Preparing for take-off…
What am I preparing for? The “SAP Social Sabbatical”!
I am currently identified as a “Catalyst” at SAP — meaning I’m Top Talent. This is not my first time being a catalyst and I have been a Catalyst thrice before and what that means is I have access to the best learning, growth, and development opportunities at SAP. Right at the pinnacle of such opportunities presented exclusively for Catalysts is the SAP Social Sabbatical Program (SoSa). It is truly a one-of-a-kind experience to collaborate with a highly diverse group of SAP top talents across the globe and solve real-world challenges faced by social enterprises via pro bono consulting.
Why am I doing this?
Naturally, I jumped at the chance to be a part of the SAP SoSa program. I had applied once before and didn’t make the cut — that was 3 years back. The program has a rigorous and thorough selection process that not only looks at the technical skills that an individual possesses but also their attitude, resilience, and willingness to make a meaningful contribution to society. And it also largely depends on the projects that non-profits/social enterprises are looking for help on and the curated match between the participants skills’ and what they can offer to the program. This year also witnessed the 10th Anniversary celebrations of the Social Sabbatical program — so imagine my enthusiasm when I got selected this year to travel to Jakarta, Indonesia — I was ecstatic!
How is it going?
The last 2 months have been a whirlwind with understanding my host organisation and business objective, planning travel itineraries, virtually engaging with my fellow SoSa group and I’m truly amazed by how much of this process is made seamless by the SAP SoSa team’s meticulous planning and 6 weeks of intense pre-work calls — from things to do to logistics information, places to explore to project coordination, what to pack to what not do — everything is detailed and laid out so us participants can have the most optimal, safe, fun and mutually fulfilling experience during the sabbatical.
What am I looking forward to?
Being a part of this sabbatical means being away from family and friends, away from daily business responsibilities, away from familiar food and surroundings — it also means being close to new possibilities, new language and culture, new talents, new challenges and achievements, and hopefully making new friends! To top it all, the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have a shot at being able to deliver a social impact! I know that the next month is going to be a roller coaster — working with some incredible colleagues who I’ve never met before and whom I know very little about, trying to deliver value to an amazing organisation in a month — yes, a month — which is not a lot of time!
I’d be lying if I say I don’t find this to be daunting or that I’m not nervous, but I also know that with all the guidance and backing from SAP’s SoSa team and PYXERA Global — this is the most prepared I can ever be! 😊
Stay tuned or follow me as I share more about my SoSa experience, my project, my client organisation and the amazing work I plan to do with fellow SoSa colleagues in my next blog. Namaste! 🙏
#SAP #SocialSabbatical #SAP4Good #Jakarta #Indonesia
