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This article was created by Andreea Coca, Customer Experience & Quality Manager, Sodexo Romania
A geek at heart
I am probably at my happiest when I’m learning something new or I’m facilitating someone else learn something new. As Sodexo Romania’s first Customer Experience and Quality Manager, I’ve found my happy place.
A continuous learner
I am someone who thrives on learning ౼ a geek at heart, really. When my daughter was a toddler, I read a 200-page book on potty training! Most recently, I became interested in why we sleep and how it benefits us ౼ so I read a 600-page book on the subject to really understand everything I could about this otherwise basic activity which is sleeping. But my passion for learning extends far beyond my personal life. I have always been passionate and curious about understanding people in general and their decisions. From a young age, I set out to dig in deeper to find the answers on what drives behaviour and if indeed it can be influenced.
The first of my first’s
I often think of my journey as a collection of firsts. For example, I was the first in my family to study abroad. After graduating high school, I attended Whitman College in Washington State, US and studied Sociology, then went on to earn my Master of Science in Sociology and Social Research in the Netherlands. With my degrees I quickly found work in the field of market research where I ended up coordinating market research communities and journey mapping projects, which had never been done in Romania. I later evolved into a customer experience consultancy role, which at the time was a very new domain, especially in Romania. Given the newness of the landscape, most of the learning was self-taught and on-the-job ౼ there just were not any formal training opportunities available. I was driven by being in this constant state of discovery and learning, using data to understand people, predict outcomes and improve situations.
New growth path
About a year and a half ago, I was recruited by Sodexo to be the first member of its local BRS Customer Experience Team. What drew me to the company was the opportunity to be part of a fresh new team and the promise of leaving my mark on something.
As soon as I started, the doors opened to so many more learning opportunities. At its heart Sodexo is a company that really cares about its employees ౼ which is demonstrated in the weekly employee survey, the company’s openness to new ideas and feedback, the value they place on recognition and the resources they invest in training. As a curious learner, that last benefit really hit home for me. Within the first six months, I had already learned so many new things and had been exposed to new concepts.
Today, I manage a team of five. As a first time manager, I really value the fact that Sodexo invested in my training to ensure that I succeed in this new role. I did not want to be a manager who only evaluated my team’s performance ౼ I wanted to understand what influences it and help them design a plan to develop both professionally and personally and follow their passion.
How to find your passion
I think we are at a stage in human existence where we’re allowed to follow our passion ౼ the only problem is that we’re overwhelmed by all the choices. I’ve found that the best way to figure it out is to try a lot of things ౼ as many as possible! Get involved in projects, be authentic when you do so and see what resonates. I think one of the biggest misjudgements we can make is to expect that our first five years in a career will be the same as our last five years. Truly thriving in the workplace is about being able to grow into new areas, take on new challenges ౼ even if you fail! Learning is more about the journey than the outcome.