Anna Szypszak | Diversity boosts creativity and development.
By: Kmd Poland
Tags: Kmd, Industry

What does IT have in common with Alice in Wonderland? Once you fall into the rabbit hole, it starts to pull you in. Inside, you may be in for a real adventure that will let you change the world for the better. A heroine of such a story is Anna Szypszak, a Scrum Master and Agile Coach at KMD Poland, who often stresses in our conversation the importance of diversity at work, in every sense of the word.

Anna Szypszak, a Scrum Master and Agile Coach at KMD Poland.

When did you join KMD?

I joined the team in January 2020, in the middle of the pandemic and the related staff scattering, remote work and team support from a distance. But despite the fact I have been here for merely a few months, it feels like it has been much, much longer. I was welcomed with huge openness, understanding and willingness of my new colleagues to provide support and assistance.

Why did you decide to join the team?

Because of the people. Seriously! I met a few brilliant people at the consecutive stages of my recruitment and this convinced me. It may sound funny, but the organisational structures, equipment, computers and projects or products are, in a sense, similar in all IT companies. It is the commitment, talent and openness of the people that make certain organisations simply better than others and pleasant to work in.

What do you do? What is your role at KMD?

I am a Scrum Master. I work with two developer teams that I support in streamlining the process of software delivery, communication, problem solving, and their development as a group. I also take part in a number of interesting initiatives within our Agile Community, such as, for example, co-teaching training courses for new employees on the fundamentals of working methods, such as Scrum.

What made you decide on a career in IT? Was it a well-thought-out decision or just pure coincidence?

They say that nothing happens by chance in life and I firmly believe that. However, I must admit that it is a very interesting story, full of extraordinary “coincidences” and wonderful people who helped me find my way in a place I had never even looked for. I joined the IT world through an internship competition, but my previous internships and work placements were in the field of quality and production management. IT wanted me, but without reciprocity — I preferred to work closer to production and was fascinated by modern factories and manufacturing systems. However, I said to myself that three months is not an eternity — I will manage somehow. Unfortunately, (of course, I say it jokingly) I came across a passionate manager thanks to whom I not only completed my internship but also accepted the offer of further cooperation, and eventually moved from Łódź to Warsaw. And I stayed, both in the capital and in IT.

How were your beginnings in IT?

You might expect that once I ended up in IT, like Alice in the rabbit hole in the fairy tale, it was downhill from there. But it was quite on the contrary! After all, IT is a huge area full of secret nooks and crannies, specialisations, winding paths and miscellaneous professional opportunities. Surely, there are also straightforward paths. However, I wasn’t lucky enough to follow them. I think that I am generally a type of adventurous explorer and therefore those simple and straightforward paths are always miraculously closed for me.

I started out as a project analyst. I liked it for some time, but then it was no longer enough for me. I was transferred to the position of project manager. Very traditional projects, with a steering committee, a budget and strict schedule. It then seemed to me that the only career path is to become a manager. And again, thanks to my supervisor and the mentoring scheme, I understood that this was not the way and there were millions of other options. I began to search for my own. In the meantime, I completed a lot of courses and training sessions, I moved from one department to another, and read tonnes of books. Finally, I came across Agile and I have been developing myself in this area ever since.

You mentioned that before entering the IT world, your professional experiences were completely different? Do you make any use of them in your daily work?

Yes! I am strongly convinced that we limit our potential very much if we think that in a given sector we can only use our related experiences. What often comes in handy in my case is the fact that I spent many years preparing for my studies at the Academy of Fine Arts, by learning how to draw, paint, compose and apply various artistic techniques, which I still use today while preparing workshop materials. Then I chose the Technical University, but this is again a different story. I very often use what I learned from coaching courses — for example how to help people go through a conflict or how to work with a group. And what I learned while working in quality management at a factory, meaning how to streamline processes based on given measurements. My trainer experience is also very helpful — this was also an episode in my career path. Perhaps the only professional experience I do not actively use is the time I spent working at a florist’s. But I am almost sure that I will be able to apply these skills to IT sooner or later.

You say you were going to attend the Academy of Fine Arts, but then you chose a completely different path. What is your educational background?

I graduated from the Technical University of Łódź, inter-faculty studies in the International Faculty of Engineering. I still believe that these are the best studies in the world, though — interestingly enough — I had very little contact with information technology there. As I said, it took me a long time to prepare for the studies at the Academy of Fine Arts. I changed my mind in the first grade of secondary school. As you can see, it is never too late in your life to change the focus of your interests. It is important to have an idea for yourself and be able to pursue it consistently.

There are numerous stereotypes in IT. Some even say that this is a male-dominated sector. What is your opinion on this? Do you agree with it or not at all?

