Where can you find a company that motivates, challenges, and encourages you to grow into multiple roles? To me Siemens Energy is that company. I joined 8 years ago in a two-year’s trainee program and haven’t looked back since.
Siemens Energy is a global company and has a strong vision to drive the energy transition. I work in a regional office in South Africa and while most of the work I do is specific to my region, I am still able to get exposure to other offices, and global programs and initiatives. Siemens Energy has programs in place to build connections between offices assuring that employees all align with the greater mission and promote collaboration.
A few months ago, I had the opportunity to engage in a 6-month assignment at our Headquarters in Germany as part of a leadership development program. Through this, I was able to learn more, gain exposure to the business in its entirety and implement lessons learned back in my own region. It also enabled me to connect my colleagues back in South Africa to people in Germany and give them the chance to extend their network within the company. As a person who is passionate about self-development, I love how you can actively build your career here.
During my tenure, I’ve had several strong mentors in the company that have connected me to managers that were willing to offer new positions or exciting assignments. I have changed jobs within the organization every two years, gained exposure to various parts of our business and shifted from a purely commercial focus to more technically oriented roles. Of course, these changes meant I had to reinvent myself a couple of times to adjust to the different requirements of those new positions, but my approach is always the same: I don’t know what I don’t know, so I reach out to co-workers and managers and keep asking questions. My goal is to get up to speed as fast as I can, so I ask questions, absorb information, and do what it takes to learn the ins and outs of the job.
There is no benchmark you have to check yourself against. At Siemens Energy, we are appointed for our skill and merit: it’s about delivering results, making sure that people see your results, and sharing your ambitions with others. However, the most important thing is to remain true to yourself. I am a self-acclaimed ball of fun energy, and even when I was living and working in a different culture than mine, I did not play a role that I am not. The best part? With just a little effort from both sides, I feel perfectly accepted by everyone in the team.
