After Workelo, it is the turn of Colombe Mandulaco-founder and Chief People Officer at Simundia, to take part in the interview exercise, over a coffee ☕.
At the rate we're going, caffeine addiction is looming over our teams!
Can you introduce me to Simundia, in a few words? What is the pain you reduce?
SimundiaSimundia is a company specialized in digital coaching for employeesin companies. We help them develop their soft skills such as management, leadership, stress management, emotional management, via our coaching platform.
Coaching has become an essential HR tool to address issues of talent retention, performance, well-being at work, and diversity and inclusion. In contexts of permanent transformation, employees are faced with demanding, complex and sometimes difficult situations. In partnership with Simundia, HR overcomes these difficulties by providing their talents with a valuable time-space to take a step back and emerge with a concrete action plan.
And thanks to digitalization, coaching has become accessible to all: the individual transformation of each employee allows for a deeper collective transformation of companies.
What is Simundia's "special touch" to attract candidates?
One joins Simundia primarily to be part of an exceptionally talented team. And, that's not an exaggeration! There is an incredible energy, collective intelligence and determination to move projects forward, to learn, to experiment. I'm always impressed with the quality of execution of the work done by the teams. All this in a friendly atmosphere, with a lot of mutual aid and listening. Having worked for several organizations before Simundia, I know how valuable this work environment is and how crucial it is to progress serenely in one's profession.
Another important element at Simundia is obviously its mission and its impact on employees, HR and companies. There is not a day that goes by without positive feedback from our beneficiaries, who tell us that they feel more efficient, motivated and fulfilled in their work: "I have learned so much", "I manage my workload much better thanks to my coach", "My team has noticed that I am more at ease in my managerial posture" etc.
👉 Check out the open positions at Simundia
Situational" coaching, what is it?
While traditional coaching tends to address diffuse and long-term issues, situational situational coaching is based on a radically different approach. It focuses on a specific situation and offers concrete solutions to questions such as "How do I manage a conflict with a colleague?" or "How do I get started as a new manager?
Situational coaching is an intervention targeted on a work situation and always allows for a move to action.
The sessions are short - only three hours - but intense, to meet the needs of each individual. In addition, it is important that coaching be available on demand, as situations can be complex and require rapid intervention.
What are the benefits?
Coaching offers two major advantages. First, it allows you to step back from a complex situation, to take a step aside to see the big picture. Secondly, it facilitates the change of behaviors to take action.
Let's take a concrete example: an employee who has difficulty managing his time. Thanks to the coaching, exercises will be proposed by his coach according to his habits. For example, reducing the time spent in optional meetings or writing them down.
Coaching allows for the resolution of individual problems, and this personal transformation then has a positive impact on the team's dynamics.
Do you have an anecdote to share about the impact of this type of coaching?
I will tell you about the coaching experience of a young manager who was very stressed when it came to public speaking. So much so that she was trembling during the first few minutes on stage! With the help of her coach, she realized that she was spending too much time preparing for her speech, which was upsetting her if she forgot an important element. Her coach then challenged her to prepare only key points, without elaborating on the content. As a result, she was able to speak in public without trembling for the first time in her life and her confidence as a speaker increased dramatically.
Coaching and inclusion, what is the link?
Coaching is a great tool for promoting inclusion and diversity in the workplace. It helps answer essential questions such as: how to help an employee rebalance his or her professional and personal life after a parental leave? How to become an inclusive manager by taking into account the diversity within your team? How to recruit without cognitive bias? How to react to a situation of discrimination?
At Simundia, we offer coaching sessions to help companies meet these challenges. We have already worked with companies such as Blablacar, Vinci and BearingPoint and we are excited to continue helping other companies do the same.
In your opinion, what is a successful manager?
A successful manager is first and foremost a person who encourages the development of his or her team while ensuring that the company's objectives are met. In other words, it is about finding the right balance between the individual development of team members and the progress of the team as a whole, so that these two aspects complement and harmonize. This not only strengthens the skills of each team member, but also ensures collective success.
A big thank you, Dove!
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