Tag: employee

The Back Story – Krzysztof Mysior

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Our Monthly interview with one of the ADAPTOVATE team. Each month we ask one of our team from around the world to answer a few questions. While not in the same league as The Proust Questionnaire – we think it’s a great way to share our stories with you.

This month we sat down and spoke with Krzysztof Mysior – a consultant in our European office in Warsaw.

THE INTERVIEW – 10 QUESTIONS.

1. First up – how long have you worked with us?

I have been a part of ADAPTOVATE for about 10 months

2. Why did you join us? Were you in the industry previously, or looking for a new career direction?

Before joining ADAPTOVATE I worked in both multinational corporations and consulting companies, where I focused on digital strategy and marketing. After several years in strategy consulting, I was looking for a smaller, multinational organisation that would provide me with close knit relationships between employees and the opportunity to work on a daily basis with different client stakeholders, ADAPTOVATE provided both.

3. How has your previous experience and career helped define where you are now? Would you have done things differently?

I was always driven by curiosity and challenges, hence my choice of experiences was focused around these two and from the perspective of time I would not have chosen other motivators. Doing something interesting that motivates you to progress and develop as a professional is rewarding.

4. How do you balance your work life with your ‘real’ life – Do you have a good balance and how important is it to you?

I think that work-life balance is determined by one’s priorities and is subjective for every single person. Irrelevant of that proportions of work to “real” life is, it is important to feel that you have the space for personal growth and maintaining your support network (family/friends). Personally, I am happy with the work-life balance I have in ADAPTOVATE.

5. With so many of our team remote working, we always like to ask how do you have your home office/desk set up? Organised or chaos? Any top tips?

I believe that having a large desk and monitor are a game changer. Having the freedom to put down 2-3 physical note sheets next to your computer, while having two documents open for editing, for me, dramatically increases comfort and productivity.

6. Do you play music during your Agile workshops with clients? What do you recommend on your latest playlist?

This is an interesting question as I have not incorporated music, in any meaningful way, into my workshop, maybe it’s time to give it a go 🙂

I believe in the ingenuity of the human mind and that we will find ways to tackle these challenges, however a greater level of cooperation is needed if we wish to succeed. Click To Tweet

7. How do you think technology has best helped humanity and do you have any concerns about our future?

I believe that technology has been the great liberator and driving force of both social and economic development in our society. It has allowed for social mobility, vertical progression, merit and competence driven occupations on a large scale and has liberated billions of humans from starvation and poverty. On the other hand, we face long term costs of rapid development in the form of environmental/habitat changes and global warming. I believe in the ingenuity of the human mind and that we will find ways to tackle these challenges, however a greater level of cooperation is needed if we wish to succeed.

8. Strategic Foresight allows companies to detect changes early and ensure action is taken quickly. Which companies have you seen able to change and adapt quickly? (and hopefully using Agile methods to do so)

A company that I have been observing, I think everyone has been, that was able to shift their business and go into venues that I did not see it heading, but after some time it made perfect sense is Amazon. I think that it is a blend of having a concrete vision of where you want to your company to go and that values should the organisation represent and how to create a mechanism to adapt to changes in the market allowing for course adjustment. Agile allows for both, even though on the surface they seem like antagonising forces, how can a concrete vision/plan be flexible? But through adequate mechanisms, leadership, company culture and mentality this can be achieved.

9. What does success mean to you personally?

Being satisfied with the work I do and seeing that it is allowing me to develop the skillsets that I personally find most valuable.

10. Finally – You’ve time travelled back to your 10- year old self – What advice would you give?

Not much, maybe tell him that being happy with one’s own development is more important than benchmarking to others in your peer group. It wouldn’t be harmful to give some confidence that the “great idea” to buy a couple hundred stock of Citigroup when it hit 1$ in 2009, it’s that risky and worth a try 🙂

The Back Story – Fiona Royall

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It’s our monthly interview with one of our ADAPTOVATE team from around the world. While not in the same league as The Proust Questionnaire – we think it’s a great way to share our employee’s own story with you.

