#Traditions

It’s been another great week here.  The NL Active Directory migration project is in the application testing phase, and we’re still blazing forward with cleanup.  We’re also advancing the Ireland integration, working together on processes and procedures.  Of course, we still moving forward with Open Borders, CEE, and Akaan.  We work with people from so many countries and cultures, it’s amazing.  In the words of Walt Disney, “It’s a small world, after all.”


Of course, lots of work and progress usually comes with lots of meetings.  We had wrap up meetings with Corporate Center Finance to finish the cleanup of their directories, and met with Corporate Center Financial Reporting to start work on cleaning up their directory.  We set an initial plan of action for their group, with hopes to increase the scope of cleanup to include others as well.  I did explain to them that the Client Security team will work for cookies, but we’re still waiting on the delivery of those.


I got to participate this week in exciting meetings for both Aegon Proud (which just scored 56.78% on the Workplace Pride Global Benchmark) and Transamerica Proud (which just scored 90% on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index).  Both of these are very impressive scores, proof that our Employee Resource Groups are making a real difference.  They give our company great visibility in our communities, show we’re an inclusive workplace, and help us recruit and retain talent.


I also attended AGT’s Culture Awareness Session (hosted by AGT’s very own Menno Olgers), which offered excellent insight into working with our diverse colleagues from around the world.  We specifically discussed similarities and differences in workstyles, providing us valuable tools to work better together.  If you have the opportunity, I would suggest everyone attend this fantastic class.

Of course this week also has me thinking a lot about traditions.  In the US, our colleagues will be celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday, hopefully surrounded by friends, family, and lots of turkey.  Here in the Netherlands, Sinterklaas Day is just around the corner, so we’re also surrounded with lots of fun traditions (and treats).  And thanks to my awesome Dutch colleagues, I finally know the difference between pepernoten, kruidnoten, and taai taai, all of which are amazingly delicious.  They’re also the reason that I need to go on a diet when I get home.


But traditions aren’t just for the holidays.  They’re for the workplace too.  And they’re important.  This article does a nice job of pointing out why workplace traditions matter.  For example, traditions:


Create something timeless to hold onto, honor, and continue.
Build meaningful connections between employees and with your organization.
Create a shared history, rich with stories and experiences.
Bind people together, forge bonds, and foster a sense of belonging.
Strengthen your organization's identity.
Bring energy to the workplace; heighten morale; and create a positive work environment.


So during this week of Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for the opportunity to be a part of the AGT Netherlands traditions.  When I return home in two (very short) weeks, I’m going to miss the coffee, the lunches, the stories, the meetings, and the laughter.  But most importantly, I’m really going to miss the people.  I’m honored to be a part of the shared history here.

Happy holidays, everyone!  What are you thankful for?  What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?  What are some of your favorite workplace traditions?

#PledgeAllegiance

This was a great week to be in AGT Netherlands.  The Active Directory Consolidation core project team is here, so we’re working hard to finish cleaning up the NL domain to prepare for migration.  We’re also working with developers to setup access so we can begin application testing.  We’re getting some great face time with each other and the business unit and making some excellent progress.  We’re also working hard to wrap up the Ireland migrations and move the Open Borders project forward.

I also had the pleasure this week of working with the Corporate Center Finance staff to restructure their entire data directory.  Keep in mind, this was a significant change for them, so being here in person really made a huge difference.  I was able to schedule regular touchpoint meetings with them before the change and work with them in person through any issues after the change.  Everyone in the Finance department remained really positive and flexible during the change, so it made it easy to work with them.  Plus, I must say that I had to execute the change flawlessly, because the head of the department brought me speculaas cookies last week from the Bakery van Maanen.  Yes faithful blog readers, there’s actually a bakery here which bears my family name.  It’s like the mothership has called me home.

It’s only days later, and word has spread of Finance’s successful data restructuring, so other departments have already started contacting me to assist with their cleanup as well.  The extrovert in me is excited to meet and work with even more people.  The security admin in me can’t wait to assist in more data structuring and cleanup.  The kid in me hopes they have cookies, too.

