Recognising “Trust, Openness, Passion, Care and Innovation”
Fadata has a Recognition program, which is in its third year. For 2022 we introduced a new category for Team of the Quarter/Year to the rest of the rooster (Employee and Manager of Quarter/Year). In this article, we will share more about the program as well as introduce the winners for Quarter 1 and Quarter 2.
The first half of the year went by rather quickly. We are still soaking the summer vibes. People are away while other colleagues are planning their vacation. Q3 is underway, and it is the perfect time to do a #retrospective. Our Fadata2Agile team would appreciate the pun (we hope).
Background
Fadata Recognition Program was created in 2020. Back then, we all needed a platform that allowed us to recognise those colleagues that represent our values the most. The winner of each quarter is the colleague with the most nominations. At the beginning of the following year, the whole company voted for the Employee of the Year. In 2021 we added a new category for Manager of Quarter/Year, and in 2022 we added Team of quarter/year.
In this article we will share a short interview with all winners from Q1 and Q2 of 2022.
Winners’ Circle
- What does it mean to you to have been recognized by your peers?
This recognition came as a big motivational boost at a time when I was feeling overwhelmed at work. I was extremely happy to hear that my efforts are being recognized by my peers. For me to become Employee of Quarter 1 is like my colleagues are saying: “Thank you for the job well done. We really appreciate your hard work and your desire to learn new things, although it is not always easy to patiently (and sometimes not so patiently) share your knowledge with us. Always continue to strive for improvement. We are very glad that you are our colleague.”
2. What do you cherish the most in your role as a manager in Fadata?
What I cherish the most in my role as a people manager in Fadata, is to have the opportunity to support and train the people in my Chapter, so that they can perform their tasks at their very best level. I have the privilege to work with outstanding business consultants in my team, each of whom brings to the table a variety of experience and knowledge.
It is my role as a team manager to be able to organise and enable each member of the team to perform at their best. This includes organising ad hoc training sessions on a particular topic and also discussing various challenges during our regular team meetings.
Of course, the nature of our work (working on client implementation projects) makes this extremely difficult to achieve, so I also rely on the wider Fadata community to provide support and help when needed, especially in the cases where our team lacks knowledge on a specific area.
In the future, I would like to be able to organise some formal knowledge-sharing sessions within the team, where each team member would be able to share their experience of a particular task on their project to help facilitate a common understanding of the INSIS platform.
3. Can you please share any notable highlights for 2022 in which the team participated?
Among our many activities, the most notable is having a new addition to the team — Stoyan Dimitrov. Stoyan joined Fadata after PL/SQL academy and has become a valuable member of our team in no time. He is already part of Fadata innovative product initiative.
Which Fadata value does your team represent the most?
The team spirit has always been part of our essence and of the highest importance for us, so the most notable value we can associate with is “Care”.
4. Can you please share what you think about Fadata Recognition Program?
Recognition for me as a major driver, if not the most important one. It could be a simple DM from a colleague saying, “Hey, you did a great job there!” or a formalised process/program.
Either way, the end result is — you show others you value their work, and the ones that have been recognised are more engaged and motivated to continue giving their best.
In the case of Fadata, I believe launching the Fadata Recognition Program was a way to foster a culture of appreciation, one that is based on our corporate values.
Seeing more and more people being nominated in the different categories over the last year and a half, for me, this program is succeeding in doing “its job”. In a way, I can even say that recognising others is caring for them, it is also being quite open and passionate about their work. If we take this perspective, with the Fadata Recognition Program, we are not only pointing out the people who are living and breathing our company values, but we do it ourselves, too.
I would say each person from the team should nominate at least one other person — the value it creates is at least 100 times more than the time you will spend or, in other words — totally worth it!
I personally take the time to nominate the people that have impressed me, inspired me or simply have done their best every quarter.
It takes more than one vote to win, but sometimes it might take as little as seeing your name on the nominees' list to make you smile and boost your motivation.
Coming back to your question — “What do you think about the Fadata Recognition Program?”- I think it was a much-needed initiative, and it helps increase engagement and happiness within the company.
I cannot wait to see how it develops in the coming years because I am sure it hides great potential.
5. According to you, what character traits should one have in order to be a great manager?
To answer this question, I must ask myself the following: Of all the managers I have had in the past, why do some stand out in particular? Is there a way to distinguish great managers from not-so-great ones? Which kind of manager am I?
I can say that a good manager can be described in a variety of ways, from management styles to personality traits. As a manager, I always put being a good person before anything else. It doesn’t matter if you’re a leader of a team of four or five people or if you’re a leader of a diverse team in a big company. The differences between traits and talents are like blood types. They transcend race, gender, and age and reveal the unique characteristics of each person. The good managers leverage their uniqueness so they can reach the maximum potential of each individual.
Being the person you are is not enough. You also have to work on yourself and get the right skills. It is essential that you always develop and improve the following:
- Don’t forget the others need you, spend time sharing your knowledge, and help them.
- Be productive and results-driven.
- Be transparent to the extent required, and communicate effectively.
- Ensure your team members’ success and well-being by empathizing, expressing interest, and showing concern.
- Think strategically, and have a clear vision for your team.
- Trust your people, give them the freedom to work creatively, empower and do not micromanage them.
- Make informed decisions, listen to others, and accept responsibility.
- Appreciate and encourage collaboration in the team.
The key to success is having a passion for all of these things and being able to inspire others to follow you.
6. Do you think such initiatives are needed and if yes, why?
The SAFe team is the backbone cell in every Agile organization, its building block. Adding such a category to the Recognition Program seems like a logical step in the Agile transformation of Fadata. It focuses the attention away from the individuals to the teams. The Program is the only platform that allows for teamwork and effort to be acknowledged in a truly democratic vote. And of course, the aftermath of the award is the encouragement and enthusiasm it brings to the team to continue to improve.
And let’s not forget the fun part. The team’s first daily sync after such recognition, even if it’s only a nomination, is always a bit more cheerful and uplifting.
In conclusion, the Fadata2Agile team appreciates the award and is conscious that it also brings pressure to perform even better in the future!
7. What did inspire your team to go the extra mile and achieve these great results?
The Fadata2Agile Team is not the usual Agile team. It does not develop batches of work or participate in the implementation process. But it is the behind-the-scenes player that makes the processes better, faster, and clearer so that the train can move smoothly. Its team members are enthusiastic, proactive, and innovative, so going the extra mile doesn’t feel like an effort. Considering the feedback from the Inspect & Adapt, we try to find an answer to every gap and improve everybody’s corporate lives.
Coming up:
The Fadata Recognition Program has been received in a positive manner. However, its beauty is that it is not a static project. Getting feedback after each edition and implementing it is the focal point of this exercise.
There is nothing quite like experiencing and sharing the great efforts of your colleagues, team members and peers and boosting their morale. Sometimes it is the small things — having a word of encouragement, a confirmation for one’s efforts and actions in times of hardship — that can make a difference and usually, it is no small feat.
