Fitting in with engineers
When Inkeri walks through the ZEISS customer center for ophthalmic devices today, she stops at almost every product to explain how it works. "Technology isn't rocket science, it's actually very logical," she says when people are amazed at her knowledge.
After she took the plunge for the first time, by moving from the HR department and into a role as head of global service for ophthalmology, she had to learn all about the technological ins and out of the devices and systems. "I spent the first six months at the call center, absorbing all the information I could," says Inkeri. At first she was met with suspicion, as the only non-physicist on a team of natural scientists. "But when you show a real interest – and certainly once you've mastered a learning curve – you're accepted very quickly indeed."
Two years later, in addition to being in charge of technical service, she also assumed responsibility for the entire Product Management department. This was the next time she took the plunge into the unknown. But, her outsider's view as a generalist among engineers was highly valued. Wherever she was, she was able to optimize processes – and further her career. "My managers always empowered me to assume new duties, and I also had the right mindset," she says. Go for it!