has raised my own conviction. As a graduate, one often finds themselves at the lowest rung of any business, not understanding the difference our actions make in the corporate scheme of things. This stint as CEO made me realise how important every person is and how no work is ever too small. Not only has my talent here been recognized, I was given the ability to explore my own ideas which has made me deeply loyal to Adecco and everyone in this office. I felt deeply moved by the participation of every person in my survey at Adecco. Post my presentation, everyone took out time to give me feedback. For everyone to pause their busy schedules and give me constructive feedback on my presentation was elevating. The team has been extremely accommodating, and exceptionally admirable in their efforts to make me feel welcome. This has helped me learn the importance of inclusion and taking the extra step to build a culture of acceptance that enables employees to hone their skills and follow their passion. AdeccoME has taught me that aid can be given in all forms and a simple feedback has the power to create wonders.

"My personal love for Adecco comes from its core values, and I have been fortunate to see these core values come to life at AdeccoME. "

 The Heads of all departments really nurture team spirit. I watched as employees brainstormed over solutions, selflessly helped each other complete tasks and as the Heads encouraged a sense of achievement and pride in their work. Passion for work flows freely in the team, where departments relentlessly work to better themselves and their processes in order to achieve excellence. Customer focus is of paramount importance and consultants work hard to focus on it. Not only does everyone take responsibility of their business duties, they feel equally responsible to maintain integrity and respect in the office. Team leaders encourage entrepreneurship at all times, leading by example and endorse learning from success and failure alike.

I started my first day with the knowledge that I was a dwarf being carried and elevated by the magnitude of giants and I want to specially thank Romain Liot, CEO of Adecco ME, for continuously pushing me to outdo my potential and being the catalyst of change in my world. He graciously allowed me to head sales meetings, something a fresh graduate would never have the chance to do and to cross-question their business decisions if I wanted to. I have sat through discussions between CEO and CFO Arnaud Caullie and been privy to seeing a larger picture, balancing passion with informed decision making. I cannot forget Ismini Papadopoulou, HR Business Partner  and the patience she sought towards explaining every procedure and guiding me through all my tasks. Damian Brown, Our P.P Director and team members;  Mira Mylyniemi, Asha Manoharan, Scott Hayes, Garry Jarman, Jack Michelon, Steve Richardson, Sarah Kabbarah, Matthew Nolan,Mohamed Bahaa and Imran Anwar who have been instrumental in providing me feedback and opportunities to understand their departments and working better. Jasmine Soyan, our Staffing Manager along with, Dhriti Saxena , Gulnazik Kyzy, Rizwan Siddiqui, Fares Al Bayati, Ruchika Kohli and Stefanos Katsaris, who helped me decipher processes and establish practices, and I appreciate their patience with me. I would also like to extend my gratitude to Maryam  Al Fardan- Hr Manager, as well as,  Rhoda M. Capio, Emelyn H. Suralta, Madelyn Morales, Ibrahim Al Asmawi, Amina Riad, Mohammed Ullah, Yasmine Martin and Arun Chintha, for reaching out to me, making sure I was comfortable, working hard to integrate me within the work culture and aiding me in my daily tasks.

Lastly I would want to thank Nasser Oudjidane, the Abu Dhabi - Branch Manager and Tiago Costa, Operations Manager Qatar. We had very little opportunity to work closely together, however, they still took time out to meet with me and explain their business operations to me. I may not have had the occasion to meet all their team members; however I have sat in weekly and quarterly meetings, which have born testimony of the good work being done in their branches as well.

I may no longer be CEO here at AdeccoME from tomorrow, but I will still feel the same fierce loyalty as I do today. I am proud to be associated with Adecco and know that our brightest days lie ahead. I look forward to continue contributing to the business and growing along with Adecco, as we make BETTER WORK BETTER LIVES a global reality.

