Transformation stories with a human touch: Ellen and Felix drive meaningful change
Ellen Schmeling and Felix Baart have found more than just a place to work, they’ve discovered a community that thrives on collaboration and a shared passion for driving change. With their clever insights into human psychology and the ability to speak up at the right time, they engage in meaningful work without losing sight of what’s truly important – life.
Felix Baart and Ellen Schmeling have something in common: they both work as Business Technology Managers at Sofigate and are both located at our Stockholm office. For Ellen, it’s not just the work that’s appealing; it’s the vibrant culture and collaborative environment that make her current position fulfilling.
“Having landed interesting roles and driving change with talented colleagues is what makes this worthwhile”, Ellen sums it.
What convinced both Ellen at Felix at working with us was – besides the easy-going culture – a prevailing and overflowing drive for change. Felix explains it’s like going to the gym for the first time:
”There is this apparent feeling of progress in everything we do. I get a sense of fulfillment hammering that through”, he gushes.
Driving positive change is what draws towards transformations
Both Felix and Ellen work at our Stockholm office, which currently employs over 100 people. However, while they share the same office space, they are engaged in separate projects and have entirely different educational and career backgrounds. While Felix has a background in risk management and IT, Ellen’s expertise lies in mechanical engineering. But what made them look for new opportunities?
”Moving from working in technical projects, I found myself getting more involved in the general project management and financial side of things, pivoting my career path in the process. I gradually grew to like managing projects wanted to try new things”, Ellen says after having dealt with product development of physical products like locks and mining machinery for a while.
Felix, on the other hand, brings a wealth of experience from working with the big four companies:
”I feel that Sofigate has a special position in using business technology as an open sourced framework and in that way democratizing information”, he says.
Ellen and Felix work with transformations, helping their client companies drive change in the constantly evolving business landscape. It’s the continuous will to grow, develop and see tangible results what keeps repeating in both Ellen and Felix’s words.
What, then, does the duo believe is the cornerstone of successful transformation projects?
Ellen believes that steering change in baby steps presents both challenges and rewards, gradually building trust and urgency.
“During a transformation journey, the most important thing is to drive change in people’s behaviour across the organisation and to get people to understand why the change is needed”, Ellen suggests.
For Felix a proof of success is the client feedback after a little bit of time has passed and the results have started to kick in:
“When someone comes back to you 30 days later and says, ‘Oh now I get it’. ”
A touch of human psychology to seal the deal
Although much of the work revolves around digital platforms, an important aspect involves focusing on people and understanding their strengths. Felix has a trick up his sleeve: he thinks about basic human psychology a lot when communicating with both his colleagues and his clients.
“People have a tendency to look for a confirmation bias, he begins.
“It’s important to understand the power of incentives. Are those expected to change adequately motivated to do so? How do we tap into a person’s natural curiosity without triggering the fear of change? These are important considerations”, he outlines.
Ellen agrees that both the business and the projects they handle greatly benefit from speaking out loud at the right moment. After all, they are in the people business.
“I’ve learned a great deal by listening to the clients and that way digging out the discrepancies and the compatibility issues with the projects – being able to verbalize this and understand the prerequisites required is crucial. Progress is made as long as you’re moving forward, even if it’s at a slow pace”, Ellen says.
A team spirit that gives energy: ”We have a very good cultural fit”
“While vast transformation journeys naturally involve navigating relationships, dynamics, and even the chemistry between individuals – especially for a company facilitating extensive transformation journeys for client organizations – there must be something out of the ordinary that draws the consulting people together and makes them click, right?”
“We just have a very good cultural fit, and we get along very well,” Felix reflects on the matter in terms of Sofigate as an employer.
Ellen agrees that there absolutely needs to be a team spirit that gives energy and functions as a carrot of going to the office, too.
“There’s a strong entrepreneurial vibe where employees truly have a say in things, and we genuinely want to be in the office together,” she hints.
Even though spending more time physically at the office often means increased sense of belonging and camaraderie, employees sometimes require flexibility for personal endeavours. Felix has a heartening example to share from his personal life.
“I recently became a dad and here I have the chance to balance my time to focus on the most important things in life. I’m grateful to be encouraged to take some time off to focus on my psychological well-being before returning to work with renewed energy,” he reflects.
Be human, always
No matter how stressed or strained one would be, the duo strongly feels that there is always a colleague available for quick chats – or long and winding talks – to break the silence and boost the mood.
“I feel trusted here and encouraged to individually do the necessary planning in order to fulfil the needs of the client, as well as my personal needs for development and work-life balance”, Ellen says
The creation of a pressure-free environment stems from a culture of humanity within the workplace. Beyond work personas and personal identities, there is an even more fundamental layer to working life, that is one of humanity and kindness, as Ellen puts it:
“We support each other as colleagues and humans”, she says.
Name: Ellen Schmeling
Title at Sofigate: Business Technology Manager
Age: 29
Education: Mechanical engineering
Work history: Product development
My superpower at work: Listening skills
Name: Felix Baart
Title at Sofigate: Business Technology Manager
Age: 30
Education: Business and IT
Work history: Risk management
My superpower at work: Being able to understand people’s behaviour
Work with us:
90% of all members of our work community consider flexibility in daily work important as a factor that increases job satisfaction.
94 % think their team lead promotes good team spirit
Want to join? See our open positions!
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