As we approach the end of SAP Silicon Valley’s Month of Inclusion activities, I thought I’d reflect on my experiences. For those of you who do not work at SAP, I’m sorry, but you are missing out on some of the awesome benefits SAP offers its employees. If this bothers you, you may want to click the back button :smile:
February will go down in the history books as the month with the most activities. I’ve been with SAP for over 8 years, and I have never seen or experienced this much activity. There have been numerous social gatherings, opportunities to meet with members of the Sharks, fool around with Sharkie, interact with our executives, learn more about the other SAP campuses, pick up some much needed personal and professional skills, and much more.
The other day I decided to spend a few hours and learn some critical skills ~ Crucial Conversations, Crucial Accountability. Let’s face it. At the end of the day, what do we really want? We want to strengthen our relationships and get things done. We all know this but rarely do we take the time to hone our skills. In the short 2.5 hours I spent, I was given an overview of understanding and conducting crucial conversations, which is all about strengthening relationships with constructive dialogue when it matters most. I was also given deep insights into holding others accountable and learning how to jointly close performance gaps without harming the relationship.
What’s the net result? You can change anything, your behavior, the behavior of others, and you can get things done. This certainly doesn’t come easy, but only if you take the time to learn and practice will you advance.
Yesterday, I decided to bike over to our office in Sunnyvale and meet with fellow employees I normally do not see. I had never visited this campus before, and I must say the feeling is quite different that the Palo Alto campus. But that’s what’s cool about this company. We are not all the same, and we have a lot to learn from each other. That is why there is a month of inclusion. Perhaps Month of Inclusion should be renamed to Year of Inclusion (hint… hint… scott.leatherman )
