Personal Insights
My first year with SAP Mentors
I have worked for SAP for 18 years, mainly as a Personal and Management Assistant, and supported the SAP Mentors Program already since December 2015 but the complete transfer in that team one year ago is a different story.
With the following, I invite you to read my blog post about my first year with SAP Mentors. Please consider that I will not go into details of the single events. Enjoy!
It took a while that my wish to join the SAP Mentors Program Team had been heard but finally it worked out. July 1st, 2017 was my first official working day. But as the reality often looks different so my first official ‘act’ in the new position was already 3 weeks earlier. It turned out to be a push into really cold water but since I am able to swim and reflecting the past year I can really say: I can swim – even in cold water. You probably ask yourself “why cold water?” With personal circumstances within the new team, I was needed to step in earlier than expected. This had urged me to do the business that I wasn’t used to the 18 years before. I did not get a complete handover or someone who explained me the bigger picture. So, my first task was “just” to hand out the new mentors shirts to all mentors… and they know what I am talking about. This turned out to be a huge project which I was glad to have completed successfully.
(with big thank you to Gregor Wolf and Hendrik Neumann)
Weeks went by and I was involved in the preparation for SAP TechEd in Barcelona. Setting up a booth, managing the meeting room for SAP Mentors, executive meetings, the SAP Mentors reception… the normal stuff in this field. During that time, I really learned a lot. But luckily, I was not alone. Having my experienced colleague Kati (@Katarina Fischer) by my side, she was a great guide for preparations for SAP TechEd and she provided fundamental input around content. I also had great support from my colleague Jason (@jason.cao) who had great ideas to make SAP TechEd the best. During SAP TechEd 2017, it was also our SAP Mentors 10th anniversary that only added a small portion of extraordinary to the “normal” SAP TechEd. When Kati couldn’t make it to SAP TechEd Barcelona, I can tell you that suddenly the water was turning cold for me again BUT – with the support of Jason (@jason.cao) and Rafael (@Rafael Guimbala), our fellowship team member, onsite and of course the SAP Mentors, it was a great and successful SAP TechEd Barcelona. Therefore, I want to thank you, guys.
After SAP TechEd, the preparations for SAP Inside Track and sitKIDS in Walldorf started. Again, this was a challenge as the time of the event fell into the holiday season and I had already booked to go snowboarding in Austria. So, I tried to organize facilities upfront and ended up having great support by my two kids Tom (10) and Lilli (8) who helped me to finalize the badges in Walldorf. I was glad to hear from Kati that it was again a successful SAP Inside Track and sitKIDS event with more than 150 attendees. Well done, Kati for managing the event onsite.
I felt now it was time for something different. I decided to join another SAP Inside Track to get the feeling how it is to attend such an event and not organizing it. I registered for the SAP Inside Track in Frankfurt but not only to attend… I submitted my application for my own presentation. I do not have any technical background but as the topic for 2018 seemed to be “diversity” I guessed my idea of adding a soft skill topic would fit. Besides SAP, I am working as a group fitness instructor for many many years (I will not tell how many) and I decided to hold a combined session of exercise, relaxation and meditation. For the same event, I was asked to animate attendees for the group picture. I said yes and tried an experiment: I made everyone dance a full-body dance which is supposed to release energy blockades. It turned out to be so much fun! My own session was pretty welcomed, too, and I had 20 attendees out of over 100 technical focus participants! For me it was a great event.
With so many new experiences, I felt to have arrived within SAP Mentors. But no time to rest: our team had to face internal changes. My former manager Malin (@Malin Liden) decided to take a new opportunity within SAP Marketing. Therefore, Craig Cmehil (@Craig Cmehil) has become our new manager. As you probably learned already on your own, manager changes include also changes within your work. For me, this meant leaving the work with the SAP Mentors Program (which probably is another blog worth sharing 😉 ).
Organizational changes take a while and we came a bit into a hurry because SAPPHIRE Orlando was right in front of us. The focus groups needed to be redefined, executive meetings and facilities needed to be newly organized, the SAP Mentors reception had to be finalized and so on and so on. This was all in Kati’s responsibility, but I had the chance to support and assist her, which led to an invitation to SAPPHIRE for which I went to join Kati on-site. It was a great experience, also to see this event in comparison to SAP TechEd, and it was not only the Justin Timberlake concert which impressed me very much but the whole set up of Sapphire, the keynote speakers and topics and as well the huge number of attendees from all over the world made this event unforgettable. For SAP Mentors the executive meetings went pretty well and it was obvious that the exchange between SAP Mentors and executives were and are a win-win situation. With this I also want to thank Thomas Grassl (@Thomas Grassl) and Craig Cmehil (@Craig Cmehil) who gave me the possibility to experience this event!
It is now mid of June and we are coming closer to July 1st, 2018, and I thought it would be nice to do a recap of my first “official” year with SAP Mentors. I really love my new job with being in the SAP Mentors atmosphere. They are such great people with various nationalities from all over the world. They are passionate for what they do. They spend their free time to work with us and SAP. It is an honor to know you guys and I look forward to proceeding working with you!
