So I ended up on garden leave just before the summer after a series of management changes. No big drama, no panic. I got a fair deal and have time to find the next step in my career.
Joining Itiviti in Stockholm was a great if somewhat chaotic experience compared to SimCorp. Insight into sell side trading, working with smart people across the planet, and taking ownership of goals, process, and results in the post merger void.
So what is next? I've spent some time over the summer playing with my kids - and reflecting on what I want to do next. I've enjoyed leading development projects, bridging the gaps between business and technology, managers and specialists, vision and reality. Looking at the job market here in Stockholm, there is still something called project managers out there.
I've also enjoyed doing business intelligence, analysing and visualising performance in dashboards. This could lead to business process modelling or a role as Data Scientist. I enjoy coaching and training peers. So far I've stayed away from people management, but I've come to a point in my life, where I can also see myself picking up that (1).
Structured processes like Scrum and Kanban make a lot of sense to me, and I've done lots of agile processes with iterative planning, refinement and delivery. I use a personal kanban to juggle work-life priorities. So I could also pick up a scrum master or agile coach role.
So what is next? Time will tell. Short term it's an opportunity to discover and learn about new topics - companies, technologies, tools. It's what I have always enjoyed.
I will be sharing thoughts and reflections on this blog. You are welcome to join my journey. And do get in touch if you know of an opportunity.
(1) Being a parent does that to you: While I have preferred participating in groups on equal authority level, with kids that simply doesn't fly. Sometimes you are right and they are wrong and the best way forward is not a Socratic dialogue. As a manager, you need to master multiple styles of leadership.