Advice: How to Become a Leader on a Global Team

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Evgeniya Gorizontova has been successfully working for Schneider Electric for 8+ years.  In her current role, she is a Project Manager for HR Services Europe in charge of leading cross-country projects.

She would like to share some tips & tricks for those early in their careers.

4 Key Points

1. Be ready to take on extra responsibilities: show interest in new projects, suggest and lead new ideas implementation.
2. Be open, flexible, and agile. Schneider Electric is a company where changes happen constantly at every level. Our company is a company for ambitious and active people. If you are interested in developing within the company, Schneider Electric will always support you.
3. Have a proactive attitude. You do not need to wait for something, you are encouraged to act like an owner, lead the change, and improve things by yourself.
4. Build your network. People should know your name. Participate in team events and international calls and be sure to ask questions.

Job Relocation: To Move or Not to Move?

Today many international companies offer a job with relocation. But is it worth moving from the capital to a region? The answer will depend on the individual, but it’s always a good idea to weigh the pros and cons.

Evgeniya moved from Moscow and has been living and working in the city of Samara for 4 years.  Here are her thoughts about the advantages she found about working in a small city:

1. Work-life balance. It takes less time to get to work in a small city than in a big one. And if you work remotely you don’t need to plan journey time at all.
2. Ecology. In my experience, moving to Samara proved that ecology in a small city is better: you get sick less and begin to feel much better overall.
3. Budget. Lower local prices in comparison with Moscow significantly increased the quality of life.
4. Carrier opportunities. You get a great opportunity to build a career: you can get involved in a variety of interesting projects. This lets you open any doors in the future.
5. Personal growth. Sometimes life in the region changes your perspective on life, values, and attitude towards work as you see the process from a different angle.

Working for a Global Company

Globalization and remote work in international teams is a growing trend in the modern world. Evgeniya works on a team with members located in the Netherlands, Poland, England, and Germany. She shares some interesting facts of working in such a mode:

1. Colleagues are located all over the world, not just Russia. It is very interesting, and you often work with different people. Skype calls are an easy way to connect countries and continents.  With a right set of skills remoteness does not have a negative effect on communication, it even can be more uniting. I feel like a part of a big international team of professionals that does not have any geographical boundaries.
2. 90% of the negotiations are conducted in English and only 10% in Russian, which expands the horizons and helps me to develop and support my language skills.
3. You need to plan according to time differences. In most cases the time difference between me and my team members is 2 to 3 hours, and my morning is free for concentrated work. Colleagues respect my time, so there are not so many late night calls.
4. I do not have my manager physically nearby, but have no issues with this as the results matter, not the process.
5. Not everyone can work from home, it requires strong time management and planning skills. You need to have an open mind and be flexible. I am the real owner of my work-life balance.

We’re a dynamic, global company looking for passionate people to help us innovate at every level; champions of safe, reliable, efficient, sustainable and connected energy for everyone.  We’d love to have you join as one of our #SEGreatPeople!

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