Ten years at Bayer

I’m a millennial who has worked at the same company for ten years…

Let that sink in for a minute.

As shocking as that is, this is not a blog about millennial’s because I don’t GAF. (That is my entitled millennial nature speaking)

I want to share with you you about what I learned working for a huge corporation for ten years. I’m not leaving the corporate world by any means but I am going on maternity leave. I’ve worked for Bayer CropScience, who is involved in a massive acquisition, one of the largest in agricultural history (it may actually be the largest).  As a result of this deal, there were divestment’s due to competition issues.  This means that, if the deal goes through, I’m headed to work for another giant German chemical company with an amazing canola business, after I return from my baby adventure.

Now that you have the back story, I will get back to sharing the lessons of ten years. The last year has been the most interesting and might be where the most light bulbs became bright for me. Nothing in my life has remained consistent since March 2017, perhaps I’m acting like a farmer and only remembering what is fresh in my mind. Regardless, here is what sticks out.

10. Work smart not hard. I sadly learned this the hard way. In my family your value is defined by how hard you work and this was my mindset for years before I worked at Bayer. I carried my relentless work ethic with me to Bayer and worked tirelessly for many years, which left me tired and resentful, with no one to blame but myself.
My motivation now is how can I be the most efficient in the least amount of time possible. The extra time that was freed up is spent on thinking of creative options to change the way things have always been done. Work smart, not hard. Thank you to my mentors of this philosophy Trevor and Megan.

9. Just be you. I found myself while at Bayer. I went from straight up party girl, to a resentful woman that hated being objectified, to having no self esteem intellectually and physically, and finally to a woman who was comfortable with who she was. No joke, this was a fucking journey people. It required therapy, mistakes, tears and personal development. But where I am today was totally worth it.
Through all of this I learned to be myself everyday. This got me further than putting on a work persona because it was never genuine and left me feeling itchy and uncomfortable. Never apologize for who you are. Maybe don’t use who you are as an excuse to be a selfish asshole though, no one likes that.

8. You’re you, not your company. To the thousands of farmers I have crossed paths with I will always likely be the Bayer girl. I’m probably saved in their phones as Bayer Courtney. However, what I have learned is that I cared about their success more than Bayer’s. I’m not sure if this will serve me in the advancement of my career because I’m never going to be a company person. The benefit of being more than a talking head for a company is that you people trust you because they know you care. I feel like this helped me develop long lasting relationships and I was more relatable because I was honest. My favorite farmer George was definitely the person who brought this out in me. Hopefully I’m just Canola Courtney now and my Bayer handle will dissipate.

7. Be passionate. Whatever you are doing, do the shit out of it. Be so good at it that people miss the day you moved on. As I mentioned before don’t work yourself to death but showing your passion is infectious. You will attract new customers, friends,  potential employers and advocates.

6. Be grateful. I remember one day driving down a highway and was angry at everything; My job, my life, my family, etc. And then I sat back and thought about what if I felt the opposite of what I do right now. I realized that I had stopped being grateful for all the good things in my life. It was my awakening of not sweating the small stuff.

5. Not everyone is on your side. There will be people who do not like you and they might make it a mission to derail your success. They suck. However, do not take them too personally. Their issues with you could most definitely be something they see in  you that makes them wish they had more of what you got! However, if you get a little wasted one night, don’t vandalize their lawn with obscene drawings made with herbicides. Kidding, I totally want to do this though.

4. Don’t be a fern. Working one of the most male dominated industries has its challenges. Do you know what is crazy? I always got asked the question, was it hard working with farmers? Not at all, they were appreciative of any help I provided once they realized the value I brought to their farm. These relationships took more effort to build than it may have for men I worked with but the relationships I built with those farmers are unshakeable.
It is way harder working with the old boys club of corporate. However, learning how to make myself heard without forcing my opinion down their throat has been my key to being taken seriously. Listen actively, don’t talk to for the sake of making a redundant point, stand up for what you believe in and yourself. This isn’t just a female thing, it’s a human thing.

3. Outsmart your competition. Focus on what you do well instead of what your competition does poorly. Over deliver on your promises. Be present for all your customers; 10,000 acres or 300 acres. If it leaves a queasy feeling in your stomach, you have gone too far. Focus on these things and your competition will struggle to get their foot in the door.

2. Don’t suffer. This is one I’m still learning. My current supervisor told me I am very Canadian in that he will watch me suffer in meetings when I clearly want to say something, usually when my progress is being hindered but don’t say a word. His advice, which I’m incorporating into my daily life is to ask questions of these people to discover their intentions if they aren’t forthcoming with their motivation. Thanks Marcus.

1. Consider plan B. The world is complicated, try to imagine alternative solutions. At least when you are open to alternatives you aren’t so disappointed if something doesn’t go exactly as planned. Maybe just don’t put too much effort into it, sometimes that is karma and the universes job.
If I was to relate this to my personal life I would say that I have always tried to plan my personal life down to the minute. That has worked like shit. I always planned to have a baby at some point in my life but once I got pregnant it was scary and I didn’t expect that. I had planned a picture perfect family, which didn’t work out but I’m accepting the plan B alternative solution on the fly and I’m learning that is okay.

I can’t believe I actually came up with 10. I think the chocolate I ate writing this was my inspiration. Ten points of learning in ten years of employment is the tip of the iceberg in regards to the experiences I will take with me from Bayer. This feels like the end of my longest most successful relationship. There are so many people at Bayer that made such a huge impact on my life and for that I will forever be grateful of my career with them.

ps. I’m totally crying.
pps. one of my colleagues that is coming to BASF with me text me to tell me he farted in my office.