Okay, enough about cookies.  Last Thursday, we had a unique experience in the office.  As employees in the financial sector, all of AGT NL assembled to take an oath.  At a high level, by taking the oath, we agreed:

To act with integrity and care,

To prioritize the interests of our clients,

To act with appropriate confidentiality and not abuse our knowledge, and

To make a sincere effort to preserve and promote the trust in the financial sector.

Our leader had a great point in regards to this.  While it was important that we take this oath and acknowledge this ethic, as AGT employees, it goes without saying that we shouldn’t need an oath to prove we’re acting with integrity.  We should be promoting trust and prioritizing the interests of our clients every day.

After the oath, we also had a bit of a social hour, celebrating AGT coming together in our new location.  It was a great way for us to get to know one another on a personal level.  We even invited some of our colleagues from around the company.

Speaking of allegiance, I feel that I need to acknowledge the recent events in Paris.  Having lived in Paris while I was in university, I feel a special closeness and solidarity to the city and its people.  To my knowledge, none of our colleagues or their families were directly affected in the attacks this weekend, but it was nice that the AEGON office observed a moment of silence.  To all my friends and colleagues around the globe, I leave you with one of my favorite quotes to honor Paris, the “City of Light”.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. – Martin Luther King, Jr.

#YouWillBeAssimilated

We were joking earlier this week about this expression and how I’m being assimilated into the AGT Netherlands office.  This was a direct result of my attempts to integrate myself into the NL office by offering to pick up coffee for my colleagues.  Keep in mind, picking up coffee here is a bit more complicated than it sounds.  It often requires a coffee carrier, a notepad and pen, multiple assistants, and an advanced degree.

All joking aside though, this really got me to thinking about assimilation.  Actually, it got me thinking about acculturation.  To explain, assimilation is the process where a person absorbs another community or culture’s aspects until their own culture is significantly mitigated or lost.  Acculturation is the process where a person adapts to another culture without losing their own traditions and customs.  So just to make sure we’re on the same page, I’m actually attempting to acculturate.

Okay, enough of the nerdy lesson in culture.  Sorry about that, but I’m just really interested in this kind of thing.  You’re probably wondering what I’ve been up to.  This week I was able to do a lot of things, many of which really helped in my acculturation:

• I got to spend more time with my friend Carine in Utrecht and her adorable three year old twins.  I’m proud to say that after living here for a month (and really trying to learn the language), my Dutch language skills have advanced to that of a toddler.  Small victories.
• I had the honor of attending our colleague Cherish’s wedding, which was an amazing and beautiful event.
• I attended my first Dutch soccer match (ADO Den Haag v. Feyenoord) with another colleague Wim and his son.  It was an awesome match, and I’m happy to report that ADO Den Haag won!  Again, small victories.
• After the soccer match, Wim took us on a tour of Rotterdam, seeing old Rotterdam (the location where the pilgrims actually departed to come to America) and new Rotterdam (the funky Erasmus Bridge area).  Rotterdam is a fascinating city.  It’s full of history, and much of its dichotomy is due to the WWII bombing on 14 May 1940.  A large section of the city was completely leveled, which is why part of the city is so ultra-modern.  This combination has now become part of Rotterdam’s identity.

All of these events (family, wedding, pastimes, history) really drove home how every interaction we have is an opportunity to acculturate.  And every interaction we have with people is an opportunity to create culture.

So back to work.  Or rather, back to corporate culture.  All this has me thinking a lot about our AGT corporate culture and specifically our “I AM AGT” initiative.  To quote Norbert’s article, “Every time we meet with a customer, answer a call, troubleshoot software, build a computer, or perform infrastructure changes – every time we carry out any job function -- we represent AGT.”

In short, we’re all responsible for creating our AGT culture.  Every day.  With every interaction.  So how can we globally acculturate more in AGT?

• Take time to get to know our colleagues.  If you’re in the Netherlands, this is easily accomplished via coffee and lunch.  How do other locations do this? 

