Building bridges of communication through Management Essentials
With this new team you’re building at Koltiva, could you share a specific business challenge or area that you saw with room for improvement that you wanted to address through the Management Essentials Program?
I’m currently working in Koltiva as Head of FP&A, it’s exactly one year ago and it’s been a new journey for me, where I’m building a new team and department.
Previously, the department itself has not been established yet, and I’m creating a new structure, engaging with new people, communicating and negotiating with people from other departments. My responsibility here is to become the bridge between the higher levels and the team itself.
How was your experience working with NewCampus?
The cohort itself is a new learning experience for me because there are several topics being delivered every session. In each session, we get the opportunity to go into breakout rooms, so we can explore ideas from other participants, brainstorm, and discuss the real-life implementation of theories learnt.
That’s very helpful for me because sometimes the theory itself might be a little different with real life implementation.
That’s very helpful for me because sometimes the theory itself might be a little different with real-life implementation. By having this discussion, we can understand the different aspects in which we can implement a certain theory. This is one of the activities that I like about the process of learning here at NewCampus.
Beyond the Numbers: The Importance of Human Connection
How about related to bridging the top management level and your team? Are there any new insights with stakeholder buy-ins?
In my opinion, managing people is different from managing numbers. To be able to communicate clearly with the higher level and translate the needs and wants of the higher levels to the team is one skill set that every manager needs to have. We need to get a sense of the psychological part of talking to people.
At NewCampus, we learn how to negotiate and do one-on-ones. It has added more vocabulary for me to face different scenarios if there are any issues. One of the frameworks I found interesting is giving constructive feedback.
Working is not just getting things done the right way, we also need to understand the different issues and the team itself in terms of how they want to grow in the company. Doing one-on-ones as a routine is helpful.
Working is not just getting things done the right way, we also need to understand the different issues and the team itself in terms of how they want to grow in the company. Doing one-on-ones as a routine is helpful.
Why People Development Matters in Startups
Reflecting on all these experiences, what advise would you give to other startups navigating a similar situation?
The main consideration for startups is people development. Sometimes people are easily replaceable in the startup scene. If we want to move further together, we need to build a strong team, and not just replace people.
Being a sustainable company needs the aspect of the people itself. That’s why people development is one important thing that needs to be managed from the company’s perspective.
