User story:

We spent some time with Wendy hearing her growth story and the impact that Mygrow has had on her life. The following is what she had to say, shared with her permission.

I was introduced to Mygrow at my previous company. I worked there for nine years, but as time went by I realised I couldn’t stay on, as the direction in which they were going wasn’t necessarily aligned with my personal values. Leaving my previous job was quite a traumatic experience for me. I have worked in Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) and retail, and have a combined experience of over 23 years in HR. Yet in starting a new job I doubted myself and really questioned whether there was anything I had left to add to the industry. I wondered if there was any way in which I could still contribute and help.

Culture intervention

Hiring me in September 2020 was the first step Rheinmetall took in prioritising culture change. I came into an environment where I quickly realised that I was dealing with technical experts who didn’t necessarily know how to lead people well. My mandate was to shift culture, and I knew this was only going to be possible once the leadership was unified and on the same page. Mygrow was the tool for this. Putting our leadership team on Mygrow was step one in culture change. We did this even before we changed the purpose statement, mission and values of the company. I needed the team to have a common foundation.

Since embarking on the Mygrow journey together, we are a far more unified and effective leadership team. The greatest success Mygrow has had in our business is that it has connected us. It has made us realise that we are all struggling and we need to support each other.

“Mygrow has softened up our management team. We have learned to care for ourselves and simultaneously face ourselves. We are now whole people, not just task-oriented, technical people.”

Shifts in leadership dynamics

Mygrow has equipped our leadership team to ‘grow into their roles’. We are far from perfect but the change is tangible. If someone starts losing their cool we now say “just remember your Mygrow!”. Mygrow has softened up our management team. We have learned to care for ourselves and simultaneously face ourselves. We are now whole people, not just task-oriented, technical people.

We didn’t go in looking for a productivity shift – we didn’t even go in asking what our ROI would be. We felt so strongly about the culture and leadership and wanting people to be whole that we took this on, and the productivity increase has just been a by-product. I think that in order for a team to work together you need empathy, collaboration and communication and then you will have productivity. Our goal was to enable our leadership team to run, to get them to where they are strategists, and not only involved in the day-to-day.

Growing in self-regard

From a personal perspective, I am now on the Self-Regard module and it has impacted me deeply. I am learning that I am enough. That I am actually good at what I do. I am slowly overcoming my inner critic. I have done so much in the past 12 months, and it was difficult to admit that I was the one who was doubting and downing myself. I now write myself encouraging notes and am beginning to take on the message that I am actually okay.

I have learned that you can do your Mygrow to just ‘get it done’, or you can do it with thought and intentionality and really let it change and grow you. I have learned to communicate in a way that people really understand – to meet them where they are at.
I have done all sorts of educational things – industrial psychology, personal development, you name it. But nothing like this.

DEEPEN RELATIONSHIPS
IN YOUR TEAM, COLLABORATE BETTER
AND TRANSFORM YOUR COMPANY CULTURE