Career Dream Comes True Thanks to Family
By Ryan Goodrich, Associate Director, Functional Leadership- People & Knowledge, Procurement, Bayer U.S.
I’ve been interested in living and working abroad since high school when my father, who played a role in the Upjohn and Pharmacia post-merger integration, was asked to move to Stockholm, Sweden. I was a senior then so it was hard when he asked me to come with him during my final year. So, reluctantly, I said no.
Although I chose not to move, I visited my father over holiday breaks and during the summer. What I learned on those trips further sparked my interest in an international career.
While I was completing my undergraduate studies at Michigan State University, I received an internship position with a French company called Pechiney. It was a unique opportunity, unlike anything I’d ever heard of before. As part of my responsibilities, Pechiney flew me to Europe to evaluate manufacturing operations at facilities in Paris, Barcelona and Zaragoza. I took photos, wrote news articles documenting my experience and drafted corrective action proposals for issues where things could be done differently. Walking around the streets of Paris I felt alive. Touring Barcelona made me want to see as many countries as possible. Visiting a tapas bar outside the bullfighting ring in Zaragoza gave me an appreciation for local cultures.
After I completed my studies and began my career, I had a number of opportunities to spend time abroad. Those included stints in Japan and Taiwan, including a dozen or more trips to different countries across Europe. These were fantastic and enriching experiences that helped shape my global business perspective and influence how I manage a diverse team of international procurement management trainees.
After I met my wife and started a family, those international trips sometimes took a back seat to family responsibilities. I’d always wanted to move to Europe, but unfortunately couldn’t do that as my wife is a small business owner in New Jersey. There were offers from Bayer to move to Germany and Switzerland that I turned down. I was always disappointed when I declined such amazing opportunities.
Fortunately, Bayer and the Procurement Leadership team didn’t give up on providing me with an enriching experience abroad. Since a traditional short-term assignment or move to Europe wasn’t possible, my manager asked me about taking a flexible approach — a series of extended business trips including several three to four week trips where I’d have my own apartment in Cologne and work directly with Bayer’s Procurement Leadership Team in Leverkusen.
I discussed this with my family and they supported the opportunity. My wife, mother, father, brother-in law and father-in-law would all make sure my two daughters had the love and support they’d need while I was away during each trip. I contacted my manager and let him know I was on board. A few weeks later, I took a flight to Germany to begin the first of my two extended trips.
While I was there, I supported our International Procurement Management Trainee program. We planned an assessment center to evaluate candidates with the potential for a rewarding career while developing as next generation leaders at Bayer. I also took on a stretch project that I was and am still incredibly excited about.
Throughout a series of meetings with our Chief Procurement Officer and a few leadership team members, they asked me to bring forward any concepts for developing Procurement employees professionally with full authority to “dream.” What I now call the “Growth Experiences” proposal was born. The approach is designed to make a difference by taking a person’s strengths and personal ambitions and using them to create unique stretch assignments that accelerate their development. The concept was accepted and I’ve been working intensely on it for the past nine months.
While I was working at headquarters I was exposed to so much diversity — different people from all corners of the world who are now close personal friends of mine. I built a massive network but I also learned about how the global leadership team operates and experienced how strategy factors into the decisions they make. It was a remarkable learning experience and one I hope everyone with international ambitions has at some point in their career.
If you’re at a point in your career where you feel like international experiences aren’t possible due to family obligations, consider an extended business trip as an option. Although you won’t get a full immersion experience, these experiences definitely will help you not only open up new doors and opportunities but also scratch that travel itch.
