Something valuable happens!
As the year comes to an end, we recall the opinion of our CEO about 2016 and the decisions made that leveraged the success of 2017.
If you ask me what a manager's greatest concern is, I respond without hesitation: it's the people!
People should be the focus of management aimed at developing team performance. That's why, for 2016, we outlined a strategy focused on the appreciation and stimulation of the people who are part of FMQ.
Although we are a company that always looks to the future, we cannot forget this past year, as it played a decisive role in reinforcing an identity that not only defines us but also is at the origin of our success.
It was the result of a plan outlined with pleasure and dedication. We grew so much in such a short time, mainly due to the commitment of the 100 Gamers who currently make up FMQ. It was based on the pursuit of satisfaction and consequent motivation that we conceived initiatives in which everyone could express themselves and develop.
We created the weekly Knowledge Sharing space, internally nicknamed KS, where Gamers share knowledge about methodologies, new approaches, or trends in the areas where we operate. We not only fostered the development of Gamers but also gave them the opportunity to explore new dimensions outside the scope of immediate work and, simultaneously, fostered camaraderie among Gamers from different teams, among whom daily interactions do not promote such intense contact.
Who doesn't remember their first day of work?! There is always an inherent nervousness at the beginning, an attempt to disguise discomfort or fear that colleagues may not receive us properly. With the aim of overcoming these issues and positively marking new Gamers from day one, we created the Buddy. The Buddy is a program in which the Gamer is welcomed by a colleague from their new team, with the mission of accompanying them throughout their first day and, organically, ensuring a good first step in their journey in the company.
We also created Mentoring, with two objectives in mind: on the one hand, it aims for new Gamers to have a mentor for 9 months - someone external to their functional team whom the new Gamer can always turn to for all doubts regarding the company's operation and its own culture. This mentor is someone trained to assist in the integration process and in resolving challenges. On the other hand, the program trains the skills of the mentors themselves, so that they are better able to deal with some issues they face daily and, thus, develop their own individual strengths.
Regarding skills development, we know that our employees are quite capable in the areas of hard skills. However, we are also aware that an internal change of functional area or a promotion to a leadership position requires our Gamers to rely on important soft skills. That's why we strongly invest in this development, with programs specially designed for this purpose - such as Talent Development.
But it didn't stop there! We had a team-building activity, which took us through the city of Porto, and even a weekend solely dedicated to training leadership skills.
Companies are made of people and for people. No one doubts this, and FMQ is fully aware of it. The impact of these internal programs has increased our productivity and achieved a new positioning. We are stronger because we are closer together, and we are closer together because motivation allows us to have less entropy in our daily lives.
We know there is much to improve... if there weren't, it wouldn't be so enjoyable! We see this notion as the fuel that gives us the energy to move forward on the right path, based on creating value, which comes from each of our Gamers. For them and because of them, we hope that 2017 will be a year where we continue the good work and evolve even further!