Björn Dollak joined IDE’s Electrical Development team as an electrical engineer in 2016. In his previous role he focused on designing printed circuit boards at a large company but found that it wasn’t for him. “I didn’t enjoy having to do the same small tasks all the time,” Björn explains. “Working at IDE is very different. Even though we are part of a large company, it doesn’t feel that way – the work is quite varied and I learn something new every day.”
Björn was not the only one to think he’d found a place where he could flourish; his manager quickly recognized that he takes ownership of his work and is at ease making decisions, and after just 1.5 years at the company Björn was offered the opportunity to become the team leader.
Despite his young age, Björn was quickly accepted in this new position by his team members. This was likely due not only to his technical expertise, but also to the management style he continues to hone. “The engineers in my team know what they are doing, so I try to focus on planning and give them freedom to carry out their projects in their own way. Whenever anyone has any questions or runs into a technical hurdle, we work together to come up with a good solution.”
Solving technical issues isn’t the only way Björn is challenged at work. He also regularly participates in development courses aimed at improving his technical expertise as well as the soft skills he needs to become an even better manager. “I really enjoy having more than just technical things to do; it makes me think in a different way and is helping me become more well-rounded,” he says.
Björn also recently joined a share-and-learn session where engineers from across the different Aalberts advanced mechatronics companies got together to exchange technology, innovations, applications, best practices, and know-how. Besides being a valuable learning experience, Björn believes that sessions like these will play a key role in keeping the company on the cutting edge. “Going forward, I hope that we continue to collaborate and also grow the team so that we have more resources to conduct forward-looking experiments,” he explains. “I’m looking forward to taking on more leadership responsibility and having even more time to think about things we can do to stay ahead of the competition.”