It depends on what we understand by “male-dominated sector”. If you ask whether it has more male than female employees, then I do agree. Anyway, it is reflected in the statistics. If you mean that male employees perform better in IT — in my opinion, it is absolutely not true. The only thing women, especially young ones, lack is the self‑confidence and belief that they will manage. When I started out, I was an absolute mouseburger, timid and silent, without self-confidence, but with loads of persistence and commitment. I came across a superior who recognised the potential I had failed to see in myself and it was largely thanks to him that I got the opportunity and support, so I am where I am now. When I was employed in IT, the whole department had merely a few female employees, with only one holding a managerial position. It was tempting to sing silently: “It’s a man’s, man’s world”. Now, it is changing, but still women are in the minority. I think it’s great that various sectors, previously quite homogeneous, are becoming increasingly diverse, vivid, multidimensional, and full of people with different experiences — it contributes greatly to development!

Yes, indeed, development. What do you believe women bring to IT? How do they enrich the sector?

First of all, they bring in exactly the same things as their male colleagues — technical competences and soft skills, such as good team-working skills or problem-solving abilities. Do they bring in anything particular? Over the years I have worked with many teams and I see that diversity really boosts creativity and development. On a team where everybody is somehow similar to one another, has similar opinions on every single subject and similar experiences, break-through solutions are rather difficult to expect. But, on the other hand, if we are forced to juxtapose various points of view and different ideas, we can work out something really exceptional — of course, if we treat differences in a constructive manner, unless they become the source of a destructive conflict. It does not seem to me that women, as a group, have any particular features in common, just like men have different personality traits, beliefs and values. However, I am convinced that mixed teams in terms of sex, age and professional experience simply work, learn and develop better and faster, because they do not work on a one-track basis, but have to open up to a much broader range of possibilities.

What advice would you give to girls who are thinking about a career in IT? Should they focus on any specific aspects? Or, on the contrary, should they give up?

If you are drawn to something never give up! And if you’re still not sure if it’s for you, the only way to make sure is by trying it yourself. I not only work in a “male-dominated sector”, but I also have a typical “male” hobby — I ride a mountain bike and take part in mountain bike races. Sure, I have heard many times that I am doing something pointless, elbowing my way to somewhere I shouldn’t be, that I had better quit or else I might bruise and get myself dirty (if you have ever watched a broadcast of MTB races, you know what I mean). But it only gives me more energy to do it. I love what I do. Besides, nowadays you do not choose a job for your whole life — it is not a mortgage loan. If you fail to try, you may never learn if you like something or are good at it. The worst that can happen is that you make a more conscious decision that you would rather do something else. Now that doesn’t sound scary, does it? Moreover, IT is really diverse and offers various roles, not only strictly programming positions. And there are really fantastic people.

How does it feel to be a woman at KMD?

Great! Let’s generalise it even more, it feels really great to be a girl in IT. In the “old IT” in which I started out, it was sometimes more difficult and you had to struggle for your position by not allowing some of your colleagues to dominate you. Back then, many people still remembered those old times and, as a result, believed that a woman in IT must be the CEO’s assistant. And now there are female programmers, testers, design or UX experts, or girls in the roles of Scrum Masters, Coaches or managers. It is good to see that at KMD too. I don’t feel that anybody treats us differently here. I hope this trend will continue.

What brings you the most joy at work — both at KMD and in IT itself?

There are two things. First, a feeling of having an impact, that my work really has the power to change something for the better within the organisation, that its effects are visible and positively affect other people, their performance and satisfaction level. Second, the privilege to take part in a number of miscellaneous initiatives or projects and work with many people, to learn from them, to continuously gain new experiences and broaden my professional horizons.

You mentioned mountain biking, which definitely make your heart beat faster after work. What else are you passionate about? Do you use your passions to face the challenges of professional life?

As I said, I am a kind of a seeker-explorer. I have lots of passions. I ride an MTB, paint, dance tango, and love cooking. If a day had 48 hours, I would certainly find additional hobbies. I owe all this to my parents who encouraged me to try my hand at various things ever since I was a child. And this desire to “experiment” is still deeply rooted in myself today, helping me at work when I need to consider a given issue from different perspectives, think up and try out some abstract solution, and find a new one when the first one fails.

But experimenting alone wouldn’t be worth much without persistence, discipline and patience. I learned these three things from mountain biking. And, perhaps, it taught me one lesson more that results should not be expected to come overnight, but once they come, they bring a lot of satisfaction. A good result in a race requires months, or sometimes years, of hard work. In your professional career, it’s the same — if you are just a beginner, do not expect spectacular results tomorrow, or else you will keep being dissatisfied with yourself and lose your motivation. Compete with yourself rather than with your colleagues who may be doing better in a given moment. Give yourself time to fall, make mistakes, work hard, and try the same thing a few times until it goes well. These are all extremely important and valuable experiences! The process of learning itself is wonderful. The rule is not to give up and know what you want. And, of course, to surround yourself with people who emanate positive energy and support you in your difficult moments, as a team cheering on you during competitions. Then it will all be downhill from there, and once you overcome the first one, there will surely be an even bigger hill to face.