Greetings everyone!
It's hard to believe it's only been three months since we returned from our Social Sabbatical in Casablanca, although it feels like ages have passed. When I reflect on our social sabbatical now, with a new and fresh perspective, I can truly say this experience has been a surprising gift that life gives us from time to time. Working as a pro bono consultants has profoundly influenced our personal and professional growth, surpassing our initial expectations and providing invaluable opportunities for learning, self-discovery, and skill development. It was not only about giving back; it also allowed us to expand our horizons and deepen our understanding of the world and our potential role in improving it.
Let me take you back in time and provide a brief overview of our #SAP #socialsabbatical experience in Casablanca, together with some of the most significant lessons and challenges we encountered during our time there.
SAP Social Sabbatical Program: Solving Society's Most Pressing Problems.
First of all, a SAP Social Sabbatical is a global pro-bono consulting program that allows employees to dedicate four full weeks to share their knowledge, skills, and expertise with non-profits and social enterprises around the world, as they advance their efforts to help the communities and social agendas they serve. SAP has overpassed a decade of the SAP Social Sabbatical Program in collaboration with Pyxera Global — ten years dedicated to creating social impact. With this program, SAP reaffirms its mission of ‘helping the world run better and improving people’s lives,’ not as a corporate mantra but also a reality achieved through its employees.
Our Mission: Transforming Fashion for Sustainability and Women’s Empowerment
My SAP colleagues, Allen Wang from China and Misha Palla from USA, and myself, from Spain, were assigned on a mission to work alongside with Nawal from SEASKIN to expand her business further. This start-up is a socially driven enterprise specializing in the recycling of fish waste to produce organic fish leather products, including handmade fashionable accessories. Her main objective was to establish a mutually beneficial ecosystem along the coastal region. And by that she meant providing stable employment opportunities for women and youth, supplementing the income of local fishermen, promoting environmental sustainability through fish waste recycling, and supporting artisans by generating new orders.
Our mission was clear: to broaden SEASKIN's market reach in new territories and through collaborations, facilitating their growth by securing investment and ensuring adherence to international standards for quality animal skins.
As we began collaborating with Nawal on this ambitious project, we quickly recognized an additional aspect that had initially been missed: before preparing for growth and expansion, it's crucial to ensure the company's foundation can support such growth. Therefore, we decided to include a new item in the scope of work list addressing the foundation, including aspects such as people, processes, alignment, and focus.
Typically, the organization of the weeks during a social sabbatical goes as follows:
- Week one involves familiarizing ourselves with the project and its stakeholders, listening to their challenges, and revising, and confirming the scope of work document provided by Nawal from SEASKIN.
- Weeks two and three are dedicated to taking action and working on the scope of work.
- Week four focuses on delivering the scope of work and concluding with a closing event where each team presents an executive overview of their work with the host client.
One of the most touching moments, at least for me, happened during our internal presentation to Nawal, as it meant that the project had come to its end. I must confess, I had to hold back tears, and now I understand why. After spending four full weeks together, the four of us, day by day, getting to know Nawal and her amazing project, witnessing her generosity and dedication, and feeling her passion, we formed a strong bond with her. But not only with her, also among the three of us, Misha, Allen, and myself. Our relationship grew into a deep friendship. Now I can say that I was extremely fortunate to have been assigned to this team; I couldn't have imagined a better experience with a more wonderful people.
This unique experience has had a deep impact on our personal and professional growth, shaping us in ways that extend beyond our initial expectations. It has provided us with invaluable opportunities for learning, self-discovery, and skill development. Let me share some of those significant lessons and challenges we faced during our time there.
Understanding the value of active listening. In our conversations with Nawal, we learned valuable lessons about listening carefully. As we engaged with her, our partnership deepened. Initially, she shared insights into her project's challenges and values. However, over time, she became more forthcoming, sharing her passion and unveiling her new brand, Rhea. Witnessing her eyes sparkle with enthusiasm was a moment that left an indelible mark on us.
Navigating our role as consultants: Perhaps the most significant challenge we faced was maintaining our role as consultants, which involved supporting Nawal without imposing our ideas or solutions. Instead, our objective was to facilitate a collaborative process where she could explore, open up new perspectives, and gain insights that lead her to her own solutions. We needed to work within the limitations of her resource-constrained situation, so our suggestions were both practical and achievable.
Growth through reflective thinking. Yet another crucial lesson highlighted the value of reflection over responsiveness. We often act without thinking, driven by a need for rapid solutions or immediate responses. However, being reflective entails stepping back, pausing, and carefully pondering actions and decisions before acting upon them. I really enjoyed embracing that slower, more introspective approach, which enabled us to offer responses that were thoughtful and well-considered.
Adopting an action-driven mindset. An action-oriented mindset was essential during weeks two and three, as these were dedicated to taking decisive steps forward. We needed to be proactive to fulfill our commitment to Nawal's scope of work. This meant taking initiative, setting clear goals, and structuring each day according to an agreed-upon agenda. Furthermore, we prioritized continuous improvement and learning from both successes and failures. Personally, I fully embraced this mindset by incorporating daily exercise, and some other activities that are often sidelined in our busy schedules.
Demonstrating Servant leadership. If I may offer a final reflection now, with a bit more perspective, I would say that the social sabbatical was deeply interconnected with leadership. This wasn't just because any one of us could assume a leadership role in the project, regardless of titles or positions, but also because we actively demonstrated "servant leadership". As servant leaders, we prioritized the needs of others above our own, supporting the growth and development of Nawal's project, and facilitating its success. This experience has reaffirmed the transformative power of servant leadership in driving positive change and fostering collaboration within teams.
And last but not least, we had the opportunity to learn more about Moroccan cultural heritage. It's interesting to see how proud Moroccans are of their cultural heritage because it reflects their long history, diverse traditions, and strong sense of identity; They also feel a responsibility to preserve their heritage for future generations, making sure their important cultural traditions stay alive.
Throughout our journey, we were often told that the social sabbatical would be a life-changing event. At the time, I couldn’t fully grasp the extent of its impact. But now, having lived through this transformative experience, I can sincerely reaffirm that working as a pro bono consultant was not just an opportunity to give back; it was also a chance to learn and grow as an individual, broadening my horizons and deepening my understanding of the world and the role I can play in making it a better place.
Thank you SAP and everyone who made this experience possible, specially to the amazing Global SAP CSR team — @hemangdesai and Julia Donovan — Employee experiences like this truly makes SAP the best place to work!
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