Hanna: I’m still not sure what I want to do when I grow up

Discovering logistics

Unlike many of her friends, Hanna did not have a concrete plan for her future career when she was in high school. So, after she graduated, she took a gap year, during which she worked at a warehouse. It was there that she realized two things. First, that there was a whole world of logistics behind the warehouse walls that she wanted to know more about.  And second, that the way the warehouse was managed could be improved.

“It suited me that my studies combined different fields.”

Hanna enrolled in a bachelor's degree in Industrial Organization and Economics with a focus on logistics and management. ‘It suited me that these studies combined different fields. And that alumni take on many different roles in many different sectors. Back then I wasn't 100% sure what I wanted to work with when I grew up. I'm still not 100% sure.’

Uncertainty as a strength

As an employeneur, Hanna can take on a new assignment when she is ready for the next challenge. ‘I enjoy trying different things. And I appreciate that when I feel ready for a new assignment, I can have an open discussion about this with my business manager. We then look for something new. This way, I can keep developing.’

At each new assignment, Hanna benefits from her broad interest to quickly find her bearings in an organization or a role. ‘When I was younger, I thought being uncertain about the future was a weakness. It felt wrong that many of my friends knew what they wanted, but not me. Over the last year or so, I have realized that it's a strength to not be fixated on one thing, because I'm curious about very different jobs, roles and companies. I see things others don’t and think about things differently compared to my colleagues.’

Social supply chain

Right now, Hanna is mostly working on developing her social skills. ‘I have realized that I really enjoy working with people. I like the human aspect of my job better than the technical part.’

“I really enjoy working with people”

Hanna’s current job as a replenishment planner analyst at a dental supplies company has both a social and a technical side. From Gothenburg she supports supply chain teams, mainly in Asia, in managing their product flows. ‘It’s an interesting puzzle that we solve together. Since our products have an expiration date, we need to predict sales as accurately as possible and match our supply accordingly. I calculate the numbers, decide on inventory sizes based on the forecast and help the supply teams define their strategies. I talk to them every month: we look back at the previous month and ahead at the next.’

Personal growth

The coaching that Hanna received has helped her a lot in her relations with her colleagues, both abroad and in Sweden, at TMC and at the customer organization. ‘With my coach, we talked about communication styles. I got to learn about my own way of communicating, and I learned to recognize the way in which my conversation partner communicates. If they are a bit bolder than I am, for example, I now have tools to have the right discussion together.’

“It’s insightful to listen to my own perspective in someone else’s words”

What characterizes Hanna’s journey at TMC most is her personal growth, in which her coach has also played a big role. ‘I really enjoy talking to my coach because I tell her things about me personally, like how I feel in certain situations and how I react. She then translates what I said into her words and gives them back to me. I get to listen to my own perspectives in other words, which is very insightful.’

Open future

Hanna thrives at TMC, and she tries to work at least one whole day each month from the TMC Sweden offices to keep in touch with her TMC colleagues. On top of that, she became a Business Partner – an additional role created at TMC Sweden to make sure each new employeneur finds his way. ‘I am responsible for a group of seven new employeneurs. I try to make them feel welcome and included. We get together at least once every month in Gothenburg for an activity that the group chooses.’

With her interest in people and technology and the match she experiences with TMC, Hanna may stick around for a long time. ‘I am happy in my role as an employeneur today, but who knows, I might be a Business Manager someday. I now know that I want to work with people even more than I do now in, say, five years. But in one year my thoughts about the future have changed quite a bit, so who knows. I will keep in close contact with my Business Manager. She knows about my five-year and my ten-year plans, even though they are not very fixed. We take it one step at a time. Because, not knowing exactly what I want to do when I grow up turned out quite well, so far.’