As the year is coming to an end, my trial period at SOPHOLA has finished and I’m now a full member of the team. The first three months were challenging, a big learning experience and above all very stimulating. Based on my experience so far and the feedback that I have received from my colleagues, I have set some challenges for myself for 2020.

These are areas that I need to improve to make the most of the next year, both personally and professionally.

Reporting, planning and collaborating

One area which I previously haven’t had to work on very much due to my freelance and consulting work is reporting to colleagues and day-to-day collaboration. This gap in my experience has become quite evident in the first months at Sophola. I think I have improved this during the first three months, but I am to improve this even further. As a first step, I have set aside time once a week to review my reporting procedures.

Japanese communication

This is something that I have wanted to do for some time after feeling stuck at a comfortable intermediate Japanese level. To be able to improve my productivity at work and be able to cover a wider range of responsibilities, I need to take my Japanese to the next level. This month I am taking a placement test and from January will be enrolling in Japanese language course, with the aim of attaining either a JLPT N1 or N2 qualification depending where the placement test places me.

Thinking outside the box

In work I tend to be very focused on details and processes, which isn’t a bad thing in itself, but I need to develop my ability to come up with alternative creative strategies. This is something that I aim to develop over the next quarter. As a first step, I want to combine this with my first point and include these strategies into my planning and then by reporting them and discussing them with colleagues, get more feedback on them through collaboration. I am including this in my weekly review.

I am excited about the next year at SOPHOLA and I think the above three challenges can help make it a success.

Sebastian Benedikz
Global Sales Executive
SOPHOLA, Inc