Denisa Baníková is a Femme Palette mentee, who is finishing her Mentoring program. Currently taking a 3-month break to travel, Denisa would like to return to her career refreshed and ready to enter the next chapter of her career. In this spotlight interview, we asked Denisa about her journey towards becoming a manager, how she effectively provides support to engage and motivate her team, and so much more.
I am currently unemployed and taking a 3-month ‘refresh break’ to travel to Nepal and Spain. I used to be a manager of a Procuremet Services team and would like to move up in my career after this break because I love what I do. I have leadership in my veins. I lead a department of 30 people in a Shared Service Center. Our purpose was to deliver qualified services to our internal customer in a non-production purchasing area. I worked mostly on projects. For five dynamic years, I constantly participated on projects, coordinated and led teams, trained people, helped with testing and systems implemention, oversaw operations developed TLs and talents, and communicated with stakeholders. I enjoy working on international projects.I would describe myself as motivated, goal-oriented, and a good communicator. I value fairness, transparency, openness and support. In my freetime, I like to read, travel, hike, do yoga, and ride on horse-back.
I have held a leadership role for almost 2.5 years.I had quite a fast-tracked career from the end of 2020 till the end of 2021, when I went through 3 positions. I was a buyer and at that time I was already responsible for creating a team for new project from the US region where we took over some activities and implemented new system. Later, we hired 6 people. I became a TL for a while. I trained and led them as well as trained and supported approximately 300 colleagues in the US. After 5 months, I was promoted to a manager position. I led an entire Procurement Department with 30 people from all over the globe including Germany, Turkey, Spain, UK, US, and MX. I did not receive any leadership training before I started my role so it was a bit of a challenge. I learned many things by doing, reading, and watching tutorials. I am proud of myself for what I have achieved. I am trying to coach and mentor talents in my team since I would like to take advantage of my experience. The whole process took a lot of energy since I also had to work on myself and my mindset. Thus, I decided to take a short break and travel. I want to continue once I am back. I am considering a new company and a new city. I am excited to start a new chapter in my career.
For me, a good leader first identifies him or herself with the company’s values and goals and then support their team with the same. In practice, it is difficult to do it as it sometimes takes a lot of energy. A leader should have enough time to centre him or herself and also have enough time to be there for his or her team. This includes listening to, advising, leading, mentoring, and supporting them. It is important for a good leader to be resistant and to also deliver expectations from the board members even though your team may dislike them. To be a good leader, you need to listen, understand, communicate, and deliver it propertly with transparency to your team. It is always important to explain why and make sure that your team is connected to your goal. Empathy and assertiveness are key.
I speak with them, listen to them, and show interest in them on topics that are not only about work but also about personal topics. I empathise. I ask them what I can do for them to be more motivated if, for example, someone is overwhelmed or demotivated. I always try to be there, and I find solutions. I always understand that it is impossible to make everybody happy. When working with people, we need to be more assertive sometimes and create borders. In some situations when I say “no,” it is without continuous discussions. As a manager, there are times when the board expects that something should be done in a particular way. In these cases, I always make sure that my team understands the purpose and the “why”. I also try to find what people like and try to make it part of the job. It is important to identify potential in the team and focus on that.
Make sure that you understand your role. You have responsibility not just for your work but for your whole team. You are there to support. Sometimes, you should be like a parent, teacher, or a psychologist. It is also important to show interest in your team. They appreciate it when you know about their work and scope and that you are standing behind them. If they accept you, they follow you and listen to you even if you are young, which was my case. They started to trust me and accept me sooner than I did but, of course, not all liked me. If you have the majority on your side, that’s good. This really scared me the first time it happened. I learned that I really need to be wise about things that I am saying and how I am saying them because, whenever people start look up to you, they believe in you, your words, your decisions, and advice. They believe that, if you are there, everything has some solution or, if not, you are there to support and make connections. So, together, you are able to survive somehow. That is what is both scary and amazing about this job.
A leadership position is not just there for the role but to really be there for your team. Show them that they are part of the company and create an environment where they feel comfortable to deliver results for the company.
Everything is about the people, and everybody needs somebody to lead them, decide for them, support them, and, mainly, connect them with each other because every good idea comes from cooperation.
Sometimes, it is also important to ignore your ego and say I do not know. You can ask them to explain to you the details of their work since they are expects. While you are there to lead, you do not need to know everything and every detail. It is also important to to admit that sometimes you may not make the best decision or make a mistake. Don’t be afraid of it.
I was struggling with adapting in my role and my mindset. I needed external support and talk about it with someone. After attending the Femme Palette Conference, I know that this was a great opportunity for me to discuss and improve.
The overall experience was really good. I also liked that I had the opportunity to connect with other mentees via Slack. It was quite nice. I met interesting people, and we shared some experiences as mentees. This also inspired me to continue with the mentoring program as a mentor. I would like to help young and motivated people to become good leaders and also help them adapt to their role.
Do you currently struggle with your role as a leader or are you currently considering making a career pivot and are looking to surround yourself with the guidance of those who understand the field you are interested in? Get support from your mentor and get the support you need through our mentoring program.