• Take point on projects and issues.  Really own them.  Show our customers that we’re taking care of them in a way that only you can.
• Learn other expressions and customs.  Start and/or end meetings with a simple greeting in the local language.  Another easy thing that I like to do is sign emails to global colleagues with “thank you” in their language.  Google translate is your friend. 
• Find out important days/history and acknowledge them.  Similar to how learning the history of Rotterdam helped me appreciate it more, the more you know about a person’s holidays, important days, and history will can help you understand and appreciate them more. 

• Use social media and other creative outlets.  Linked in sends you birthday and anniversary reminders of colleagues.  For an interesting perspective and global updates, track Aegon and Transamerica on Facebook.  For example, Aegon recently posted this AWESOME video on Facebook which I just love.  And it even features some of our very own AGT employees!

 

So how are you creating a culture you want to be a part of?  Share your ideas below.

 

#MeetingOfTheMinds

Meetings.  Love them or hate them, they’re an integral part of our life here at Aegon. 

The VEEP program has been fantastic for my meetings.  This has been especially helpful with the Active Directory Consolidation project.  We’ve been able to make big strides in cleanup since I’ve been here and available in person.  When we need to discuss something or fix something, we can quickly and easily get together to discuss a plan of action.  In fact, in one meeting this week, we were able to sort out an issue in about 30 minutes, which would have taken hours (if not days) over email or phone.  If you don’t believe me, just check out the attached photo.  I know it looks like a page from a football playbook, but trust me, it’s some real good security.

This week, I was also able to attend a meeting with our Corporate Center Finance group, where we came together and organized a new data structure for them where we could all agree was best.  And just last night, I was able to setup a quick meeting to work through a rather complex multi-domain issue which arose for AAM.  So clearly meetings are very important here.

But I have noticed that meetings are approached slightly differently.  Keep in mind the following observations are from my personal experiences (and from multiple interviews of my Dutch colleagues).  We’re all unique individuals, and you can’t say that everyone always acts in a certain way, but we have noticed some trends with meetings.

In general, as compared to meetings in our US offices, I’ve found that meetings in the Netherlands office tend to be a bit more frequent, short, informal, and much like the physical workspace itself, they tend to be a bit more open and collaborative.  And in general, they very much prefer them to be in person.  It’s very common for all necessary parties (regardless of level or title) to be invited to a meeting to offer advice and feedback so everyone is on the same page and comes to an agreement.

So considering the world is becoming a smaller place and many meetings include people from around the globe, how can we make our meetings more effective?

• We can start by setting expectations early in the meeting.  Is this a meeting for information?  For agreement?  For task-giving?  For resolution of an issue?
• I understand that we can’t always be in the same room together, but we can work on building trust other ways.  I’ve said this before.  It’s 2015, the year Marty McFly went Back to the Future.  Video conferencing is here, and it’s amazing (and easy).  Communication is two thirds non-verbal, so why would you want to only get one third of your message across?
• We can use more inclusive phrases.  Focus on ONE Aegon, emphasizing teamwork and common goals and eliminating an “us vs. them” mentality.
• Another thing to consider is time zones.  Our European colleagues can be as much as 7 hours ahead, so when booking meetings, remember the beginning of the workday in the US is the end of the day in Europe.  This is especially important to remember when your European colleague is trying to wrap up their day so they can catch a train home.  I really understand this now.  J
• And finally, stay flexible and keep a good sense of humor.  This will get you a long way in meetings and in the workplace.

One last thing.  Speaking of meetings, our AGT Client Security team had an awesome global video conference meeting this week.  I found out that our team of 20 people spans 5 locations, speaks 6 languages, and has a combined work experience of almost 300 years (that’s an average of 15 years per person).  So if you need help with security, you’re in good hands.

Oh, and by the way, we also just happen to have two guitarists, a drummer, a keyboardist, multiple singers, and even a former roadie on the team… so if this security gig doesn’t work out, we’re *totally* starting a band.

