Tina has a plan: She wants to get out and see the world, discover new things, meet people and then work with them to make a difference. But as we all know, plans are tricky things, as they also have to keep up with the pace of life. But first things first:
In the early 2000s, after graduating in international business administration in Jena, she set off for the USA with her husband. "We were looking for adventure," she says. "And enjoyed a great experience," she observes, looking back.
While he found a job as a civil engineer after their round trip, Tina , who did not have the appropriate work permit, started her working life as a voluntary worker. "I worked for the Red Cross, helped at the food bank and later joined the Project Hope management team, where we initiated and organized global health programs. That was great fun."
Then, in 2008, came the great "game changer": Tina gave birth to their daughter. The beginning of a new adventure: family. When the global economic and financial crisis hit, the couple decided to return to Germany. Tina's husband, a self-confessed car enthusiast, decided to change direction and switch to the automotive industry, and found his dream job with EDAG. "From the very beginning this was a family project for us," explains Tina. "We looked at a number of different locations and then, with children and the care of our own parents in mind, decided on Wolfsburg. "Absolutely the right choice for us."
Having arrived in Wolfsburg, they welcomed a new addition to the family when their son was born. To begin with, Tina wanted to stay at home and take care of the children. Once they were a little older, the question of returning to work soon raised its head.
"My husband had raved about EDAG and said I should apply there, too. I took the step, and in 2013 started a part-time job as a sales assistant." Tina admits that the daily work routine was a challenge in the beginning. "After all the years I had spent abroad and then staring a family, the return to working life was a huge change. But my supervisor encouraged me all the way." Tina's career, with all the social commitment and the different international projects, aroused his interest. As her boss says, the ability to think outside the box is helpful any time, any place – especially when it comes to innovations, developments, and process design.
Having started as a sales assistant, Tina gradually took on more project work and then managerial tasks. She is well aware that this was not a self-evident development. "A part-time team leader working a 30-hour week at EDAG was an absolute first in 2015. Instead of the boss being the first to arrive and the last to leave – as is usually the case – suddenly I, the team leader, was the first to leave the office in the early afternoon every day. This worked because there were a great many people helping: my boss, my team, my family – and, of course myself." She is always available for her team. "And in a critical situation, I am also willing to work on the project and do whatever needs doing from home at short notice. And on the other hand, my fellow team leaders and my team will support me if one of the children is sick and I can't always function immediately, as planned."
Tina views this flexibility as a key success factor. "At EDAG, we place an incredible amount of trust in each other – ultimately a win-win situation for everyone, which feels great and contributes to the success of each of us.
Now that the children have started high school and are gradually becoming more independent, Tina has started to work full time as a head of department. "I enjoy using the home office options, but I'm also just as happy, if not more, to be in the office and in personal contact with employees, other managers and colleagues from our international sites." For Tina, leadership is first and foremost "people business" – and in people business you simply have to get together with others, and not just exchange technical information. "This intensifies collaboration and makes it easier to deal with interpersonal challenges and conflicts."
Tina believes that the path she took as a manager and mother could be the blueprint for other parents. "But times have changed. The world of work has now become so much more fast-paced." For this reason, she advises young parents not to be too naive when setting out on the adventure of combining work and family. "This is not something that happens by itself. The ability to be flexible both financially and with your time is essential if you are to balance work and family in a way that is good for everyone concerned. If you can do that, it's fun and has good long-term prospects."
Her own career path at EDAG shows that combining work and family can work out very well indeed. I want to be constantly learning and developing my skills – and draw a great deal of strength and motivation from this," says Tina. From her time in the U.S., she has also adopted an attitude that was widespread there and is important to her. "Looking to the future and being willing to embrace new experiences also includes the possibility of failure. Realizing that this not the end, but the beginning of getting back up again and starting over makes a big difference." This does, however, call for you always to be honest with yourself, and not to sweep things under the carpet and avoid responsibility. "Both as individuals and as a team, we need to be able to see ourselves as complete and whole. With all our human strengths and weaknesses. If we do this and so bring out the best in ourselves, we will always be successful and able to shape the future." That sounds like a good plan.