How I Achieved A Healthy Work-life Balance

“As CEO1Month, I have come to realize the importance of having a life outside work. With all the pressure a CEO faces daily, it’s imperative to unwind and rejuvenate yourself to avoid the risk of burning out.”

I noticed in my first two weeks, I was focusing only on WORK. I would come home, read up on work, stay glued to my laptop and answer emails late into the night. This resulted in my energy levels dropping, being short-tempered with family and missing out on fun and excitement in general. Imagine not being able to have dinner with your family because you gave an email more importance. Imagine not being able to share the excitement of being a CEO and changing lives because you were lost in your endeavor to outshine your potential. Now imagine the reverse, the horror of underperforming because you chose to give your undivided attention to a personal sphere. As an individual who often is found obsessing over a task, I constantly struggled with not thinking about work.Considering my background in Mental Health I should have been brilliant at this, but alas, I was struggling and hence, I decided to pull back and take a stance.

"Life is fully enjoyed when you enjoy both, work and your own life. It’s a tricky line to walk, but to have a healthy mind and body, its essential to make those decisions."

We often forget the importance of spending time away from technology. Our eyes and fingers are permanently glued to our phones. This is the first barrier to overcome: Leave that phone at home and go outside. Take a walk, sit on a bench in a park or stare at the waves on a beach. We all need our alone-time and that includes being away from the constant interaction a phone offers us. Take time out during the day, even if its 20 minutes, away from your phone, laptop, TV etc. Slowly, you will find yourself at ease, prioritising work and family in equal measure.

A healthy mind resides in a healthy body. In this fast-paced world, we often feel tired and every morning is a battle to get out of bed. The simple cure? Exercise! Whether it’s a brisk walk, a jog, cycling, yoga or even just exercises at home, your body needs to expend energy. The first month of you exercising will not be easy and you will need to push yourself out that door. But the effort is well worth it: you will sleep better, have more energy, your brain will be more active and you can tackle work pressure better.

Calm your mind with meditation. We all have a million thoughts running through our minds. This overworks our brain and produces constant stress. Find your oasis of calm within you. Sit in a quiet corner away from any distraction and breathe. Just breathe. Be aware of the air going in through your nose, into your lungs and feel your rib-cage expanding. This is a great way to stop your brain from over-thinking and prevents a burn out. Through regular meditation you will notice you can tackle stress bette, and provide solutions instead of panicking in an unknown situation.

And smile. Oh how we all forget the importance of being happy and smiling! A smile is contagious. Start your day with smiling at yourself in the mirror. Continue to smile at people through the day: your family, the doorman, receptionist, colleagues, delivery service, anyone and everyone. Bring a little cheer into people’s lives. They should walk away after meeting you with a smile on their faces and the positive vibes will pass on. All it took was you smiling.

With Madelin from the Finance Department at Adecco ME

Being meticulous about work is important but drawing that balance is even more so. Being energised, passionate and relentless can only be sustained when you’ve achieved this. Think about how you would like to be remembered and then do the best for both your career and you. Choose to make a positive difference in people’s lives, and you will notice your work improves simultaneously.

"A happy worker is the best worker. You can do this!"

At The Halfway Mark: What I've learnt in these 2 weeks as CEO1Month of AdeccoME

As I sit writing this, I wonder where time flew. I am now entering my third week of CEO1Month at AdeccoME and I am truly grateful for the experience.

I started out a naïve girl with no direction and here I am, two weeks later, feeling a little more confident about my career. What have I learnt? A lot of business jargon definitely tops the list. I remember my first sales meeting: I was lost! Words like “PNL”, “activity” and “pipeline”, made no sense to me. I had a list of questions to ask, but none of those were relevant since I got my answers as the meeting progressed. I am glad Romain stood beside me through all this. He never imposed himself on me, rather, he allowed me to make sense of the meetings and then question the team where I did not understand. He is, in every sense of the word, a mentor. Now, I enter a sales meeting with figures of last week on my fingertips and questions ready to be fired.

