Meet The Clouders – Leadership special

Welcome to our ‘Meet The Clouders’ series. Today, we’ll be talking to Marzena Pietrus, who is 10Clouds’ Senior Resourcing Lead. Outside of work, she has completed a course in Executive Leadership Studies, and led a Leadership Club in Wrocław. Let’s find out more about Marzena’s passions.

Welcome Marzena.

At 10Clouds, you’re responsible for our resourcing. What does this involve?

In my role at 10Clouds, managing resources involves ensuring our projects run seamlessly. This means meticulous planning, scheduling, and ensuring we have the right people with the right skills at the right time. I handle allocations, ensuring everyone's talents are used effectively. Additionally, I look ahead, forecasting to guarantee we're prepared for what's coming, including scenario planning for future allocations – essentially asking, 'What if?' When schedules clash or resources are stretched too thin, I step in to level things out. And, of course, I keep a close eye on billability. It's a multifaceted job, but with the right tools, we make it all work seamlessly at 10Clouds.

What are the top skills that you need to be a good Resource Manager?

To be an effective Resource Manager, a combination of analytical thinking and leadership competences, including strength analysis, is crucial. Analytical thinking comes into play for forecasting, leveling, and billability, where predicting future needs, balancing schedules, and ensuring optimal resource use are key. Soft skills are particularly vital when it comes to allocations.

My educational background, including PhD studies in Physical Chemistry, and early business roles as a Project Manager and Project Manager Office, heavily relied on analytical thinking. However, as I progressed in my career and took on challenges in my role as a Resource Manager, and especially in building and leading my own team, I found the need to enhance self-awareness and expand the toolkit for developing team members.

Even if you don’t have your own team, you can still exercise leadership skills in a role like a Resourcing Lead, which influences the shaping of teams.

You’re fascinated by what makes good leadership. Could you tell us a bit more about your development in this area?

My interest in leadership and personal development resulted in me embarking on Executive Leadership Studies, a year-long postgraduate program. While I was on the program, I delved into areas such as self-leadership, one-on-one and team interactions, and organizational leadership – all of which significantly propelled my professional career forward.

After completing the program, we ran the Leadership Club in Wrocław, focusing on the development of young leaders and entrepreneurs in both their personal growth and business development – where I took on the main leadership role.

Additionally, I attended Harvard Business School, where ICAN (International Consulting and Negotiation) was conducted. Paweł Motyl, a highly esteemed practitioner and trainer in this field, led the block leadership program.

All of the above gave me a good understanding of how to run business operations in the best leadership manner.

Could you tell us more about the Leadership Club that you set up in Wrocław. What were the most rewarding aspects of this initiative?

Each meeting was very valuable - we had guest speakers from all areas of leadership and development, but also we canvassed business cases. People came to us with new products and we did an analysis of this to see whether it would be useful. We also acted as a focus group for newly launched products.

Our meetings delved into the various aspects of leadership - from building effective teams to the importance of looking after your own wellbeing. We even had a guest speaker who was the leader of an improv theater. He taught us presentation skills and the importance of non verbal communication - i.e. the role of our body language.

What do you think makes a good leader?

Understanding oneself, recognizing strengths, a willingness to develop competencies, and the ability to build relationships and teams define a good leader. The equation is simple: a good leader equals a good team.

"When you want to go fast, go alone. When you want to go far, go together" – I think this African proverb is a great description of good leadership.

Considering your interest in leadership and personal development, what advice would you give to aspiring young leaders or entrepreneurs?

To be an effective leader, it's crucial to understand oneself, prioritize self-development, identify strengths, recognize your management style, pinpoint challenging areas, and outline the areas for leadership growth.

For aspiring junior leaders, I suggest starting with training in providing constructive (and sometimes challenging) feedback and developing self-confidence – a skill that can be learned. It’s also a good idea to find a mentor – a person who will support you in your early journey.

Participating in a course tailored for young leaders helps build a leadership toolkit to address specific challenges.

Embrace failures, learn from mistakes, and keep moving forward.

I recommend exploring books like "The Labyrinth: The Art of Decision-Making” by Paweł Motyl and his new one is also on my list to read – "Schrodinger’s World”.

Thank you Marzena.

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