Cultivating Growth: Mara’s Story of Ongoing Learning

At Oetker Digital, we believe in a culture of constant growth. Join us as we explore Mara’s journey, showcasing our dedication to continuous improvement. From her role as a Product Manager in our ventures team to supporting our Data division today, Mara exemplifies our commitment to continuous development.

In her interview, Mara Ziemann shares her motivation behind enrolling in a two-year training program, highlighting the transformative power of ongoing learning. Discover how this experience has refined Mara's skills as a Product Manager and why embracing change is essential for success in today's fast-paced world.

• Could you tell us more about the training program you completed and what motivated you to pursue it?

I participated in a German program called “Systemische Beratung / Prozessbegleitung,” which can be translated to “Systemic Consulting / Process Development.” It is a 2-year program focusing on three pillars: consulting and coaching individuals, team development and moderation, and developing and working with organizations.

I gained experience working both in traditional companies and in startups. At Oetker Digital, where I work now, we find ourselves somewhere between these two worlds, both in terms of challenges and in terms of opportunities. Digital transformation, introducing agile methodologies and data-driven decision making are as much topics for us as adapting new processes so that we can drive innovation, utilize latest technologies and best practices in the digital innovation sector. 

As a product manager, I am regularly in the middle of change processes, often feeling the discontent with the measures or the progress of the implementation from all sides. In the past I felt that I lacked the proper methods beyond product development to accompany and shape these organizational and process changes. That is why I was looking for better tools to guide teams and stakeholders through these periods and to make change something to look forward to, instead of something to endure. After all, we can be sure that change will not go away - and focus on its potential to make things better.

• How does it benefit you in your current role at Oetker Digital?

Currently I benefit mostly from the insights on how to bring different perspectives together, defining common goals and improving my general moderation skills. No need to say that data & AI are currently hot topics everywhere: they are changing the way we work as Oetker Digital and how our partners at the Oetker Group are working. This change is beyond new tools & tech infrastructure. As a product manager in our Data & Insights team, I am in the middle of these changes and I am grateful to have a toolset to accompany our partners both in terms of technology and in terms of processes.

• Could you share a few key learnings you gained during your Ausbildung?

Breaking 2 years down into 3 key learnings is tough, but for me personally these were key takeaways: 

1. Attitude & mindset over specific methods: I learned a lot of methods & techniques, but systemic work at its core is more about attitude than anything else. It’s about helping people to design their best solution, taking different perspectives not only seriously but considering them as helpful, and showing that small steps and impulses can lead to big impact. 
2. Goal-orientation instead of over-analyzing: In my experience change processes often start with analyzing a status quo, defining a desired outcome and using the delta to define what steps need to be done. For me, as a former user researcher, design thinking coach and generally analytical person, it sounded like blasphemy, but in regard to change you don't (always) have to understand the problem / current status to the deepest level, but what you need to have is a clear picture of your goals. 
3. The first stages determine the success of the whole change process: Even if you embrace it, change will always cost (money, time, energy, …). You have to ensure that you and your stakeholders can and want to carry these costs in the beginning. No method can help you, if the (leadership) team you are working with is not convinced by the change measures or the process.