06 Apr From Student Employee to Chapter Lead
A job where you can go above and beyond. A job where you are offered opportunities. This is a requirement of the modern professional world. Companies should give their employees the opportunity to develop on a personal and professional level.
This year we are celebrating our 15th anniversary. For many years now, Alexandra Wiebe-Kaaden, Creative Director and Chapter Lead Communication Design, has been a WARGITSCH Transformation Engineer. However, she didn’t start in her current leadership position, of course – but as a working student. In the following interview, Alex talks about her journey with WARGITSCH, about changes and highlights.
In 2014, you became a WARGTISCH Transformation Engineer. How has the company and your work changed during this time?
I started as a student employee, more specifically at the subsidiary at the time, which specialized in media design. A lot has changed since then, but some things have stayed the same: Back then, too, we had regular team meetings and team events and made a point of seeing each other physically. Remote work has always been a given for us, which is why it was really a highlight for me personally – as the only one from Erfurt 😄 – to travel to Pörnbach and meet my colleagues. And yet I have witnessed an amazing development in the last eight years, both that of the company and my personal one. Just thinking about the fact that we used to be around 12 people during team meetings and now our large conference room is sometimes no longer big enough to get everyone around one table. The move to the new office premises in Pfaffenhofen a.d. Ilm was a highlight. Even though I rarely get to “make use” of it, I am still happy to visit Pfaffenhofen. Our internal, structural re-organization by chapters and squads based on the Spotify model was also a large milestone. I feel like we’ve made a big leap forward as a company with this. My work has become mature and more and more a routine, I would argue. As an entry-level employee, everything was still new, and I had hardly any experience in working with customers. As I gradually gained more confidence, acquired specialist knowledge and was able to take on my own customer projects, it was a great step forward that still motivates me today to keep learning and developing.
Consultation are often affected by fluctuations of employees. But you have been with WARGITSCH for 8 years now. Why?
I think the biggest reason for me personally – besides the great team – is the variety of my tasks in the last eight years. I have only recently discovered that I am a “scanner personality”. This person is characterized by having many talents and interests and usually never really finds the one “true calling” and is always looking for new challenges. Variety, familiarization with new topics and areas, exciting challenges – fortunately, I have all of that in my job and that’s why I’ve been a part of WARGITSCH for so long.
To what extent have the Transformation Engineers influenced your development?
The Transformation Engineers were and still are a big part of my development – both professionally and personally. As a young professional, I was not yet solidified in my personality. Of course, that has changed with the development of the last few years, whether in personal development meetings or simply in “learning on the job”. You never stop learning, but sometimes it’s good to look back and see where you actually started.
Creativity has accompanied Alex as a WARGITSCH Transformation Engineers for a long time. In her position as Creative Director, she can coordinate the creative activities and at the same time still be actively creative herself.
What are your responsibilities as Creative Director?
As Creative Director and Lead of our Communication Design Chapter, my main role is to manage and lead the team. I am responsible for the team as well as all creative activities of WARGITSCH. Due to the still manageable size of our team, however, I have the opportunity to be creatively active in numerous client projects myself, which I am very happy about.
How would you describe your daily collaboration with colleagues and clients?
I can only describe working with colleagues as very pleasant and cooperative. There is a good balance between close and regular exchange and independent work. We know each other’s strengths and know that we can rely on each other in any situation. In most cases, the exchange with customers is relaxed and uncomplicated. We are often on the same page, and should this not be the case, we can talk openly about everything. Communication is key 😊.
Finally, a creative task rather than a question for you: Why don’t you create a "WARGITSCH" acrostic for us with your personal associations with the company?
The German acrostic contains the following attributes: appreciative, adaptable, responsive, grounded, innovative, team-oriented, self-determined, clever, helpful.