Our The Back Story header

This month we interview our senior consultant in Melbourne, Fiona Royall.

1. First up – how long have you worked with us?

1 year

2. Why did you join us? Were you in the industry previously, or looking for a new career direction?

I was looking for new opportunities through my networks and ADAPTOVATE was recommended to me by a friend. I started out my career working for corporates but after a few years identified consulting as the area I would like to work in. Before joining the ADAPTOVATE team I’d already been working in digital consulting for a couple of years. I was intrigued by ADAPTOVATE as I had never worked in a start-up environment before, I have previously worked with large organisations. The team also put me through my paces across the interviews so I respected their due diligence and got a window into what the way of working and culture would be like. The relationship ADAPTOVATE has with BCG was a drawcard.

3. How has your previous experience and career helped define where you are now? Would you have done things differently?

As I grew in my career, I gained a good idea around what I wanted. I started out in marketing and through that landed in digital marketing. I enjoyed digital because it was constantly changing so it kept things interesting. I knew I wanted to travel, to be able to work across industries and companies to gain as much experience as possible and learn. I had also seen companies struggle with change brought on by digital so wanted to be able to apply what I had learned to help other companies on their journeys. So I began to explore opportunities in digital consulting. Now what I do is broader than ‘digital’ and more encompassing of innovation and transformation. I wouldn’t change my journey.

4. How do you balance your work life with your ‘real’ life – Do you have a good balance and how important is it to you?

ADAPTOVATE is supportive of work-life, I would not be here otherwise. You are able to have honest discussions with leadership and the team around it which makes a huge difference. It can be a struggle at times, mostly when travelling as you are away from home, your loved ones and routines so it can throw things off balance if you allow it. I try to balance work with my ‘real’ life by managing expectations of those I work with and being protective of my life outside of work. It is of critical importance to me; being able to maintain a life outside of work makes me a better person when I am at work as I’m more rested, energised, happy and healthy.

5. With so many of our team remote working, we always like to ask how do you have your home office/desk set up? Organised or chaos? Any top tips?

At home, I have a stand that can sit on top of a table that allows me to work standing up which allows me to not be stuck sitting all day. I have a portable stand that I take everywhere that means my screen is eye level, with a keyboard and mouse. I have also recently invested in blue light glasses. I learnt the hard way how important it is to have good ergonomics. I like to be organised, and I also try to change locations where I can, so I might start my day working out of a local cafe before heading home. When I work from home (and more generally) I aim to get outside over my lunch break and go for a walk to get some air and recharge ahead of the rest of the day. I return much better for it.

6. Do you play music during your Agile workshops with clients? What do you recommend on your latest playlist?

I do. I tend to look for Spotify playlists that are suitable background music that doesn’t distract or overwhelm the people in the room. Their Office Playlist usually works well.

7. How do you think technology has best helped humanity and do you have any concerns about our future?

What stands out is the ability to connect with people all around the world. There are also productivity gains which ideally allows people to focus on higher-value activities or frees up time and capacity. I’m a big proponent of quality output over hours worked. I have many concerns about the impact of technology: ethics, misinformation, privacy and use of personal data, and the impact on how we interact with the world (if you look up while on public transport you will likely see everyone glued to their phones).

8. Strategic Foresight allows companies to detect changes early and ensure action is taken quickly. Which companies have you seen able to change and adapt quickly. (and hopefully using Agile methods to do so)

Amazon stands out for being able to adapt their business model over time and embracing agile. You can read more on the agile side of things here https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2019/06/02/how-amazon-became-agile

9. What does success mean to you personally?

I aspire to be good at what I do, enjoy what I’m doing and whatever follows, follows.

10. Finally – You’ve time travelled back to your 10- year old self – What advice would you give?

Nothing. I trust she will find her own path.

