This digest issue continues a series of articles about first enrolment graduates of the management reserve training program. Have they benefited from the training? Have their careers changed? Ekaterina Chuychenko, fleet development director, VDM, is answering these questions today.

– Ekaterina, what did you do to participate in the program?

– It was a self-nomination: as soon as I got the information, I submitted the application form and an essay, collected all necessary recommendations from the management and then was selected for the program.

– Why did the program draw your attention? What were your expectations?

– I saw it as a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the company, its processes, the strategy and colleagues from different Structural Units. Besides, according to the assessment I had been through by that time I would have to work on my strategic vision. So, this was what I hoped to improve during the training. By that time I had been working in the company for 4 years as the head of the fleet development department. So, it was time for further development, and I just considered this program as a chance for the next step.

– What can you say about the program? Was there anything that impressed you most?

– I very well remember the training devoted to negotiations “Challenging Dialogues” conducted by Maxim Ilyin, a business consultant from SmartValues. I would do it again if I had a chance. I am sure I would find some other useful things there.
I also enjoyed the training on leadership conducted by Elena Russkaya, a consultant from “A Public Person”. It helped me understand what leaders should feel, and how they should behave to be accepted as leaders.
Another seminar which stays in memory was devoted to implementation of changes, conducted by Tim Highet from GE. And here there is an interesting observation – the seminar didn’t impress me much at the time, and only now I’ve started to recall, understand and apply a lot of things heard there.
I would also like to emphasize the seminars conducted by our management, especially in terms of the strategy – this was initially my objective to get the picture of all the processes from above. So, this is the development of this particular competence which I think I succeeded most during the training. I wish such training sessions on strategic vision were systematic.
Getting to know other program participants from different VD offices in Ulyanovsk, Europe, Asia, the US was also valuable. These contacts are quite useful to manage processes.
And of course I do remember our first teambuilding day. It was great! I remember us, a big group of people, standing on the log trying to support each other – this is an absolutely different sensation of being in a team. There were seemingly easy tasks on information interpretation to show how inaccurate information transfer can distort the information and destroy the whole process. Wherever I work I very well remember this lesson.

– Did the training meet your expectations?

– More than that – the training results exceeded my expectations! I improved my strategic vision, learned more about the company, the processes, the team, management. What I didn’t expect was any perspectives for career growth.

– Did the program help your career growth?

– Yes, the program did expedite my career development – I was promoted to the position of the fleet development director. I had been gradually prepared for this position by my line manager, but the program sped it up.

– The second training year will match the intensity of the first one: “future leaders” will have to perform their individual tasks, work with tutors, have personal coaching sessions, etc. How do you see your further development?

– I am still a newcomer on present position and consider leadership competences to be my primary growth area. For me, a leader is a person who you would like to share the pathway to the achievement of a significant goal. This requires lot: to understand and correctly formulate goals, to carefully consider the route, steps to take, to motivate the team, to define error and growth areas…

– What can you recommend to the second enrolment program participants?

– I was delighted to know that five participants of the second enrolment had chosen me to be their tutor. I am sure I will manage to offer them interesting tasks, approaching each participant individually. This is going to be a peer teaching.
I wish them to be courageous to take up new challenging tasks and enjoy doing them, to get pleasure from their contribution to both personal growth and the company development, to be self-confident and happy in their discoveries!