Background

During my time at the SAP Global Platinum Customer Unit in Walldorf (Germany), I was invited for a meeting with the Dutch SAP Managing Director. During that meeting he offered me the job of Sales Director for the strategic customer segment, while taking an active role in the Dutch management team. My rich background with many of these Dutch accounts combined with my experiences at the Platinum Customer Unit made me the ideal profile for the role.

When I started a new role in January 2020, I soon realized it came with huge responsibilities. I lead a team of nine senior salespeople, responsible for relationships with customers like Shell, Unilever, Philips, Signify, Heineken and ASML. Most of my team members were from the Baby Boom (1946-1964) and Gen X (1965-1980) generation. As members of the Millennial Generation (1981–1996) already outnumbered their predecessors in the workplace, I wondered if my leadership skills would resonate with all generations. Many people talk about the impact of generational differences, which made me wonder if it is a myth or a reality.

During the SAP Netherlands annual kick-off meeting in January, I presented my research on the value of purpose. As I expected that purpose would resonate better with Millennials, it felt like a good opportunity to validate if their values and beliefs truly differ. During the presentation I shared my story around how a purpose-driven strategy can meaningfully impact top-line growth, win the war for talent and strengthen brand loyalty.

After the session, many Millennials reached out to me asking if I had vacancies in my team. The focus on purpose-led partnership with our customers touched their hearts. This experience strengthened my determination to further explore the differences across generations. I felt that by first understanding, and then embracing the differing values and beliefs that make each generation unique, I would be able to create opportunities that offer competitive advantages for SAP, my team and our customers.