My experience with Scotland Leader x1 Day | Ioana Staicu
Ioana Staicu is a final-year BSc Psychology student at the University of Edinburgh. She spent the day at SFE’s office last week shadowing our CEO Sandy through Odgers Berndtson UK’s Scotland Leader x1 day. Here she shares her thoughts on the experience.
Were you ever close to not submitting an application for a project you were excited for?
Maybe you were tired, a bit overwhelmed by other responsibilities, or maybe the initial motivation for applying faded out. It's also quite easy to succumb to some thoughts such as "meh, I might not get in anyway".
Well, I can definitely relate. I was *that* close to not applying to Scotland Leader x1 Day, a shadowing scheme for young people organised by Odgers Berndtson UK. In the midterm fever, my focus was dwindling - yet, I managed to squeeze in my application right before the deadline and God, I'm so happy I did! Otherwise, I would not have had the chance to tell you about all the amazing things I've learned last Thursday...
I had the wonderful opportunity of shadowing Mr Sandy Begbie CBE, the CEO of Scottish Financial Enterprise - the largest and most important financial trade body in Scotland. Mr Begbie has a wealth of Human Resources experience, which I found extremely inspiring, given my interest in the field.
The day started with a conversation with Mr Begbie in the beautiful boardroom at 24 Melville Street, where the SFE headquarters is located. The day would then be packed with insightful conversations with each and every employee in the company - from the Digital Marketing Apprentice to the Director of Membership Services and, of course, to the CEO himself.
Perhaps one of the best moments was the working lunch with Mr Begbie, where I had the opportunity to talk about everything HR-related under the sun - particularly about organisational culture vs values, what makes a great leader and how to really know and inspire a large team. Furthermore, I had the wonderful opportunity of taking part in the company's last board meeting of the year, as well as the Christmas drinks with the team and the Young Professionals Network.
It would take me at least 3 blog posts to describe everything I have learned throughout the day... However, in the spirit of conciseness (which I have noticed being used during the day and really remarked as a great tool in professional communication), I will share with you my key takeaways:
Everyone's background is different. For some reason, I used to think that people have a very standard pathway into the field of financial services, however my discussions with the SFE staff proved to me that everyone has their unique journey. Some came from communications and marketing backgrounds, others from the business field or even the film industry. This was very inspiring to me, since I am interested in a variety of industries and I was not sure if I would even be cut out for some of them without having the "stereotypical" STEM background.
Diversity is important in the workplace, and it shows. I was fascinated to find out that the recruitment structure at SFE was done in such a way that it would maximise the expertise and potential of all employees, whilst being inclusive. Thus, half of the staff there had at least a decade of experience and knowledge in the field of finance, whereas the other half is comprised of young graduates who have the right attitude and energy to learn on the job and bring new insights. Definitely something to bear in mind when I go into HR!
A company's culture may change, but its values don't. And shouldn't. This is one of the nuggets of gold I acquired in my conversations with Mr Begbie. "Culture changes every day, but all decisions should be made based on the same core values of the company", he said to me. And it makes a lot of sense - without the alignment between the external brand and the internal values of a company, credibility falls apart and controversy ensues.
Language is paramount in public communication. When observing the team at SFE "in action", I realised that language is crucial when publishing statements and communicating with the government alike. I had learned about science communication in my Psychology studies, but seeing it in practice in a different field was fascinating - word choice is very important in ensuring the proper representation of the parties involved, which is what I learned on the day at SFE, who carried that out very professionally during their activities.
A healthy work environment is what we should all aspire to. For a day, I got to spend time with people at all levels of work, from apprentice to CEO, and all of them seemed very content with their workplace. The atmosphere was very welcoming, so much so that by the end of the day, I almost felt like I was part of the company itself! The board meeting also convinced me that SFE know how to celebrate their employees for their hard work, but also that they truly care about the fresh generation of professionals, as proven by their continuous support of the Young Professional Network. As Mr Begbie confided, "a great leader makes people feel like they can be the greatest version of themselves at work", and I must say that from an observer's point of view, this was definitely achieved at SFE. Not mentioning the hybrid and flexible working style, which is a good sign that the company is keeping up with the times and adapting to their employees' needs.
My final thoughts?
I have learned a great deal about financial services, but most importantly about the people at their foundation. As a young person merely peeking into the professional world, I have been welcomed most gracefully, and I am very thankful to the teams at SFE and Odgers Berndtson UK for that!
If you are a young person looking to get experience and exposure, this is your gentle nudge to apply for whatever opportunity comes your way! It may be scary and new, but you will not regret it - I assure you of that.
If you are an employer/professional reading this, don't forget to be kind and encouraging to young people. Every small door you open now to one young person may give them the empowerment they need to take the big leaps to success later on in life!
Ioana Staicu is a final-year BSc Psychology student at the University of Edinburgh. Her interests lie into the realm of organisational psychology and all things work-related: from creating a healthier workplace, to advocating for more empathetic leadership. After graduating, she is hoping to pursue a Masters and then a career in Human Resources.