#ATaleOfTwoMarathons

Where to start?  I’ve been in the office a week now, diving into marathon number one: the marathon of meeting as many colleagues as I can.  I’ve had the opportunity to meet so many fantastic people already, through coffee, lunch, after work borrels, and even working through some security issues which have arisen.  (Hey, work happens, right?  It is why I’m here, after all).

The home office is a great place to be.  There are so many interesting people from all over the company (AAM, AGT, Corporate Center, and NL) converging in one place, and I’m doing my best to meet them all in two short months.  In fact, on the train to work this morning, I actually introduced one of my Corporate Center colleagues to an AAM colleague.  It truly is a small world.

And then this week there was the real marathon.  For those of you who didn’t know, I was lucky enough to run the Amsterdam marathon on Sunday.  By the way, I’ll warn you right now, this part of the blog will most likely get a bit long (and crazy runner guy-ish), so if running isn’t your thing, you may just want to jump to the end of the blog right now.  It’s okay, I won’t judge.

Still with me, faithful readers?  Cool.  In a word, the Amsterdam marathon was amazing.  As a person who loves running as much as he loves language and culture, it made for the perfect day.  I met and ran with people from over 50 countries.  Talk about a small world.  It took me over 5 hours to complete, so I had *plenty* of time to meet people.

I ran with all kinds of people: a couple from Belgium working for NATO, a huge group of hilarious Russians, an awesome guy from Ireland, tons of fantastic Dutch people (of course), two ladies from Scotland (who were highly impressed that I knew so much about their wonderful country thanks to all of our awesome colleagues in Edinburgh), a teacher from France, an Italian who worked for Mizuno (one of the marathon sponsors), and a Finnish man celebrating his 75^th birthday by running his 25^th marathon with his family.  Wow, what an inspiration.  I only hope I’m still running at his age.

So even though I ran the marathon by myself, I certainly wasn’t lonely.  After all, I had 14,000 friends to make.  Plus there was the incredible scenery.  We started and finished in the Olympic Stadium.  The.  Olympic.  Stadium.  At 4km, we ran through the beautiful Rijksmuseum.  Kilometers 14-25 were along the Amstel Canal, complete with quaint farms, lots of boats, men wearing jetpacks, and of course the windmills!  (You know I stopped to take a marathon windmill selfie!)  And since this was the 40^th anniversary of the marathon, there was music at nearly every other kilometer.  All in all, it was just mindblowing!

But… I’m trying to keep this blog as honest as possible, so it’s confession time.  Truth be told, as far as the run itself, it wasn’t my greatest.  My legs started cramping at the halfway mark, so I had to run/walk the last 22k (13 miles).  It was hard.  Ridiculously hard.  Your mind can really mess with you if you allow it.  There are a million reasons to stop, but only one reason to keep going.  However, just because I had a difficult run doesn’t mean I couldn’t still make it an amazing experience.  Running the Amsterdam marathon was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I wasn’t about to waste it.

I find life (and work) are a lot like marathoning.  Sometimes you have great days, and sometimes you have not so great days.  But you look for the good things, you work hard, and you keep going.  Sometimes you need to ask for help.  Sometimes help is already there, and you just need to accept it.  And sometimes, you just need a little pep talk.  That’s why I love this video by Kid President.  If you haven’t seen it, take the three minutes out of your life.  You’ll be glad you did.  Because we all need a reminder sometimes that we were made to be AWESOME.

What will you do to make the world more awesome?

And yes, rest assured that I’ll probably sign up for another marathon.  At least once my poor legs are back to normal.  Who knows, maybe I’ll be running one on my 75^th birthday!

#ATaleOfTwoCities

Wow, it’s been a big week.  My flight was flawless, my apartment is awesome, and I came into the office to the warmest welcome I’ve ever experienced (which is good, because the weather is quite chilly at the moment).  I’ve mostly spent the last five days getting settled into my neighborhood, my new home, and the office.  I even had a crash course in Dutch by spending Sunday with a good friend and her adorable three year old twins.  All in all, I’m finding it’s amazing how quickly a person can adapt to new surroundings.  In many respects, I already feel like I’m “home”.

