At the age of 27 Mischa Kaufmann was Head of Infrastructure Operations at the Swatch Group and lead a team of 15 people. Read this blog post to find out what his key to success is, and why he finds management so interesting.
Coopers: At the beginning of your career you completed your apprenticeship as Desktop Publisher. After this, you did a Bachelor of Science degree. How pleased are you with your basic education?
Mischa Kaufmann: As part of my Bachelor degree, I lived in Finland for a year. Writing my thesis about Nokia certainly made it easier for me to start working at Swatch.
After this, you did an MBA.
Exactly. I knew that I wanted to deepen my knowledge of management, that is why I did the MBA. When I was 20 years old I was an army officer and had the opportunity to lead people who were between 18 and 35 years old. That is where I learned my basic management skills and could practice in a “safe” environment where there weren’t too many consequences should I make a mistake as a manager.
What triggered your interest in management?
When working with technology everything is always black and white. That is not the case when you work with people. I think it is interesting that in management there is not only one solution. I like working with people, to challenge my employees and develop my team.
Did you have a good start in this position?
Yes. Of course, I was a little nervous but I knew lots of people already and knew that I had enough technical expertise to do the job. I expanded the team from 7 to 15 people in the three years that I was a manager. It took two years to prove how successful this reorganisation was and I received great feedback from many people in the team.
How would your team members describe you as a manager?
They would say that I am pretty outspoken, but I think they liked that about me. I work closely together with the team and like to hear their inputs. My team appreciates the fact that I always stick to the decisions I make. The age range of the team members ranged from 28 to 55 years and I count some of them to my friends.
In your opinion, what is the difference between a young manager and an older manager?
I can only speak for myself, but I think as a young manager I brought some drive into the company. The company culture in the watch industry is very traditional. Some people have worked there for over 40 years. I think as a young manager I had a lot of energy, was more carefree and could bring in a different way of seeing things.
What was your greatest challenge as Head of IT Infrastructure Operations?
Once I had to lay off someone in my team. That was a very tough decision which took me half a year. I had lots of meetings with HR to be sure that there was no other solution.
You work a lot; how do you manage your work-life balance?
Sport. In summer, I spend a lot of time outside going for bike rides or swimming. In winter I enjoy salsa dancing, which gives me lots of positive energy. It’s great being active and it really helps to clear my head.
Do you have a ritual as a manager that helps you be successful?
I split my day into two halves. In the morning, I work through my tasks and at lunchtime, I take a break for an hour and a half to do sport. I do this every day without exception. In the afternoon, I usually have meetings and stay longer in the evenings, but splitting the day in two really helps me a lot. Sometimes I have lunch with the team and do sport beforehand.
When looking for jobs in future will you look for management positions?
Absolutely. Unfortunately, at my new position as Data Information Officer at the UN, there are only 1-2 people in IT, so I won’t be a manager anymore. But should the opportunity arise again, I will take it!
At the end of the interview, can we ask you a few unconventional questions, which we ask all our Coopers blog interviewees?
Yes.
Mac or PC?
I have been using a Mac for over 10 years for private use. It is just so convenient.
My favourite mobile app is:
«heise online», so I can keep up to date on what’s happening in the IT world.
Which three things would you take with you to a desert island?
A Swiss army knife, a lighter and a gripping book.
Complete this sentence please: “I love working in IT because…"
… my job changes all the time and I always learn something new.
Thank you very much, Mischa Kaufmann.
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