Every day my colleague Sunny Misun Jo writes three actions at the top of her diary to focus on for the day. And from that list of three, she ensures one above all takes precedence. It’s typically something where she can make a difference or create an impact, like sending a thank you note to a team member or making an improvement to a process. This daily habit is hard baked into her working practices. She’s been making one change a day for over a decade - that’s a lot of positive change she’s accumulated!
I love that. It’s a simple habit that we can all take inspiration from. And it tells us a great deal about what makes Sunny tick.
Sunny is about to step up into a new role, alongside three other members of my team: Marko Jovanovic, Rebecca Little and Tatyana Oberemova, who are all embracing new challenges. I got to wondering: what’s motivating them in their new roles? I decided to get curious and chat to the four of them to find out more.
Push out of your comfort zone
One fascinating thing about leading a team is spotting those common threads that unite my colleagues. Talking to Sunny, Marko, Rebecca and Tatyana, it’s clear how they’re united by a love of learning, a spirit to push themselves further and a desire to progress.
Sunny is currently on maternity leave with her second daughter. In the summer, she’ll be ready to take on her new remit as Head of Sustainability and Corporate and Social Responsibility. Sunny’s career at Ericsson has spanned 14 years and the company has always supported her desire for change - every couple of years she looks for a new challenge internally. Why that love of change? Sunny told me she relishes a chance to expand her horizons and expertise.
Marko has just started a new role as Head of M&C Strategy, Operations and Customer Insights. He felt it was time to stretch himself and learn something completely new. He told me at Ericsson you can go in any direction you want - you just need to push out of your comfort zone.
What's the motivation for Rebecca, our new head of Marketing & Communications for Northern and Central Europe? Like Marko, she says it’s pushing herself or doing something new. That applies outside of her work life too. This year she set herself a goal to learn to play the piano. She says she likes to stretch herself to be a good role model for her daughter.
If you stay in your comfort zone then you don’t grow professionally - this is the view of Tatyana, our new Head of Communications. She told me she really appreciates how Ericsson provides its employees with the confidence to grow. Tatyana feels our company’s culture and values have encouraged her in her career progression internally.
Four distinct voices here, yet it’s lovely to hear the same message repeated: how each felt believed in and encouraged to go further in their careers at Ericsson.
Embracing a curious mindset
When taking on a new role, there’s obviously a lot to get up to speed on. Marko needed to quickly understand the realities of his new region from both a market and customer perspective. To do this, he decided to speak to a wide range of people across the market area, in different countries and different roles. He asked them each the same question: if there is one thing marketing should focus on, what would it be?
I love his approach. Marko tells me he really enjoyed those conversations. He revelled in those ‘aha!’ moments he discovered along the way. I strongly believe curiosity is a super power and can get you far, so it’s great to see it in action in my team.
Empathy and humanness
The last two years of remote working have presented their own challenges, so it’s heart-warming to hear success stories during this time.
Speaking to Rebecca, I was touched to discover something rather remarkable. She was onboarded in 2020 during the pandemic, as I was too. Even though she hadn’t until recently met most of her colleagues in person, she tells me she feels closer to her current colleagues than she did in previous roles. That’s wonderful to hear.
Rebecca attributes this to the remote working that has - contrary to what we might think - enabled ourselves to be truly seen. We’ve peered into our colleagues' houses and apartments; chatted to their children and partners; adored their pets. This level of closeness has been important to Rebecca as a working mother. When her three-year-old daughter has popped up on screen to say ‘hi’ during meetings, it’s been okay. That’s been a huge relief to her.
Passion about making change
And so, looking forward, I heard from my colleagues about their excitement for what lies ahead.
Sustainability is close to Sunny’s heart, and she’s interested in how we can take responsibility both at a corporate and personal level. She’s very proud of the work Ericsson has done in this area and is determined to make an impact and do more good work.
Marko’s particular passion is technology. He loves its transformative potential, especially when it comes to 5G. Tatyana seconds that and loves how our tech at Ericsson can change people’s lives.
Rebecca has always wanted to work for a company that makes a difference. The opportunities this year align with this desire. She’s really excited about sustainability, continuing to build her team, and keeping the focus on D&I where she can push for more diversity. There are some great milestones ahead for her to achieve.
Seeing my team flourish
Seeing my team flourish, where my colleagues grow their careers and embrace new and exciting roles, is so rewarding for me. So congratulations to Marko, Rebecca, Sunny and Tatyana, and to their drive and enthusiasm, their energy and passion. They each confirm my belief that Ericsson is a fantastic company in which to grow internally - huge thanks to each of them for sharing their inspiring stories with us. I’m proud to have them all in my team.
