In Step4Future we’ve created a way of facilitating the holistic, continuous development of employees at various career levels. Employees at the start of their career and more experienced personnel alike are given input for their personal and professional further development through various measures such as our mentoring program.
The program starts by forming a mentoring tandem. A development center is then set up where mentees receive a summary of their strengths and fields of development. Following a joint kick-off meeting, the mentor and mentee then start to exchange ideas and experiences. The program is accompanied by special parallel training sessions to ensure the best possible development.
Katrin and Jörg are also part of Step4Future. In a joint interview they tell us how they’re finding the program and which particular experience they’ve had with it thus far.
Katrin: I started my professional career by training to be an industrial clerk and went on to sign up for a dual work-study program in business. After first working in strategic purchasing, I then applied for a job with KHS in 2015, a company whose products and pioneering technology greatly appeal to me.
In my current position as team leader in Strategic Purchasing for electrical engineering, drive technology and standard items I have lots of different tasks and responsibilities besides my classic personnel management activities. In addition to defining and implementing our goods category strategies, in our department we’re also responsible for negotiating national and international pricing and general agreements, observing and analyzing global procurement markets and for managing our suppliers.
Jörg: I started my apprenticeship at KHS in plant engineering, followed by on-the-job further training as a certified electrical engineer for mechatronics. During this time, I got to know the Service Division where I’ve been based for many years in various different posts. As a genuine home-grown KHS player, I worked as a clerk, team leader and departmental manager before being made departmental head of Order Management in 2014.
Order Management is part of the After-Sales Division: in other words, it’s the interface to customers who already have KHS machines or entire filling lines in operation. Our tasks range from initial customer inquiries through offers, orders and order processing to the dispatch of a whole range of spare parts and conversions. In short, we make sure that we keep the machine on the market for as long as possible – and, with an average service life of 17.5 years, we’re pretty successful in this.
Katrin: In signing up for the program, I mainly hoped to prepare myself for future professional challenges and possible further steps in my career. I also believed it would be a good opportunity to build up my network across the various KHS departments and sites. I was looking forward to swapping experiences with fellow colleagues and saw the program as a chance to further my personal development. I’m thus delighted that my expectations have also been met so far!
Jörg: When our Human Resources Department approached me and asked if I could imagine taking part in the program as a mentor, I first asked myself if I was actually capable of fulfilling this role.
As a manager you’re always a kind of mentor, however, as you pass on your experience to your employees. I also like working across and networking with our various user departments. What’s more, I found the idea of mentoring extremely interesting and wanted to explore this further, to study it in more depth and learn about new topics – and to provide support to others. Mentoring isn’t a one-way street, of course; the difference in age between Katrin and I helps me to see things in a new light and introduces me to new tools and instruments.
“We established an atmosphere of trust right from the very start and discussed all topics openly.” (Katrin)
Katrin: At the start of the program our Human Resources Department sent us questionnaires which we filled out and which described our respective expectations of the mentor and mentee. Once Human Resources had compared our answers, in theory we turned out to be a perfect match! And I must say that in practice we actually do make a very good mentoring duo.
Jörg: I can only agree! I think that the criteria used to match colleagues work extremely well – with other teams too. A big thumbs-up here!
Katrin: Once Human Resources had found a suitable matching partner for each participant, a kick-off meeting was organized that laid down the foundations for our mutual exchange of ideas. Here, we all really got to know one another; we’d already been informed as to who’d be making up the tandem but as yet there’d been very little to no personal contact. After our first meet-up Jörg and I then started exchanging views and experiences in joint regular meetings. I found it especially good that we established an atmosphere of trust right from the very start where we can discuss all topics openly.
Jörg: Our mentor/mentee relationship is primarily characterized by our open, honest and trusting exchange of ideas. I think that this vote of confidence is extremely important to both of us.
Katrin: We don’t just communicate in one direction; we swap ideas with one another in both directions on a whole variety of topics. Among other things, we discuss personnel and current issues or particular challenges we’re facing – or simply ask one another for advice. We therefore both use our conversations to see things from the other person’s perspective and to find good solutions to any problems.
Jörg: As a rule, we hold regular meetings every four weeks. Luckily, we can now also often meet up again in person. At the start of the program corona made this impossible. We take the time we need to discuss our various issues without interruption. If there are any urgent problems, we both know that we can also contact one another at any time outside of our meetings. A spontaneous chat during the lunch break or out in the courtyard is also a good way of giving each other a quick update.
Katrin: As mentioned at the beginning, the mentoring program starts with a development center for us mentees. Here, we take part in various training units such as simulated talks over the course of two days, after which we receive supportive feedback in the form of a result report. This enabled me to identify issues that were important to me which I then shared with Jörg. I’m really pleased that I’ve been able to ask Jörg for advice on any topic and have thus benefitted from his wealth of experience. I also find Jörg’s feedback especially helpful as he holds a mirror up to me so that I can reflect how I come across.
Jörg: Just as Katrin says, I’ve also been able to profit enormously from our mutual exchanges. I’ve adopted new approaches to things thanks to Katrin’s fresh ideas on how to handle various topics. I also find myself in situations that I can’t manage with my usual sense of composure – objective feedback is very helpful here.
Besides carrying out my actual role as mentor, I’ve also enjoyed swapping information with other mentors. We’ve always shared our experiences without bias and with respect, creating a very positive atmosphere that encourages personal further development.
Jörg: During the planned three-year term of the program, we’ll continue to meet as usual. After this, I’d also like to continue to act as a contact, if possibly without the regular meetings. Once a mentor, always a mentor – you don’t just stop being one. My door will therefore remain open – feel free to pop by anytime, dear Katrin!
Katrin: For me, the mentoring program is a great concept and I can really recommend it to others. Besides all the experience I’ve managed to gain to date, the seminars offered as part of the program have also helped me to develop further. The key to the success of the mentoring concept is definitely to build up a sense of trust and exchange views on a regular basis. Then the program practically runs itself!
Jörg: Besides being a special mark of regard for the employee, the program gives both participants the opportunity to develop – one that should definitely be seized with both hands. I’ve also been able to build up my network and learn to see things from a number of new perspectives.
For me, mentoring is definitely a concept with future potential and is something I believe should be continued!
More experience reports
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Production Manager | Department: Assembly and Manufacturing | Waukesha, USA
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