My project management skills have grown out of all areas of my life. From writing and producing my own drama at the age of 17 with no money available, to organising multiple times a new life abroad in a new culture, 
to managing international conferences with a budget of 10,000€ and to conducting a 3-year PhD research project by myself – all of these and more have shaped my ability to adapt to the requirements of a specific project
and put it into reality with the available means.
Besides...
having strong prioritising and organisational skills
being able to work within (or even without) a budget
being a structured and strategic planner
and leading a team no matter how dispersed
...what truly makes me successful in everything I do is my passion and creativity.
My desire to make a difference and truly believing in the causes I’m involved in enables me to manage projects holistically and successfully. My creativity is then what makes their execution unique and stand out.
Example: International Summer Academy
An instance where my project management skills were simultaneously employed and strengthened was when I was project lead in the organisation of the International Summer School of a German-wide student organisation.
This project was a challenge. With a team of 6 volunteers who were dispersed all over the world I had one year to organise this conference which was aimed to welcome our partner organisations from other countries and provide them with an educational and entertaining 4-day-programme.
My initial task was to devise a milestone plan for the year of what would have to be organised how, when and by whom. To ensure a well thought through plan, I involved the whole team in this process, taking into account their skills, ideas and schedules.
Our initial milestones consisted of devising a topic for the conference, a list of possible speakers and ensuring sufficient funding through third parties. Along the way, we kept in close contact with our partner organisations in order to decide on dates and financial support they required.
Once funding was in place, we were able to invite speakers from across Europe who were experts in our topic: International Crime (incl. cyber crime, environmental crime, human trafficking, etc.). Additionally, we got all logistics in place, including a venue, subsistence and accommodation.
For me, one of the most challenging parts of this project was the work in/with the team. All of us were volunteers and in full-time work or education. We were dispersed across the globe and had numerous demands on our time. Keeping up motivation and regular, clear communication was a task that fell to me as project manager.
For all online meetings I would send a written record out to keep a record of what was discussed, especially for those who were not present at that specific meeting. Equally, I let team members take on the roles they enjoyed and were good at.
Nevertheless, sometimes spirits were low, for example when we struggled to get our participant numbers to our planned 40.
When it came to signing up, our partner organisations couldn't send as many participants as originally planned.
This was problematic as we had paid deposits for accommodation and the venue.
However, as a team, we managed to recruit more participants amongst our own organisation and ensured good participation. (Part of the participant group can be seen in the picture.)
All in all, the conference was a success and an important training for my project management skills. In the end, we were able to recruit 35 participants who enjoyed a 4-day programme with international speakers, thought-provoking discussions and entertaining leisure time events.
For myself, the conference was an opportunity for growth: I worked full-time while managing the project, I improved my management skills and rose to the challenge of overseeing a voluntary team that was spread all over the globe.
I am a successful leader because I can employ my leadership skills according to context and demand.
In an everyday setting, I will ensure that my team can do its job. My passion, drive, empathy and strategic thinking qualify me to reach a goal together with a team, not on its back.
In a high-pressured situation, I am confident and skilled to set out a strategy on how to deal with the situation quickly and effectively.
I have been a leader in many situations: organising conferences, leading a small team in a charity through a crisis, voluntarily organising a photography competition (picture on the right),
all of which make me believe that I am a successful leader.
I am a team player because I can dedicate my talents and efforts to a common goal without having to stand out.
Being in choirs from a young age onwards has taught me that in order to reach a goal sometimes it's important to not raise your voice above others'. Taking part in Tough Mudder a few times (picture on the left) has emphasised the point that sometimes only the whole team can get you across the finish line.
Teamwork is a corner stone for me without which most projects will lack creativity, diversity and drive.
Example: Officer Manager at small charity
A perfect example for my highly developed leadership and teamwork skills is my time as Office Manager of the small mental health charity Soul Soup.
As Office manager on a part-time basis, I oversaw a team of five part-time employees.
Oftentimes this was challenging as we were rarely in the office at the same time. Through well-structured and documented weekly team meetings, I made sure to keep everyone up to date and a smoother running of our activities.
Additionally, I listened to staff's concerns and always found a way to ensure they could do their jobs. One of our administration assistants, for example, suffered from a mental health issue which sometimes prevented her from doing her job properly.
Together, we sat down and came up with structures and procedures, i.e. clear to-do-lists and regular one-to-one meetings, that helped her manage her workload.
At the same time, I oversaw our volunteers who were trained to support our young people with their mental health issues.
The nature of the volunteer role sometimes posed challenges: our services were heavily relying on volunteers,
but equally they were neither employed nor paid by us. I mitigated this as best as possible through maintaining regular communication with them
and ensuring their needs, i.e. training or supervision, were met.
Especially difficult were 2 months in which our project manager took ill and I had to lead the charity. I decided to scale back on extra activities we were providing (i.e. awareness raising events) and focus on our core services (counselling and support sessions). Needless to say, with the only full-time staff off sick, we struggled.
The team, including myself, were overworked and had to face an increased workload. Together with two of our board members, I organised a task division that would ensure we could still operate. This included giving up some of my responsibilities to other staff so that I could take on some of our project manager's tasks, e.g. communicating with our funders.
