Whenever I am asked about my job, I beam! I simply have the best job in the world.
For the past year and a half, I have worked as a consultant with Sanofi, one of the world’s leading healthcare and vaccine companies, dedicated to saving lives. My role is Head of of Organizational Development for Canada and the scope of my work includes change, culture, performance, leadership and talent.
I wake up every morning jumping out of bed to rush into work. Every day at work is an opportunity for me to make a difference. At the end of each day, I evaluate what I have accomplished. If I’m not happy with what I achieved, I re-double my efforts the next day. What is it about Sanofi that enables me to do my best work? For me, it starts with leadership. My boss. Julia O’Rawe, is one of the best HR practitioners I have worked with. Her standards are exceptionally high. She does not suffer fools gladly. There is always time and opportunity to creatively debate and constructively discuss issues to ensure the right interventions. And she is fun, with a killer sense of humour!
I have the privilege of presenting OD initiatives to the Canadian Management Committee monthly, knowing that the President of Sanofi Pasteur, Mark Lievonen, will be there to support me in his quest to creating an engaged culture where employees can do their best work. Hugh O’Neil, the CEO and President of Sanofi Aventis Canada, is a leader I aspire to be like. I have best friends at work – – people to talk to, challenge, coach, have lunch with, laugh with, learn from, share pictures with. It is an environment of professionalism, competence and people having your back. This is my last week at work as I complete my contract with Sanofi and focus on taking care of myself.
Leaving work has been one of the most difficult things I’ve had to do so far. But holding on to work when you are not able to deliver to your best level is not an option for me. What I have learned is that it is possible to find work with joy and meaning. And while I won’t be in the work environment for the rest of the year, I am going to turn my attention to other pursuits. Starting with learning how to make Thai food!
– Munira
15 Comments
Comments are closed.