Blog It Forward – Mynyna Chau 

A person quite known to many people here, who I finally got to meet and greet by the end of this year 2019, Phil Cooley,  recently wrote: “try and move out of your comfort zone – test yourself in new areas. Not everyone can do this but I think this is where you will learn the most – not only content but learn about yourself as well.”  

And then, he mentioned me to blog it forward. This is the first time that I get pulled in a conversation in the online SAP Community which has less to do with the daily business I mostly deal with (e.g. with bugs or moderation topics) but more with getting to know each other and connecting with other community members. And that means a lot to me already. Writing this post now is not only a personal insight, but already a step out of my comfort zone since I haven’t shared much about myself personally in the community yet. In the following, I will give it a try. So, thanks Phil Cooley  for giving me this opportunity. 🙂 

About Me 

I live in the same city I was born in: Heidelberg, Germany. At first when I moved back, 6 years ago, it sounded boring to me, but at the same time it was a step into a new world. With SAP as my first real employer, with a beautiful city I haven’t really explored during my childhood (since I grew up in a town close by), and with old and new friends. I probably wouldn’t be “back” if I hadn’t been around much: I travelled Australia after high school for six months, lived with my relatives in Melbourne during a semester abroad for another six months (it still feels like my second home although it is more than 5 years ago already) and lived in Beijing another half a year during my internship in a German automotive company.  Even in Neu-Ulm, where I studied business administration, I liked being in a new city getting to know the Swabian and Bavarian culture and people. When it comes to hobbies, I had explored many different ones since I can think. On my list is ballet dancing, horse riding, playing the piano and flute, dancing contemporary art and show dance, playing soccer, playing and watching others playing video/computer games and doing archery thanks to my uncle, but most of that I don’t really continue pursuing in my adult life anymore (probably because I’m missing out of time), I now enjoy hiking, cooking and eating, dancing, swimming, playing badminton, photography, I started knitting, and I like going to cultural events like film or art festivals, concerts, or listening to talks around the topic of emotional intelligence, health, sustainability, diversity and intercultural topics. I also still like travelling a lot enjoying beautiful landscapes and cultures. 

This was a picture I took last year on a hiking trail to Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain. It was soooo nice! Recommendations for 3-4 day hiking trails are warmly welcome ?  

In this picture, I’m covered all over protecting myself from sand and strong winds close to El Teide in Tenerife, January 2018. I’m aiming at reaching the top soon with better equipment. Since DJ Adams is currently in Tenerife for his runs, it made me think back of my first travelto this island and how much I enjoyed it.

With my background of business studies, major in marketing, my first full time role before I joined the SAP Community team was in the marketing department working on audience tailored strategy of SAP product positioning and communication. This also included stakeholder management and content creation for events. I then came to SAP Community being happy to work for the matter of knowledge sharing about the diverse topics/areas and opportunities to meet new people connecting all over the world because of that.  

Early on with the team, I branded my partner with a cool “SAP Community” cap to become a fan, too. ?  

Now coming to the topics and questions which Nick asked me to answer: 

Fun / Weird Fact 

I commit that I could watch for hours videos of animals doing fun stuff…… And I’m not sure if this is normal or sounds fun or weird to others but when I ask friends, they don’t seem to be that interested. 

This is a picture I took during my last travel to Ireland. I’m always amused when I look at this chilled mate. 

Another fun fact is that I’m born the same day, month and year as Philip Engelmartin  but I won’t tell you when that is. ?  

How do you think the way you were raised affected your career? 

Since my family came as refugees from Vietnam to Germany, perseverance and hard work for a desired outcome was necessary to survive and start from zero which has influenced the way I was raised. I learned from my grandparents to never give up, do my best to succeed and that failures can make you a better person than you were yesterday. My mother is a role model for me in many ways. She taught me to be flexible and adapt to new environments. She always encourages me to overcome or face fears. In my childhood, every summer, my grandparents would have the only food stand in the town’s annual funfair that sold Vietnamese snacks (back then, it was the only Asian food stand). This has taught me that reliability is important in a team to accomplish something, because together works better.  

What do you think are the key elements of a successful project? 

No matter how long a project might take, I think keeping the scope in mind is essential. Especially when projects take longer, managing time and resources efficiently can help to get things done towards a successful result.  

What would you do if given the choice between coffee or tea, and why?  

I am definitely a tea person and like drinking all sorts of tea. I don’t mind coffee.  I love the smell in cafés, but I don’t really fancy the taste and I don’t like coffee mouth odor. 

Please look back at your past working years and tell us what worked for you and what would you like to advise other professionals? 

Seeing things positive, looking forward not back, believing in good intentions, working on constructive feedback, working together aligned is an attitude that benefits work and private life. It doesn’t help anyone including yourself to be negative or selfish.  

What personnel development skills do you think everyone should have or strive to have? 

The ability to put yourself in the shoes of others to understand different perspectives and actions.  Oftentimes I find that people are too much focused on themselves, their personal problems and forgetting about their privileges and the fact that other people don’t have the same privileges. At work and in private life, being open and inclusive can help to see out of the box. 

Now I would like to ask these people to blog it forward and learn more from… 

Svea Becker

Nicolas Bost

Nil Peksen

David Thirakul

to share their perspectives on a few things:

• Name the person who affected you most in your career/ way of thinking and why? 
• Share a fun fact/story about yourself that people don’t know 
• What personnel development skills do you think everyone should have or strive to have? 
• What do you most enjoy about the SAP Community? 
• Which is your most favorite travel destination and why?  

I’m adding Susan’s great kick-off about “blog it forward” in case you missed it.