Entrepreneur Cécile Lammer on building an international career
As an expatriate business leader, Cécile Lammer’s journey into the talent industry began in the area of international relocations, a field fraught with both emotional and logistical complexities. This role offered her an early and profound understanding of global talent management, shaping her awareness and emotional intelligence regarding diversity.
Today, as the founder and CEO of talent retention and wellness specialist Ceicia, Cécile’s career progressed alongside her definition of “global talent”. Catch her insights in this exclusive interview:
You started your career supporting international relocations. How did this role shape your understanding of global talent management and the unique challenges expatriates face?
This experience increased my emotional intelligence and awareness towards diversity. When working daily with 50+ nationalities, my pre-existing social fabric matured. I supported clients with their challenges and had to ensure clear communication with companies from around the world. Facing a melting pot of people make you realise everyone has a different background, approach and culture.
The environment we grow up in shapes us, this is our reality, norms and vision at specific moments of our life. However, when I moved to China in my early 20’s, I dove into a completely new world: an international working environment. The collective structures we are in, naturally makes our identity evolve. I was in a city that was culturally different and using different codes. Unconsciously, I adopted some of the local cultural habits as well as international working etiquettes.
Communication and languages are another major point. We are not all English native speakers, although we communicate in English. It is essential to communicate to be understood and not assume others will understand us. Clarity, simplicity and mindful language play a crucial role in achieving effective communication. Taking the time to rephrase or ask the other person to explain what they understood can be crucial in certain situations.
Having worked and lived across various continents, how has your definition of ‘global talent’ evolved? What do you think are the critical skills or attributes that differentiate successful international professionals?
The notion of “global talent” wasn’t very much discussed 12 years ago. Mostly we would be told to speak English fluently if we wanted to find a job abroad. With experience, I realised being a “global talent” is a people-oriented adventure. A “global” talent has to be flexible, adaptable, open to changes and face intercultural challenges.
The top 4 critical skills or attributes necessary for a successful dive into an international working environment are:
1) Cross-cultural communication skills
2) Resilience and patience
3) Open-mindness and adaptive thinking
4) Recognise that multiple perspectives exist and cross-cultural difference provice learning opportunities.
What was the pivotal moment that drove you to transition from an employee to an entrepreneur? How did your previous roles prepare you for this shift?
Through our journey, we all grow and evolve. We learn, see patterns and we slowly realise what we love, what our strengths and weaknesses are. I reached a point where I felt that my only motivation was to support people and companies to reach their objectives sustainably and in a people-oriented way. By prioritising our people and their well-being we create a positive impact in companies’ ecosystems and results.
In my previous roles, I focused on people and strategic aspects. I was travelling around the world to visit business partners and drive business expansion. This broadened my horizon and allowed me to gain understanding, patience and empathy. Those previous roles helped me to apprehend companies’ and collaborators’ challenges, needs and shape my company mission.
Based on your experience, what are the most common challenges companies face in retaining top talent, and how do you address these issues?
Each company faces its own challenges, it is essential to first understand their environment and the causes. We developed an in-house process and we focus on our results more than sharing about our tools and way of working. Essentially the most common challenges remain in the lack of recognition, employees and managers’ relationships and misunderstanding between the different parties.
The solutions we developed are designed to serve a dual purpose: to improve the employee-manager relationship and to enhance the team’s efficiency and collaboration within the organisation.
Our approach typically involves conducting a thorough company diagnostic to understand the unique challenges and specific needs of a company. Based on the findings, we create a customised corrective action plan with tailored solutions. These include personalised workshops, seminars, and one-on-one advisory services.
What advice would you give to talent leaders who are struggling to maintain motivation and engagement within their teams, especially in a hybrid or remote working environment?
One of the key advice is to really care about the people they work with. Engage genuinely and work on their empathy and emotional intelligence to find the right balance.
How do you envision the future of work and employee engagement evolving in the next decade? What role will technology and cultural shifts play?
Technologies such as AI will participate to support us as a tool. However, I am a strong believer that social interaction will remain. As the famous Greek philosopher Aristotle said: “Man is by nature a social animal”. Our need for connection, communication and cooperation is fundamental for our personal and business development.
Generation gap plays a significant role in cultural shifts and acceptance of new technologies. The current business landscape gathers several generations. If we take the example of the Millenials compared to the Gen Z, they were not born with a computer or internet at home. Most of us didn’t have a cell phone. In the beginning of the SMS we had the hard limit of 160 characters. Our phones were not taking pictures, and had not internet access. Now those technologies are part of our lives. Even the Baby Boomers and Generation X adopted it.
As technology advances, younger generations’ openness to it will gradually influence even the most resistant older generations.
As a female entrepreneur, how has your personal philosophy shaped the way you lead your business and advise other companies?
Integrity, attitude and respect are part of my education and personal core values. The way I lead my company reflects who I am as a person. In any industry, I believe attitude is key for long-term growth.
Compassion, knowledge and understanding are also essential components. They notably improve international communication and cooperation between parties.