What were the elements that appealed to you specifically at Synergio?
Lizet: In the organization I was in, there was a lot of chaos in the way the innovation processes were set up. This led to frustration for many people. For me, what’s important is having fun with your team while accomplishing something together. Doing something together that you are proud of without too much frustration.
Mike, Arno and Edwin indicated that this is precisely what Synergio emphasizes in their services. In complex, innovative environments, ensuring that people are able to do what they do best. This angle really appealed to me!
Is there much focus on personal development within Synergio?
Esmée: Yes absolutely! We are all equal. Everyone is listened to and there is a lot of space for you as a person. With us, the person is central so that goes beyond just the work context. A great example is our Golden Brick – You rock! This brick is passed every two months by the “winner” to the person who has learned the most. This could be because you did something outside your comfort zone, or it could be when you made a mistake and learned from it.
Lizet: Our motto here is a quote from Mandela: ‘ never lose, I either win or learn!‘ Learning is done in so many ways. You don’t just do that by taking training courses. Indeed, it is especially your colleagues and friends who mirror you from time to time that you can learn a lot from. To mirror each other, this does require an open and trusting team. I think we have this at Synergio. Learning is something we do together here. We also share our course and personal challenges so that everyone knows and can do their part.
Esmee: We use 3 focus areas here: Personal development, professional knowledge and customer knowledge. On all three topics we spar with each other. In addition, everyone has a personal development budget. How you deploy this is up to you. This does require that you have this clear for yourself and take charge of your own development. That mindset is important to us at Synergio.
How do you see that development reflected in your assignments?
Lizet: I started as a scrum master. Then I got the opportunity to work as an Agile Coach. I was on an assignment with Edwin. That was a huge learning curve for me. You get immediate feedback on what you do well and could possibly do differently. Because you sit with the client together, this gives room to experiment outside your comfort zone. If I wanted to do something that might not be such a good idea I got immediate feedback from Edwin. That made for a very safe and experimental learning experience. In addition, we are also with large and interesting clients so that makes the variety and opportunities in which you want to develop diverse.
What appeals to you about the assignments Synergio does?
Esmee: I like puzzles; solving problems. Find where the common thread is and discover the logic. You also need to be able to change gears quickly. A client expects you to be able to jump in quickly and act proactively. As you have done more assignments you get better at this as well. You start to see through the patterns faster and faster.
What do you think are important characteristics of someone to do this work?
Esmee: You have to be curious, dare to ask questions and be able to make contacts quickly. And what we think is really very important is that you listen to the people at the client. Not already having a plan in your head but first listening, then “puzzling” and then coming up with a plan together.
Why would people want to work at Synergio?
Lizet: We have a strong and enjoyable team, many opportunities and space to develop yourself, active participation in the development of the organization and of course the interesting assignments. We are here in a beautiful building where there are more businesses. Last someone came up to us and said, “It’s always such a casual and pleasant atmosphere with you guys. There is a lot of laughter”. This gives a nice picture of the atmosphere at Synergio.