With Adecco Middle East's CEO-Romain Liot

Weekly Sales  Meeting with Department heads

I have had the opportunity to meet with key figures at our other branches and now understand how each branch contributes to AdeccoME as a whole. I have gained an understanding of the challenges of each section within AdeccoME and of the challenges faced by the separate branches through the Middle East. It is fascinating to see how changes in one branch or department can affect the total figures on a weekly basis. As someone who has worked at entry level management, I never had the opportunity to gain this perspective. For entry level professionals, every change is a bother. It is a new way of working and letting go of our old habits. This CEO1Month stint has, in two weeks, showed me why change is necessary. I can see how little things add up. I also now realise why it is sometimes difficult to make changes. To those sitting on the ground level, it may seem like a small change, however, the top-level management needs to consider the impact on every department, every existing process and maybe even on a regional and global level. This exposure has taught me to always look at the bigger picture and not to get lost in the irrelevant details of any plan.

Attending Adecco Middle East's Client Iftar

With these two weeks behind me, I look forward to learning new skills. I have a slight understanding of strategy now and hope to have a chance to showcase these skills. I am yet to work at the finance department and as for any company, this department is equivalent to the blood vessels in the human body. I want to understand costs and what decisions affect the cash flow. I also may have an opportunity to travel to Qatar and visit another AdeccoME branch, learn their strategy and work challenges. As the month comes to a close, I am excited about being a part of the monthly sales meeting and understanding how the weekly figures meet and pan out. While the excitement of new challenges and knowledge keeps me going, I am nervous about my Global Adecco contest and I am working hard to be one of the 10 lucky ones to be chosen to compete for Global CEO1Month at Adecco.

All in all, it has been an exciting 2 weeks and I am ready for more!

The Journey Begins

How does a CEO feel on the first day of work? Stressed? Excited? Nervous?

All of this and more actually. When I think back, some very vivid memories come to mind: the red of the Adecco board, the white of my blazer against a dark armchair. I was not sure what to expect and honestly, filling in more application forms was the last thing on my mind. Yet, there I was, filling in page after page of the Global CEO Challenge assessment.  It felt like an exam week for me! All I had been doing recently is filling assessments. There was a video to be made too. Have I mentioned I can’t memorize lines? It is half the reason I can’t be a Shakespearean Actor at the Globe Theatre; alas it took 3 takes to satisfactorily complete the video. They also needed a picture of me, against a white background. I certainly chose the perfect day to wear a white blazer! I was not carrying any photographs with me and ended up running around to locate a studio; not a very smart move when wearing heels. Lesson learnt: CEO’s have places too be- stick to comfortable shoes in future.

Next was finally meeting the AdeccoME Team. So many lovely people, so many faces! I hope I will not confuse their names. Everyone is so welcoming and encouraging. I even received my own personalized stationery! “CEO for one month” Proudly screams across my notepad, my file and I got loads of post-its too. Have I mentioned my obsession with post-its? My desk is already covered with tasks and little bits of information to remember. Oh! Yes, I have my own desk, with a beautiful view of Dubai, and centrally located so I can walk up to anyone with my million questions. It took a while for all formalities to be completed and then I was told to go home and rest. The real grind would begin from tomorrow, meanwhile, I had research to catch up on, reports, industry trends and a project for Global CEO! The wheels are in motion and the challenge officially begins!

I would not make it past one day had it not been for such a supportive team: from the CEO Romain Liot, to the HR head Ismini Papadopoulou, The P.P director Damian Brown and absolutely everyone has been so eager and willing to help me understand processes, the way to work, the various sectors, models etc. I look forward to broadening my horizon, understanding AdeccoME and its industry, and striving to achieve great results here.

Finding the Golden Ticket

The afternoon that I received an email from my sister that read “I think they’re looking for you” with a link to the Adecco CEO For One Month challenge, was a very ordinary one. Initially, I thought she's joking; CEO of Adecco!? For a month!? There had to be a catch.