Despite the extreme pressures we were under, I took the well-being of my staff seriously and made sure they could handle their workload.
Months after I had left the job, I heard through an acquaintance that one of my former staff members valued my style of management and thought me to be a great line manager.
Verbal Communication
My verbal communication skills are various and multiple. Due to my international and work experience, I can communicate ideas to people of different cultural backgrounds and ages. If it's teaching children in Hong Kong where their food comes from or explaining academic theories to Master students - I can do it. Similarly, having soloist roles in the theatre when I was younger and now giving presentations on a regular basis have equipped me with the confidence to speak in front of large groups of people.
Written Communication
My writing record is an extensive one: it starts with a 3h drama I wrote in high school (programme/poster on the far right), continues with award-wining journalistic features (picture on the left) and ends with my current academic project of completing a PhD thesis. As with my verbal communication skills, I have honed and refinded them over the years and written for various audiences and causes, be it blog posts for PhD students or theatre reviews in my local newspaper.
Marketing & Media Design
During the last few years I have found myself developing a strong interest in digital media design and social media.
I have always had a talent for setting up online presences for different causes, i.e. Incredible Edible Dumfries and Co.Lab.
On various occasions I have administered and maintained social media channels, i.e. for Soul Soup or the UofG PhD Society.
Recently, I have started going deeper and learning skills that go beyond the drag & drop principle that many software offer in this area. I have started to learn how to code a website from scratch (as this one)
and how to create high-quality digital media from idea to finish (i.e. the infographic on the left which I created within my internship with the SHLC).
These skills enable me to holistically consider digital marketing and create whole campaigns from start to finish. As proven with the Superhero Campaign I have what it takes to create successful marketing strategies and see them through to the end.
Example: Workshops in Hong Kong and Germany
During my 3 months on a permaculture farm in Hong Kong and during my time with the environmental education department of a German National Park, I conceptualised, prepared and executed numerous day-long workshops for school kids between the ages 6-18. All workshops were about environmental topics, such as ecology, food production or environmental pollution.
At first the process was a difficult one. Daily changes of groups meant that I had to adjust to a different communication style on a daily basis. The energetic inquisitiveness of younger students required a more focussed approach in order to get through the day's programme. Contrastingly, older groups demanded more encouragement and interactive approaches to ensure their participation. Over time and through a lot of practice, I adjusted to the situation and managed the transitions between communication styles much more easily.
Not only the differences in ages, but also the differences in languages and cultural backgrounds was a challenge, especially when in Hong Kong. Even though the students spoke English, their different upbringing and knowledge was surprising at times. The workshops there mostly evolved around food production and realising how little some kids knew was a bit of a cultural shock (e.g. children never having seen how vegetables are grown and, consequently, believing they are made in the supermarket). With patience and communication on eye-level, I was able to expand their horizons in a non-condescending fashion. Teaching in this environment was as much a privilege as it was a challenge.
All in all, I taught over 600 students in these workshops. Every group was different and I learned to align my communication style accordingly. This training has boosted my confidence and sharpened my communication when conveying a message close to my heart to diverse audiences.
Being creative and taking a new path can sometimes be scary and risky. I am not afraid to take that risk while at the same time not sacrificing the goals of the overall project.
I love thinking outside the box. Expanding your horizon and learning something new can only happen when we cross our normal thought patterns to explore what lies beyond.
Learning something new is one of the things I just can't seem to stop doing...coding from scratch(like this website!), animation, learning to play the banjo or spoon carving. I love learning new skills.
Example: Superhero Campaign
Every year the People's Project awards £50,000 to three projects within specific regions in the UK. In 2017, the charity I was working for, Soul Soup, decided to apply in order to fund a project called Art & Soul. Getting the money depended on winning the public vote within a two-week period. Therefore, we needed a strong campaign to reach as many people as possible and make them vote for us. Even though I did not devise this campaign all by myself, I do believe that it would not have been as good had I not been involved on a creative level.
Together with our young people, we decided on a social media campaign that would be based on the idea that even superheroes can have mental health issues and that everyone struggling with mental health issues is a superhero. Turning that idea into reality was mainly my effort. I developed the idea of a photoshoot with the brilliant photographer Kim Ayres who was willing to support our campaign free of charge. Him and I conceptualised and planned the pictures. It was a challenge to incorporate our extremely small budget (less than £100) with the requirements of a creative project like this. I was in charge of coordinating with our young service users, providing them with ideas what their costume could look like and organising/creating props. Together with Kim and a team of hairdressers from a local hairdressers, we arranged a photoshoot that left us with the most amazing pictures. After I had turned them into campaign images (see below), we started sharing them widely on social media.
The feedback we got was overwhelming and, after two weeks, we won the campaign! Even though the campaign would not have been the same without me, the same is true for everyone else who was involved. It was a brilliant effort which was not based on staff members merely doing their job, but on a team of staff and volunteers working passionately and creatively for a common goal. I loved the creative challenge of this project and learning new aspects about photography. I was not afraid to think outside the box in order to get as many people as possible to vote for us. The project that was funded with this money, still runs today.
