Hi, let’s talk!

My name is Marta Simeonova and I would like to welcome you to my first blog, where we will discuss various topics related to people management and navigating the corporate jungle.

Who am I?

Life has been very kind to me and has allowed me to try and experience multiple things. Over the last twenty years, I have cleaned rooms, worked with autistic children, been an office assistant (I was terrible at it), not waited tables (I am incredibly clumsy), been a recruiter in several industries, an HR Generalist, a mother, and a manager.  Four years ago, I found my passion in HR Shared Services and HR transformation. In this blog, however, I will not wear my HR hat. I will be sharing with you some stories and experiences as a people manager.

Currently, I lead a team of 50 fantastic HR professionals located in 12 countries across four continents. We are in the middle of a vast transformation, which means work is never dull. The excitement actually spikes up a bit too high for my taste at times.

 I love my job and I adore my team members. They are the reason why I get up and head to the office (or as per the current trend, get out of my pajamas and open my laptop) in the morning and I try to remind them all the time. It is a bit difficult to build a strong individual relationship with each of them, but I like to think that each of them has a little piece of Marta they can use in a time of need.

Apart from that, I am also inquisitive, horribly socially awkward, and always full of doubt. I write long sentences and enjoy splitting my infinitives.

Why this blog?

My work revolves around processes and systems and lots of coordination between various stakeholders. Still, I find that the piece I enjoy most and in which I can claim even a tiny bit of expertise is managing and leading my team. It does admittedly often put me on an emotional rollercoaster, but it is incredibly rewarding and brings new challenges and surprises every day. And I am a sucker for novelty.

I often find myself trying to reinvent the wheel when dealing with a new or unexpected situation with my team members. And believe me, with a team of fifty spread across the globe, there are a lot of those. There is a multitude of brilliant blogs and articles about leadership out there, but sometimes I feel that their authors write for a different brand of leader – one that is calm and collected and always has a clear goal in mind for their every action.

Unfortunately, I am not one of those. More often than not, rather than calm and collected, I feel insecure, confused, or at a loss. So I decided that maybe I have something useful to tell all those out there who, like me, are scrambling daily how to meet the needs of their teams adequately and how to navigate the complexities of the corporate world.

If you continue reading this blog, you will probably not find some world-shattering revelations and insights, but you will definitely read about real situations and real people and how I have attempted to do what is right for my team and me. I will talk about what worked, what didn’t, and what turned into a disaster. And hopefully, among this, you will find something that will make your life as a leader a bit easier.