Franzi found out about empiriecom in the traditional way, via the usual job portals, and not a minute too soon. Because at that point - after almost a year and a half of job hunting - another contract offer was already on the table, ready to be signed. Franzi had to weigh up the options, be anxious and take risks. And it paid off: both sides decided in favor of each other. Hello empiriecom!

One of the decisive factors for Franzi was the coaching team. The initial conversation with Marcel and Lisa inspired her and the team cohesion and team spirit of the coaches impressed her. After years as the only agile coach in the company, the desire to finally be part of a team again and learn from each other was great. Franzi was equally impressed by the numerous company-wide formats such as the Inno Day, the Communication Dojo and the Guild or CoP format as an active investment in culture and cross-team collaboration. Both of these are topics close to her heart and have also been focal points in her role as a coach.
In addition, Franzi felt safe and comfortable throughout the entire interview process thanks to the close and reliable support and transparency, so even minor delays in concluding the contract left no doubt that empiriecom was the right match.

Franzi admits that returning to work was challenging after a long break. And empiriecom is her first remote job. In other words, her onboarding took her from Berlin to Bamberg and from there to Weismain, where she was welcomed with open arms by the coaching team and her new manager Melli and accompanied through her first day at work.

The many new impressions, people and information during her onboarding were at times overwhelming for Franzi, but also in a positive sense. For example, the fact that meetings at empiriecom always start on time or even ahead of time was new to her and a positive surprise - especially compared to her previous start-up ;) . Due to her many years of working in international environments, the more German-oriented team structure was also a new experience, as was the corporate structure in which empiriecom operates. For Franzi, however, neither is a contradiction to the creative freedom and freedom that her role as Agile Coach and Scrum Master at empiriecom offers her and for which she is very grateful.

To explain her role, Franzi likes to use two images: that of the gardener and the detective. As a gardener, she recognizes that every team or individual needs different conditions, just like plants. She recognizes the needs and creates the conditions for teams to grow. As a detective, she looks for patterns, establishes connections, makes dynamics visible and translates between people and topics, for example to improve communication and ensure that processes and structures are meaningful and help teams to work together productively and on an equal footing. Her everyday life reflects exactly this when she regularly accompanies her three teams through dailies, planning sessions, retros and workshops. In her own team, she works with the other coaches on her own vision and goals, as well as a clear positioning within the organization.

There is no such thing as a typical working day for Franzi. Every week is a little different and contains a mixture of supporting her 3 teams, as well as helping to shape change processes at an organizational level or immersing herself in new topics such as AI. And it is precisely this mixture of structure and variety that Franzi appreciates about her work - also because she needs diversity, which gives her the opportunity to immerse herself in different topics and thus continuously learn and grow - just like her teams.

After six months, Franzi looks back with pride on what has already been achieved. She has established new rituals within the coaching team, e.g. the daily "hello" via GIF in the team chat, as well as a weekly call with space for personal matters and a WhatsApp group for uncomplicated exchange and connection.

At the organizational level, she has launched the #EMP Life Channel. A platform that aims to make human issues visible across teams and strengthen the sense of unity. And her 3 teams are also about visibility. For example, by reviving the internal review format or establishing a Lunch & Learn format that makes the work and knowledge within the teams visible and tangible. Franzi likes to use creative elements such as playfulness and storytelling to make topics more tangible and, of course, not to miss out on the fun of working together.
For her, creating transparency means being curious. And that's Franzi. This is reflected in the many questions she asks, her good powers of observation and her ability to recognize patterns as well as potential. And to communicate them.

Franzi is someone who shares her thoughts and impulses openly in order to initiate reflection and positive change. She greatly appreciates the openness with which her perspectives were received - including by the management team.

Conscious networking beyond the boundaries of her three teams is also important to Franzi. Establishing and understanding connections - accompanied by her systemic view, through which she can better understand the big picture and align her focus with the needs of the teams and the overall organization - just like the rest of the wonderful coaching team at empiriecom.

As in many coaching roles, the volume of sometimes very different topics is also a challenge for Franzi. The balance between the need for variety and diversity on the one hand and context switches, prioritization and demarcation on the other is often not easy, but it is part of the job. This is why the exchange within the coaching team and the joint work on questions such as "how do we create more focus and strengthen our effectiveness" is so important and valuable.

Looking to the future. What topics does Franzi want to tackle, what is important to her?

• Opening up team silos and promoting personal responsibility (attitude/mindset).
• More human connection and encounters beyond pure work contexts
• Further development and focus of the coaching team
• And the topic of AI, which she has been working on intensively for a year and which is also becoming increasingly relevant at empiriecom