Turns out my fears were unwarranted. All I had to do was apply online, fill in my details and upload my CV. Adecco then evaluated these credentials and shortlisted candidates for an assessment round. Here, my quick thinking, general concepts and common sense were tested. The wait for results was agonizing. Once I crossed that round, I had my first telephonic interview with Adecco. It was a grilling test of my knowledge, skills and achievements. It was conducted very professionally and neutrally and I could not gauge their reaction to any of my responses. All I can honestly say is, I gave it my best. I was informed the results would be announced in two days and if further shortlisted, I would be called to attend the next round. Soon enough, I received an email inviting me to a face-to-face interview: my first in Adecco's office premises.  This was not your traditional interview, where intimidating people sit across from you, frowning at every sentence you say. On the contrary, I was made to feel at ease. I was given an opportunity to explain why I am a good fit at Adecco ME. I was also allowed to freely question the CEO For One Month campaign, the Adecco way of working and the company culture.

My first impression of Adecco was that of a professional and friendly environment, where no idea is shot down, where being a mentor is favoured over being a boss, where I would be welcomed to work and give my best. I definitely left the building hoping fervently that I would be selected, though I had butterflies in my stomach and a pounding heart as I walked out the door. A few days later, I was notified that I had qualified for the next round, and had an assessment to complete. This was honestly the most difficult stage I had to face. My reasoning, quick thinking, logical concepts and attention to details were all pitted against a timer. I honestly do not remember being under so much pressure and was exhausted by the end of it. Again, I had a waiting period, which I used to brush up on business concepts, financial concepts and any other areas where I felt I was lacking. Adecco would communicate with me at every round, via email and phone. This helped me greatly, as it was good to have proof that I wasn’t dreaming! I was not too sure of passing the last round, as I found myself constantly oscillating between the possibility of triumph and the self-loathing worry of rejection, thus when I got the call for a personal interview, it was almost surprising.

There I was, back at Adecco for the last interview, a bundle of nervous energy. I had been informed that this was an interview with the CEO, and I was determined to put my best foot forward. I was grilled on everything I knew: from business, to ethics, to situational decisions to creative thinking. It was a long process and I worked hard to do justice to my presence and to my possible future role. I was treated with patience, professionalism and encouragement throughout. I left knowing that even if I did not achieve the CEO For One Month, I had discovered a new benchmark for any company I wanted to work for. I had a taste of an organized, growing, accomplished workplace with a very professional work environment and I could no longer settle for less. For my next round I was asked to create a short 3 minute video, explaining the campaign and why I am a good fit for Adecco ME, while my final challenge had me build a social media campaign. This was shared on social media, with twitter being the foremost platform. Shortly after, I was called into the office again for another round, and I spent my rest days catching up on the business news and brushing up on local events which were of interest. At arriving, I was directed to a conference room at the Adecco ME office, and as soon as I walked into the room, people started clapping and cheering! It took me a while to understand I had been chosen and for the reality of this to sink in. This was not an interview round, this was my welcome-to-AdeccoME-round! I felt overwhelmed as they formally announced me as CEO For One Month and asked me to give a speech to everyone present. I could barely manage a thank you speech; my mind was blank, engulfed wih happiness and surprise. I found myself darting to my father, who was patiently waiting at the reception and I leaped with joy as I hugged him, informing him about the wonderful news.

The entire experience, from the assessments to the interviews, to finally winning has taught me to look beyond the obvious, to think out of the box and to deliver consistently. Rightly said, you need to dare to dream as nothing is impossible. For all of you out there, I’d really like you to use my experience and apply for every opportunity that comes by. Don’t shy away from tasks out of self-doubt or the worry of hard work, you really never know what an opportunity it may turn out to be. I am extremely excited to be at such a wonderful organization and to be mentored by Romain Liot. The CEO For One Month is the best learning opportunity I could ever have and I intend to make the best of it.