Fiona Royall sitting at Yosemite

For more monthly interviews with our ADAPTOVATE team, you can visit here.

The Back Story – Kayla Cartwright

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Our Monthly interview with one of the ADAPTOVATE team. Each month we ask one of our team from around the world to answer a few questions. While not in the same league as The Proust Questionnaire – we think it’s a great way to share our stories with you.

This month we are  excited to interview one of our latest team members –  Kayla Cartwright – a senior consultant based in Los Angeles.

  1. First up – how long have you worked with us at the time of the interview?

Just about a month

  1. Why did you join us? Were you in the industry previously, or looking for a new career direction?

A bulk of my career has been in leadership development and coaching, though I more recently have focused on consulting, transformation, and client experience in financial services. ADAPTOVATE seemed like the perfect place to put all of that together and keep learning + growing!

  1. How has your previous experience and career helped define where you are now? Would you have done things differently?

Sure, there are a few times I would have liked to either fail faster/ learn faster. All in all, I think each job I’ve done, from restaurant jobs in high school to working as a science teacher, to living and working in new countries— each experience has allowed me to focus on building relationships and achieving results for ‘customers’ in any environment. So I wouldn’t change toooo much.

  1. How do you balance your work life with your ‘real’ life – Do you have a good balance and how important is it to you?

I think I have a strong “balance”, probably because this is VERY important to me. I prefer to think about work-life “integration” instead of balance. If you can be part of an organization that aligns with your values and allows you to bring your true self to work, then integration is much easier. I’ve been happy to find that here at ADAPTOVATE so far. On a more tactical note, I prioritize and focus on outcomes so that I make sure I use my time wisely; I aim and usually get 8 hours of sleep and try to spend lots of time with my loved ones (including my pup!), usually enjoying good food, hiking or going to the beach.

  1. With so many of our team remote working, we always like to ask how do you have your home office/desk set up? Organised or chaos? Any top tips?

Organized. Empty desk except for a massive monitor which has done wonders for my posture. Large cup of coffee and water. Single spiraled notebook. White pen (it’s a thing).

  1. Do you play music during your Agile workshops with clients? What do you recommend on your latest playlist?

Definitely! Music sets the tone, so I often try to be pretty intentional about matching the song to the objective/theme of a workshop and/or the local crowd. In general though, I am a fan of Motown classics that people want to sing along to, and lively Latin music to wake people up.   (editors note: we’ve added some Motown Classics, and lively Latin music to our official ADAPTOVATE Workshop playlist – you can access here)

  1. How do you think technology has best helped humanity and do you have any concerns about our future?

Technology has democratized knowledge in a way that makes me hopeful for students who might not have access to information or experiences based on where they live. At the same time, I have great concerns about how technology is going to impact kids’ (and adults’) ability to relate to one another and interact across lines of difference.

  1. Strategic Foresight allows companies to detect changes early and ensure action is taken quickly. Which companies have you seen able to change and adapt quickly. (and hopefully using Agile methods to do so)

Netflix has transformed their operating model in a way that the surrounding environment had been slow to respond to (I live 15 min from Hollywood, for context). It’s also been fun to be a client with this lense watching companies such as Rover, Instacart and Pandora transform their offerings and features quickly to adapt to the market.

  1. What does success mean to you personally?

Enjoying and learning in as many moments as you can. There’s a popular American beachy musician named Jimmy Buffet; I try to live my life by one of his song lines (among many): “If we didn’t laugh we would all go insane”. (editors note:  Song is “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes” – you can listen here)

  1. Finally – You’ve time travelled back to your 10- year old self – What advice would you give?

Eat less candy. Wear more sunscreen. Be nicer to your sister 😉

Kayla with her pup Wallace (center) and a friend’s pup getting ready to celebrate the annual pirate festival, Gasparilla, held every February in Tampa, Florida, USA.