It’s weird to think that just a week ago, I was getting ready to leave on this adventure and waiting until the very last minute to frantically pack everything I own.  On one hand, it feels like ages since I departed, but on the other hand, it feels like I’ve barely left.  I’m finding the world is becoming an increasingly small place every day.  With every new technology we introduce, we have an opportunity to use it to connect to others.  So far, I’ve video chatted with friends, family, and coworkers back home every day.  (Speaking of, can someone PLEASE help my mother get setup on Skype)?  *Sigh*

But enough about home.  You signed up to hear about life in the Netherlands, right?  Well, the office here is fantastic.  AGT is now all in one location, so it’s really great for collaboration.  It’s a big, open floor plan with lots of windows and natural light.  Even the meeting rooms are made mostly of glass, encouraging openness and interaction.  I’ve already had the opportunity to meet a ton of colleagues from NL, Corporate Center, and AAM… but more on that in future blogs, faithful readers.  Stay tuned.

I’m quickly learning that the best way to get to know someone in the office is through coffee (delicious, delicious coffee) and lunch.  It’s awesome how people take lunch together here.  You can tell it’s important.  For the midday break, work is temporarily set aside, and you take time to eat together, talk to each other, and really get to know one another.  For an extrovert like me who thrives on interaction with others, this is music to my (foreign) ears.

So what have I learned this week?

1. I learned (the hard way) that Dutch supermarkets don’t accept credit cards.

2. I learned the best way to learn a language is to spend a day surrounded by three year olds.  (Well, at least you learn the words for lot of animals).

3. And I’ve learned that there’s no replacement for face to face communication.  There never will be.  I get that.  But since we can’t all be lucky enough to be together, video and phone make a nice replacement.

Oh, I learned that I didn’t pack enough sweaters.  Seriously.  It’s *really* chilly.

#FirstDayOfSchool

So the big day is here.  It’s the pilot of the AGT Voluntary Employee Exchange Program, and I’m off to live and work in the Netherlands for two months.  I can’t believe it.  Sure, I traveled a lot when I was younger, but I never imagined I’d have such an amazing opportunity as an adult.

Speaking of my younger years, in many respects, heading to the Netherlands reminds me a lot like heading off to my first day of elementary school.

          Will the other kids like me?  (Hopefully)

          Will I get lost?  (Probably)

          Will I make a fool of myself?  (Occasionally)

          Will I survive?  (Most likely)

I am so excited for this opportunity.  It’s going to be awesome.  But I have a confession.  I’m also a bit scared.  I’m not talking 100% paralyzed by fear, but maybe 3.14% scared.  (For those of you out there who are math nerds like me, I call that “pi percent”).  So yeah, I admit it.  I’m a little scared, and I think that’s pretty cool.

Fear is an interesting construct.  Fear keeps us safe.  It’s that little voice which tells us to not run into traffic, to not fist fight a grizzly bear, and to not open the door for ax-wielding crazy people.  (Note to self: stop watching scary movies).  But while fear keeps us safe, it can also keep us from trying new things, going new places, and meeting new people.

Eleanor Roosevelt said you should do one thing every day which scares you.  This is not surprising advice from a woman who helped draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, was nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize, and flew a plane with Amelia Earhart.  I personally don’t know that you have to scare yourself on a daily basis, but occasionally, I do think we need to push ourselves.  It’s when we push ourselves that we find out just how far we can go.  It helps us change and grow.

I guess that’s why I keep signing up to run marathons, why I love camping in the middle of nowhere, and it’s probably why I’m getting on a plane right now.  All these things help me learn more about who I am and what I’m capable of achieving.  What all will I learn in the next two months?  I’m not entirely sure, but I’m excited to find out, and I’m excited to have you along for the ride.  Let’s try new things.  Let’s push ourselves.  Let’s live a little scared.

What’s something that you’ve done that scared you?  How did it change you?