Joanna Gansel is member of the Business Intelligence Work Group and the newest member of the EPTDA Board of Directors. Discover more in this interview. Discover in this interview what’s the latest book she read and recommend, and what’s the best part of the bread for her.
Joanna, our previous guest in this series Christoph Martin, asked you: “Both in your professional and private life, how would you define success and which are the factors in order to achieve your goals?”
Success is a very big word. I believe we all want to be successful in our own way and success means different things to different people. For me being successful is to be somebody people can count on, both at work and at home. I do not want to be remembered for my title or the nice car I drove. I want people to remember me as somebody that helped them at a certain point of their life when they needed support to achieve a goal, finish important task, get a feedback or advice, take their project to the next level. I think the only way to achieve this level of accountability is by showing up and listening.
When you were a kid, did you eat the crusts on your sandwich or not?
I absolutely love crusts! In my opinion this is the best part of the bread and offers the most flavor. Since I was a child, up to this day, one of my favorite things on a Saturday morning is to get a freshly baked bread from local bakery, cut majority of crunchy crust out and eat it with melting, slightly salted butter.
What’s your favorite season and why?
It is a very hard choice to pick just one. Each season of the year is beautiful in its own way. But if I had to pick one, it would have to be winter as it brings Christmas cheer. I love Christmas time. I go crazy about the decorations (my house is full of them), baking gingerbread biscuits, watching Christmas movies, visiting Santa and drinking warm cups of tea with lemon, spices and honey by a fireplace. It’s also a great time to spend more time with family and friends, and take a well-deserved break after a full year of hard work. Definitely a very magical time of the year.
What was the last thing you read?
It was “The Invisible Leader” by Zach Mercurio. I can highly recommend it if you are trying to find a purpose (your “why”) to lead you and guide you in your daily life, especially work activities, because as Simon Sinek once said “people don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it.” So, if you work in sales and try to persuade people to work with you, you need to have a strong belief (purpose) why you do it; your customers need to feel the same passion for your products and job, as you do.
Our next guest will be Milos Kysel, member of the DDC – what question have you always wanted to ask him?
If you have to think of one person/leader that has influenced you the most and made you the person you are today, who would that be and why?