Social Sabbatical: Six weeks of pre-work
Even as we applied for the SAP Social Sabbatical(SoSa) program, we had to commit to six pre-work calls of 1.5 hrs each, and each call, as we would later realize is a gateway to some serious homework that prepares us for the one month that we are supposed to spend with our clients abroad.
We collaborated on SAP JAM and were assigned a program manager from our implementing partner PYXERA, a mentor, who has experience as a participant in previous SoSa, a logistics coordinator, and a local consultant. Collectively we might have asked a thousand questions so far, sometimes repeatedly, and they got back to us. Every. Single. Time.
Week 1
Week 1 was about getting to know who the team of 12 are. We were asked to upload a headshot, a CV, and a cover letter for ourselves. It seems unbelievable that I did not know any one from the team at the beginning of August. I checked out everyone’s profile and even reached out to a couple of them over skype to say hi! We also had to watch a couple of videos and share our opinions and feedback in the JAM page.
I was very, very impressed with the diversity in the teams. In the Mexico City team, where I belong, we have 6 men, 6 women, and represent 9 countries from 11 SAP locations. Our backgrounds are also quite diverse covering HR, Sales, Marketing, UX, and UA.
Week 2
This week we had to make a 90-second self-introduction over video skype, telling who we are, where we come from, what motivated us to join SoSa, and a fun fact about ourselves. Scott, our program manager, and James, our mentor made us feel at ease with jokes, and appreciation, and constant encouragement. In about 10 mins we all felt comfortable with each other. Even though we did not know “the person”, we knew the basics such as which country each team member came from, their areas of expertise, and their hobbies.
In addition, we were in constant touch with Danielle, our logistics co-ordinator, who helped us with our tickets, and visa process.
Week 3
Beginning of week 3, we had a whatsapp group, a MS Team, and other sharing tools where we can be constantly in touch. One of our first tasks as a team together was to come up with a team name, a motto, and a mission statement. We met together on a call and used the Mural app to come up with this brilliantly colored team deck.
I must mention that none of us thought that we can decide on a name, motto, and mission statement in a one-hour call. But it happened! Only because we put in our collective effort. Someone wanted the Mexican font, someone else suggested the flag colors, another suggested the hands signifying we are all in this together, the writers and word lovers came up with the action words, and the designer finally put everything together. It was a a true example of team work!
Week 4
By this time we were fast friends and all geared up to meet our clients. And that’s exactly what happened in week 4. We got to know who our clients were, and which other two colleagues we would be working with. My fellow sub-team members are Chris from SAP Germany, and Anna from SAP Czech Republic. I thought we hit a jackpot when we were assigned to the Prison Art project(I am sure the rest of the sub-teams felt the same way about their individual projects :)), because it’s the perfect blend of luxury meeting social impact. As the name hints, Prison Art is an organization that trains prisoners in the art of tattooing on leather goods. The designs are then used on leather bags and sold in the markets as an unique luxury product.
It’s the perfect story of the superhero who changes lives of the poor and the incarcerated.
Week 5
It’s week 5, and I have butterflies in my stomach now. I cannot procrastinate any difficult task any longer. This is the week we have our first call with our clients. Chris, Anna, and I read up everything about Prison Art, so that we can make use of our one hour with them and ask the right questions — not to mention, make a fabulous first impression.
It was not perfect, to say the least.
We had the most difficult skype session ever. The audio was blotchy, and the video quality just as bad. We had our first real lesson of how you cannot control everything. Luckily Mina, our local consultant stepped in and arranged a Zoom call and things went perfect from there. Team Prison Art was represented by the CEO himself, the CFO, and the merchandise head. They made us feel so much at ease, that we forgot all our nervousness! We are confirmed that this is going to be a brilliant working relationship.
Week 6
The last week we had a call with the alumni who gave us invaluable advice about the do’s and don’ts. The common theme seemed to be “Go with the flow.” And that exactly is what we are doing.
Apart from the specific tasks that we were assigned each week, we had to watch at least five TED talks, read up about Mexico, learn where we stand vis-a-vis the Mexican culture, work on case studies as a team, and most importantly, get to know each other. I cannot wait to meet everyone in person!
I leave for Mexico tonight, and I am a bundle of emotions!
