avatarAugusta Khalil Ibrahim

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Abstract

images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*[email protected]"><figcaption>What does culture embrace, exactly? Food? Art? Photography?</figcaption></figure><p id="4921">Once, when I interviewed for Vestas, my prospective manager laughed and said:</p><p id="37ac">“It’s almost like you’re interviewing me”</p><p id="725c">He had clearly misunderstood the reciprocity of the process. I don’t know if he was accustomed to wannabe sycophants but I was surprised by his comment.</p><p id="ce84">I didn’t get an offer. ;-)</p><figure id="c30b"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*[email protected]"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure id="8d0e"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*[email protected]"><figcaption>No wind blowing here, on the lakes of Copenhagen after nightfall.</figcaption></figure><figure id="e4d0"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*[email protected]"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><p id="e19b">I found work cultures very different in London and Copenhagen.</p><figure id="9b2b"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*[email protected]"><figcaption>Public transport and cycling infrastructures are top priorities in this country. I stayed.</figcaption></figure><p id="a4d2">The English company was very hierarchial and the Danish one was very flat and egalitarian, reflecting their respective societies.</p><p id="d6cd">I worked for Oracle for several years and that was very different again. I worked in an almost-exclusively sales office and it was very different to the R&D departments.</p><p id="c809">When I studied for an MBA in Barcelona, one of my primary motivations was to burst out of my R&D “bubble” and I did.</p><p id="6ebf">Culture is the way that you think; the words that you use and the actions you take express the culture you already have.</p><p id="6273">Then you will know where you are going:</p><figure id="3c87"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*RjgicJp9buRRuvU_X

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[email protected]"><figcaption>Glostrup, suburban Copenhagen</figcaption></figure><p id="8ece">All my own photos.</p><p id="6d07">If you enjoyed reading this comment, you might also like this related response:</p><div id="391b" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/i-did-this-9bb4769554c3"> <div> <div> <h2>I Did This</h2> <div><h3>I started my own company with me as CEO. I promoted and sold Danish medical wet wipes in Southeast Asia. It is still…</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*ZFcYdu8rGXzGyRGZmtFOIA.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="5a0e">Here’s a link to my most-recommended story:</p><div id="b1ff" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/i-fucking-love-my-body-bb2c0d65c435"> <div> <div> <h2>I fucking love my body.</h2> <div><h3>I love my thick brown hair that my grandfather had, that my father had and that my son has.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*qR0P8PdnuxMFxiiBJlzqRA.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="5b73">Here’s a link to my top stories of 2017:</p><div id="9380" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/january-2017-f681c8014500"> <div> <div> <h2>A Silver Fox or A Golden Shower?</h2> <div><h3>My Best Stories of 2017</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*EoPyT9S-lmeH0C6-pXHmaQ.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

I went to a Simon Lynge concert yesterday. So should you. I ate vegetarian food at this Østerbro restaurant beforehand.

English, Danish and Silicon-Valley: Three Tech Cultures

I worked in technical writing for 10 years and was astonished to see what a difference the resolve of management made to my professional well-being in terms of respect for my work.

It’s not easy being a woman in tech. I went to the police once to report sexual harassment in the workplace.

At company 1, documentation was treated as a tag-on and I had to constantly hear other engineers brag:

“I never read the manual”

Read the instructions, or at least the label.

They supposed I hadn’t heard it a trillion times before.

I had heard it many times before as had my translator colleague and dear friend through decades.

On the other hand, at company 2, my role was a respected one in Research and Development as a valued contributor (I won an Award in an English trade magazine while I worked there).

It was music to my ears when I heard I’d won that award.

A shift in company priorities made all the difference.

When I interview, I usually ask the hiring manager to describe the company culture. The responses are very telling.

What does culture embrace, exactly? Food? Art? Photography?

Once, when I interviewed for Vestas, my prospective manager laughed and said:

“It’s almost like you’re interviewing me”

He had clearly misunderstood the reciprocity of the process. I don’t know if he was accustomed to wannabe sycophants but I was surprised by his comment.

I didn’t get an offer. ;-)

No wind blowing here, on the lakes of Copenhagen after nightfall.

I found work cultures very different in London and Copenhagen.

Public transport and cycling infrastructures are top priorities in this country. I stayed.

The English company was very hierarchial and the Danish one was very flat and egalitarian, reflecting their respective societies.

I worked for Oracle for several years and that was very different again. I worked in an almost-exclusively sales office and it was very different to the R&D departments.

When I studied for an MBA in Barcelona, one of my primary motivations was to burst out of my R&D “bubble” and I did.

Culture is the way that you think; the words that you use and the actions you take express the culture you already have.

Then you will know where you are going:

Glostrup, suburban Copenhagen

All my own photos.

If you enjoyed reading this comment, you might also like this related response:

Here’s a link to my most-recommended story:

Here’s a link to my top stories of 2017:

Culture
Words
Attitude
Priorities
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