So! This week was the first hot week in Berlin since the start of “summer”. It was nice to be able to not wear a jacket to work and to enjoy the sun rays. I didn’t do much during the week after work, except go on walks and runs to enjoy the weather. On Tuesday, we had a dinner party at work to celebrate the year end and all of the people who put in so much time and effort to work with the auditing company and all of the tedious requests they had. The CFO and other higher ups attended, so it was a cool feeling to feel included in that. I got to know my colleagues a bit more and had a nice night. On Friday, we had the yearly trip that the department goes on, and this year they went to Warnemünde which is a beach at the Baltic Sea in Germany, and I was able to tag along. It was a very cute little beach with a canal and little shops on both sides. It was great to spend time with the people I work with, and develop our relationships even more. It made me realize how much I was going to miss them when the internship is over. 

This weekend me and McKenna decided that we were tired of the cold weather in Germany and wanted to spend a few days at a beach so we went to Rhodes, Greece (just casually going to Greece). We had a great weekend filled with relaxing by the beach, swimming, and going to the acropolis in Lindos. It was much needed. 

Before this internship experience, I would describe my leadership style as one that focuses on making decisions that involve the opinions and input of my team members, but I wouldn’t say my leadership skills were very strong. Besides group work and some experience in training new hires at a previous job, I didn’t have very many leadership experiences. I knew what kind of leader I wanted to be, but didn’t have much professional experience to know what kind of leader I am. 

At my internship, I feel like I’ve gained leadership skills and an idea of what kind of leader I want to be. Although I haven’t been put in charge of a group or a project, I’ve been able to closely observe my supervisor and the kind of leaders that Sirius has. I feel that I’ve been given a great role model of what an effective leader looks like. My supervisor is empathetic and approachable, while also encouraging her team members to be focused and to prioritize their tasks. The team that works under her is always working hard and going above and beyond their job description, which I believe has a lot to do with what kind of leader my supervisor is. I believe it’s important to have a good balance between being empathetic but also being decisive, which I will encompass when I have a team working under me.  

Additionally, in this experience I’ve learned how to be adaptable and to be understanding of and open minded to different perspectives and cultural differences which I believe in today’s society especially in the U.S. is so important. I believe that these skills I’ve developed will help me greatly in being the leader I want to be. I’ve been able to practice my adaptability by navigating language barriers, different work cultures and norms, and communication styles, which has prepared me to be able to lead diverse teams and also to take into account different perspectives. I’ve also been able to practice my interpersonal skills by being an active listener and strengthening my communications skills. Interpersonal skills are so important when being a leader because of the need to be able to guide team members and also be someone that they can go to for help. 

Overall, although I haven’t had direct practice in being in a leadership position, I do believe that this experience has strengthened my leadership skills in indirect ways, through having an effective leader myself, practicing different skills such as adaptability, open mindedness, and effective communication. I hope to be a leader in which my team members feel comfortable coming to me for help, and expecting empathy rather than to be scolded or disciplined. I also hope to have a strong line of communication within my team, and to be a motivational force so that they can be the most effective workers that they can be.