Day 1: Building a Foundation with Lego

or The Only Introvert on the Team

Today marked our first official day as part of the SAP Social Sabbatical in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. Team Mekong met altogether for the first time and throughout the day we engaged in several exercises all with the goal of getting to know each other better.

First up, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test results. Let’s just say that all but one of the SAP team are extroverts and I really need a t-shirt emblazoned with the word “Introvert.” If you haven’t read “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking,” I highly recommend it. Thank you Phuong Anh, from Pyxera Global, for the lovely shared experience of recognition as we discovered we have very similar test results.

Next up lego. We engaged in an Architect and Engineer exercise where through a series of meetings with many constraints (length, number of people, conversation style), Engineers had to build a model of a design described only verbally by Architects.

Very proud of the team (look at those colors!!!). Key takeaways include diversity in perspective, beware of assumptions, consistency is key, time management, and sort out best folks for best roles.

All in all, I am in awe of the diversity within our larger team. Diversity in personalities as represented by the MBTI test, diversity in culture, diversity in religion, diversity in experience and overall values. Koert, our Alumni Mentor, mentioned that the Teach for Vietnam team is the most diverse team. I say (albeit quietly), this is our strength. Looking forward to working with you Adil and Felipe!