Agile Workshop Complete - Check
Design Thinking Workshop Complete - Check
Final Presentation to our Link Founder Client - Check
Celebration lunch with Pizza and Ivonne's Sangria - Check
We have seen so many things, we have met so many beautiful people.
We have experienced so much during this journey. When I started this whole process
I do not think that I would have said that the BEST part would be the actual work.
But surprisingly it really was. I can't tell you how rewarding it is to teach someone something and have them immediately go and start using it. This is what happened after our Agile Workshop. We taught the Agile Workshop in the afternoon and the whole Link team stayed late afterward to begin putting it into practice.When we did the Design Thinking workshop we had them start with creating their client persona and then doing the Empathy Map and Ideation for their own business.
Now they have the tools to really go an achieve and I believe they will.
So a little about the fabulous people I have met. Where to start as there have been so many.
First the Pyxera Team - Brandon and Elaine who helped us transition into the environment on our first call so many months ago. Congming - who did all the logistics getting VISA's arranging our flights, tracking 12 people from around the world as we made our way to China. You have no idea how great it is to have someone you can just call when you get to a foriegn place, can'read or talk and you need help. We had a typhoon that was heading right to one of my connection cities - Shanghai, plus the usual delayed flights, lost luggage etc. Congming was managing it all for all of us. Tracking where we all were along the way. Finally we had our local Pyxera rep Karen. We wanted to go to Laoshan - we called Karen - she got us a bus, a guide, arranged lunch. All we had to do was show up. If we wanted to do a team dinner we called Karen - she made the reservations, arranged privaterooms. Again all we did was show up. She was our fixer. I really liked Karen. I think I would like to add her to my luggage and take her on all my trips.
The CSC team and our mentor Marianne. Jamie was our first contact as she sent us the letters saying congratulations we had been assigned to China Team 33. She managed all of the team assignment for the whole program. Our team was the 33rd team that has been sent to China since 2008. That is just for China. CSC sends teams all over the world. Jamies is the one who assembles all of the teams world wide. Marianne was our team mentor. She was on China Team 31 and she led us thtrough all of our 3 month prework. She and all the other CSC allumni prepared us well. I know this is a big part of why we were able to achieve as much as we did. XiaoYin our IBM CSC China rep has also been a great help and she joined us both at the kickoff as well as our final presentations.
My IBM CSC teammates. My first call last April was the first time I had spoken to this team and we met weekly for 3 months. By the time we arrived and met face to face it was as it we were already old friends. This is something the CSC program does well. We had already bonded before we had even arrived. I was one of the last to arrive and it was after midnight so I met all except Ivonne at Breakfast. Ivonne had some travel delays so she arrived the next day. We spent that first weekend as a team of 12 getting to know each other and Qingdao. Then we broke up into 4 subteams. My team was Myself, Ivonne and Bharat. We all brought a different skill set to the table so we were well matched for our assignment with our Client Link Founder which was to create a 3 Year development plan for them.t was great getting to know each and everyone of our China Team 33. We have all
shared so much.
Our Client Kevin Zhao and his team at Link Founder. Phoebe, Keson, Karen, Salena, Hellen, Irene, Kong Yu and Caiyun. Phoebe was assigned to us for most of the time. It was her job to make sure sure we got picked up and delivered each day and believe me we appreciated it. We used Uber which is pretty difficult if you can't type Chinese characters and are not able to speak to the driver when he calls. This whole team was truly awesome.Kevin was with us almost every single day going thru and learning our process. He involved his entire team in the all of the training we did. I can't say enough
about how great he is. In just one year he has created this amazing business and then took us in to help him get to the next level. He listened and learned. We listened and learned. I know we learned a ton in this month. It was such as pleasure working with this entire team.
There are two very special people that I will miss dearly when I return to the states. Yifan and Iris. These two ladies we met at the opening ceremony. They were to quote Erik - our Project Rock Stars. They did all of our translation but that is really just the start of it. We moved very fast, they totally kept up. We needed a survey they wrote it. They learned Mural and were champions at it so that they were teaching me after just a short time. They helped us get ubers, they helps us read menus, they helped us find restaurants. They ordered all our food. They were always and cheerful and they were always willing to do anything we threw at them. They will forever have a place in my heart,
I also owe my appreciation to my IBM team at home as they took over my responsibilities and let me leave for a month. Thank you!!! I will make it up to you. Thanks also to IBM and the CSC program. When they say this is a triple benefit they are so right. IBM gains leaders with a broader set of skills, We get unique leadership opportunities and development experiences and the Community get's
IBM's best problem solving skills.
Finally to my family. I know this has been as much a learning experience for John, my husband of many summers, as for me. He learned how to do all sorts of stuff in my absence. I am hopeful he will continue to use all these skills when I get back. Thanks to my Kids Max and Shannon too. Shannon jumped to the rescue and took my very sick cat to the vet and saved her life so thank you baby! Bella and I are very grateful. Thanks to both of you for keeping your Dad company. From what I hear you ate pretty well.
So tomorrow is our Closing Ceremony and then I am off to Beijing for a couple of days. My Beijing colleagues have planned a whole itinerary for me and I am so excited to meet them all in person.
I saw something in Austin before I left that really resonated with me.
"Live a Great Story". This month in Qingdao is one of my Great Stories.
