One of Siegfried’s 5 Promises to our employees is interesting and challenging work, which we know can mean different things to all of us. The unmatched exposure we provide to new projects, companies, environments, and industries is just one aspect of what we offer our Professionals, and we believe it’s an extremely powerful opportunity for our employees to elevate or even redefine what interesting and challenging work means to them on a very personal level. In this series, we’ll take a look at how the promise of interesting and challenging work comes alive for our Professionals.
At Siegfried, executing on our clients’ goals is only part of the equation. Our professionals take an ambitious and people-focused approach to their client work, leveraging leadership advisory to not just succeed and build credibility in the role at hand, but to add lasting value to any project or team. Our people work under the direction of our clients to get the job done better and faster than other options, and in the process, everyone involved becomes better as well.
For one of Siegfried’s clients, a software company specializing in delivering network services, Evert Jenezon, Senior Director & National Technical Leader, embraced the mindset of mutual growth that characterizes our Firm’s unique service offering. By asking thought-provoking questions, demonstrating flexibility, and building relationships, Evert exceeded his client’s expectations for the project, gained a fresh perspective of the business’ operations, and experienced the interesting and challenging work that Siegfried promises.
Great questions lead to great thinking, which leads to great actions
Evert had no direct experience in operations and process improvement when he was brought in to backfill the Director of Stock Admin and Payroll. While the opportunity to try something new was attractive to Evert – who had spent many years in accounting and controllership roles – with only 10 days of overlap between himself and the outgoing director, the learning curve proved to be particularly steep.
“Facing an unfamiliar area, industry, and situation, I relied on my intangible skills, like my flexibility, and employed leadership advisory exercises to help me adapt,” explained Evert. “I looked at the company’s prior earnings releases and asked the right questions – what is the company’s mission? What does success look like in two months? In six months? What is the Chief Accounting Officer’s leadership style or philosophy?”
With a clearer understanding of the client’s goals and how to achieve them, Evert quickly assumed the role’s responsibilities. This included handling the stock awards offered to employees globally, understanding the tax implications of and checks necessary to process a release of shares, increasing the efficacy of the team’s processes, and diving into their spend. He was nimble and inquisitive to get up to speed, maintaining regular communication with the CAO through weekly meetings and ad hoc check-ins. But his impact didn’t stop there.
“I was proactive in diving into the role, getting other people’s perspectives, and finding opportunities for change,” Evert continued. “Even if not all of my ideas could be executed on, they added value because they got the team thinking.”
Breaking the mold
Evert’s ambition to lend a hand and explore new areas led him to identify opportunities for improvement even outside of stock admin and payroll. The client was going through an ERP transformation, and observing this as an area of need, he provided support on a volunteer basis. He became an asset to the project, and once the Director of Stock Admin and Payroll position was transitioned to a full-time hire, the client enlisted Evert’s help with the ERP in an official capacity.
“I like to broaden my horizons, and I am willing to roll up my sleeves and assist wherever needed,” said Evert. “Showing my flexibility, ambition, and eagerness to learn was a game changer, in terms of both getting me that second role and enacting positive change at the client.”
Specifically, Evert became the acting Head of Procurement Operations, freeing up the current head’s attention to focus on the ERP as it entered the global design phase. This new position meant that Evert could further immerse himself in the company’s operations, advancing his goal of expanding his expertise beyond accounting.
“When you really get to know people, show that you care, and go above and beyond, you can end up doing a lot of different things.”
More than just a transaction
Throughout each of Evert’s roles at the client, showing that he truly cared and had an ‘of-service’ mindset was top-of-mind, and he sparked collective transformation through formal and informal leadership advisory exercises.
Formally, Evert hosted a leadership advisory ‘lunch and learn’ where members of both payroll and stock admin had the chance to connect, and dig deep, with someone new. The group looked at the life/leadership curve, broke the company’s mission down into character ethic words, and discussed the question, If you were going to select three new things to do/try/accomplish before the end of the year, personally and professionally, what would they be?
Informally, Evert offered support to the department heads he partnered with cross-functionally, including the head of people operations. “This person had contacted me a couple of times saying that he was really overworked and needed help voicing his concerns to leadership,” Evert explained. “I helped with getting the right folks around the table to fill any gaps, as well as with assessing his processes and design to see where improvements could be made.”
Going the extra mile, Evert even met up with him for dinner in Amsterdam as a token of appreciation when passing through for a friend’s wedding. While the head of people operations had recently moved to Amsterdam, Evert is from the Netherlands. Evert provided him with a native’s advice on the area, and he introduced Evert to a culinary passion of his, Brazilian steakhouses. “Making those connections shows that you’re really interested, which serves as a catalyst for helping each other,” said Evert.
“As Siegfried professionals, we aren’t solely focused on transactional value – there’s also the people aspect. We can lead a team, but we’re also teaching the team members how to lead themselves. And that, in turn, helps us become better leaders as well.”
Siegfried’s higher purpose – to help people transform themselves into better leaders to exponentially improve their lives – extends to all who experience it, including our clients and our professionals. Explore how our higher purpose comes to life through our unique service offering, including leadership advisory, and dive into our Firm’s career opportunities on siegfriedgroup.com/careers.
