The Magic of Trust in the Employee Experience with Alexander Senn, Head of People and Organization at Siemens Smart Infrastructure

This episode features an interview with Alexander Senn, Head of People and Organization at Siemens Smart Infrastructure. He leads the 70,000 employees that are part of the Smart Infrastructure family. In this episode, Alex talks about the benefits of replacing performance reviews with growth talks, how to handle being challenged by an employee, and the importance of a trusting culture at work.

Quotes

*”What happens with people when you really trust them and you empower them… you need to give them guidance about what do we want to achieve as a team, as a company, they need to have a clear view on the strategy, but then let them go. And then magic happens because when you give someone the trust, And then the feeling of, ‘You can do that, I believe in you,’ It's just amazing what happens.”

*”I strongly believe everyone can be a star in something. We just need to find out what area someone can bring in his or her skills in the best way.”

*”We implemented growth talks. It's all about really taking the time to reflect on what someone needs. Where are the areas of development and what can I do as a leader to support my employees? Everyday can be growth talks. After every meal, after every meeting, can be a moment of growth talks. And then we talk with our people about what happened. What can we learn out of it? And what kind of support someone needs. We started that journey one and a half years ago. We're in the middle of it, but I can already see a difference. It's a different culture of how people feel, also how they behave within the team, the interactions with leaders, and it's much more positive, future-oriented. And really, the spirit of growing, learning, achieving something together. I strongly believe it's because we got rid of performance management ratings and established growth talks.”

*“The best ideas are out of a discussion of a diverse group. This is the change that happened, and wonderful to see. Yes, it may be difficult for me sometimes, because it's not always my idea. And to be really honest with you, I love when my idea is perceived as the best and we were going that direction. I love that. Everyone loves that. But you need to learn as a leader, it's not always the best idea. The best ideas always come out of a team discussion.”

*“Sometimes we don’t have enough opportunities for young talented people. Because when someone is at the top of the game, top of their career, they don't want to move. Because it's great up there and they have a big responsibility. But I think we need to learn to step back and make room for talent. For example, myself. I love my job. I've had the job for three years. I could imagine doing that job for the next 15 years, but that would not be good for the company or for the organization. So that's why I promise you I’ll step back in four to five years. Because it's good to have someone taking over, bringing in some new ideas and creating a different dynamic. So we need to establish a culture of movement within the company.”

*“To be challenged as a leader is not always easy. Because maybe you're proud of something because you developed something with your team and it's successful. And then you have someone joining the team from outside who is challenging your process. The natural reaction right away is to defend. And this is not good. First, you need to listen, to understand what is being challenged, the reason why, and really listen, listen, listen, listen, listen. And then step out of your role of being in charge of that process. We need to look at it as a consultant. Maybe she or he is right. And then try to be open for change. But then track, is it improving? Do we achieve better results? And I think this is the key.”

*“No one will leave a company because of a tool or because of a process. They will leave the company because of the culture.”

*“To care means also to be very tough sometimes. In a situation when someone is not fulfilling the requirements or they don’t do the job, then we need to tell them. Or when we think, ‘We tried, it's not the right job.’ And we try to invest in training, et cetera, and someone's really not fulfilling the requirements. Then we need to act. And this is also caring. So also to end the contract with someone, or to say, ‘I think we should go different ways.’ This is also caring.”

*“I love the people. I have a strong bond with them and with my employer, Siemens. But I also see risk here. We should have, all of us, a healthy distance to the company, because it's not all about the job and the company. I think family, yourself, you're much more important. Your health, what you love, what you like, who you are. You're not the company, you're not the role. The role is the role, and maybe you will leave the role one day.”

Time Stamps

*[2:52] The Flight Plan: Get to know Siemens Smart Infrastructure

*[4:59] First Class: Best EX practices at Siemens Smart Infrastructure

*[26:13] Turbulence: EX lessons learned

*[36:45] Advice for other EX leaders

Links

Connect with Alexander on LinkedIn

Check out Siemens Smart Infrastructure

Thanks to our friends

This episode is brought to you by Firstup, the company that is redefining the digital employee experience to put people first and lift companies up by connecting every worker, everywhere with the information that helps them do their best work. Firstup has helped over 40% of the Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, AB InBev, Ford and Pfizer stay agile and keep transforming. Learn more at firstup.io