I also want to emphasize that cold water isn’t bad. Sometimes it is needful to step outside your comfort zone and find out, that you can handle more than you actually expected. “Changes are opportunities” is a business jargon – but it is true as it definitely helps you to surpass yourself. I had the privilege to experience so much in only the past year! Being now well equipped with new skills and a thick wetsuit, I’m looking forward to more of such challenges and cold oceans.
And finally, I would like to thank my dear colleague Kati (@Katarina Fischer) for getting me onboard, throwing me into cold water, who helped me learn swimming in there and supported me on all my, sometimes stupid, questions I asked during the first year. It was a great ride 🙂 Thank you also for the warm welcome in the team, for your consistent support and I also would like to mention the nice welcome flowers you gave me during my first days. In my career of 18 years within SAP I never received any warmer welcome and maybe that is a SAP Mentors characteristic treatment anyhow, I really appreciated it!
Having said all this, it is time to move on. It is not that I am leaving SAP Mentors… of course I will stay in professional touchpoints. But I will now take care to support the Community Events like SAP Inside Track, sitKids and “Stammtisch”. And with that I hope to see everyone soon again. ?
Hello Svea - it was nice to meet you in person earlier this month; thank you for all the work you have done. I wish we could've talked more about you being a fitness instructor as I have been taking classes for several years....
Very nice blog - and lovely picture of your kids Tom and Lilli (nice name)
Tammy
Thank you, Tammy. 🙂
It was really nice meeting you in person after all the calls. And yes, I often keep being a fitness instructor behind the scence... maybe next time we will have more time to catch up 😉
All the best, Svea
Wow, what a year of new experiences for you! Great to learn how you managed to deal with change successfully, Svea!
Thanks, Mynyna!
Looking forward to working with you in ONE TEAM.
Best, Svea
Great first blog, Svea 🙂 And congratulations on the work anniversary!
Thanks, Morten! Never thought that it would be so exiting to write a blog... will think about writing more of this 😉
Please do 😀
Hi Svea
It was great to meet you in Barcelona last year. Thanks for your help in organising the Mentor reception evening, which was probably one of the best Mentor gatherings I have ever attended. Good to hear that you're moving to pastures new. No doubt we will bump into each other again.
All the best,
M
Thanks, Michael, it was a pleasure for me, too. It is great that you liked the reception so much. I am also pretty sure that we will see each other again - in Germany and also at SAP we used to say "you always meet twice"...
Best, Svea
Hi Svea,
Indeed a great read , many congratulations!
we have been knowing each other since last couple of years mainly from sitWDF event planning and all. Thank you for everything you have done. Have a great time ahead!
Regards,
JK
Hey Jitendra,
It's been a long time... thanks for your kind reply. It's great that you like my first blog. 🙂
Hope to see you sometime again at one of the SAP Inside Tracks. Have a good time, too.
Best, Svea
Thanks, Svea, for this personal retrospective! I regret that I've not been able to meet you in person, but I still hope that someday that may happen (and Kati as well!). Nevertheless, you've done a bang-up job supporting the program this past year, and I think we're all grateful for your efforts. And yes, handing out Mentor shirts may sound like no big deal, but as we all remember, last year it was a "big" (or should we say, "small"?) deal indeed! And you managed it like the professional that you are. 🙂
Cheers,
Matt
Hi Matt,
Thank you very much!
You are right, there are still some of you I didn't meet yet, unfortunately. Hopefully, we will have a chance somehow. And thanks for your gratefulness about the handling of the mentor shirts. It was indeed a "small" incident 😉 I am happy that I managed it... finally 🙂
All the best,
Svea
Hi Svea
Thanks for your post, was very nice to read. All my best wishes in your new goals. I wish to meet you again next October in Barcelona! ?
Best, David
Thanks, David. I am also hoping to meet you again in October. And let's keep in touch in regards to your SIT. 😉
Best, Svea
Dear Svea,
sorry for answering so late to this (your first) blog!
First of all thank you so much that you stepped in so many times during the last year and I have to (unfortunately) say that it was often my fault that you were thrown into the cold water. On the other hand this gave me the fortune to help you and to give you swimming lessons. You made a big step in your career and in terms of diversity of thought you are a role model. You are working with such a professionality. It is always fun to do something with you (inside and outside of work). You were able to manage every challenge and always with a smile. You are one of the SAP employees that we can really rely on ... you get things done !
You make me really really proud of you. I fought for you to bring you into the program and I can tell you I will not let you go !!! Lol
Svea, man muss manchmal neue Dinge wagen, um sein Glück zu finden. Das traf auf uns beide zu. Wir sind Schwestern im Geiste, Kämpferinnen im Herzen, und das gegenseitiges Vertrauen ist wohl höchste Belohnung.
Cheers, your swimming Instructor Kati
Ohhhhh, thank you so much for your lovely reply! It is an honor to work with you and I am looking forward to proceed working with you. 🙂
Yours, Svea
Hi Svea
Great read, thanks for sharing and thanks for all the work you've done so far for the SAP Mentor program, it is appreciated.
Swimming in cold water can indeed be a good thing, change can be revitalizing and having no (little or less) fear for change can bring along heaps of opportunity.
Curious to see what is next with those community events, good luck and enjoy the swim!
Best regards
Tom
Thanks, Tom.
Most people are afraid of changes but it is like you said: it can open other doors. This anyone should always keep in mind.
Best regards, Svea