Lessons Learned in Patience, Resilience, and Leadership

Head of Customer Experience in EME, Bilhan Taskiran, has found her way to success: Have a plan and always be patient.

To many, spending 18 years in the same company might seem like an eternity, but to me it’s gone by in the blink of an eye.

What made me feel belonging to the beautiful blue is the values that are not only written on a piece of paper but had been in my everyday life, making me feel valuable as an individual and as who I am.

I started my journey at Maersk as an agent in the Customer Experience team, immersing myself in the dynamic and ever-changing environment. Those initial years thought me not just the company´s way of operating and improving life by integrating the world, but it also provided me insights into the challenges keeping customers awake all night.

By end of 5 years I wanted to have a more holistic way on how the business works and moved to the newly formed team of Finance Business Partnering. Did I like it- YES. Has that been easy- a big NO. One day I felt like I nailed it and the next day I found myself crying in front of an excel sheet clueless on which formula to use and how.

Planning ahead

Planning ahead became a pivotal lesson for me. I came to understand that navigating the business landscape isn’t always smooth sailing, often presenting unforeseen challenges. With this realization, I embarked on a journey of self-reflection, pondering my aspirations and charting a course toward them. I initiated the process of identifying the steps to reach those goals, filling in the gaps along the way. This approach significantly eased the visualization of my personal growth and the road for me to get there.

As I stepped into a leadership role, this principle became my guiding star. People have always been at the heart of my focus. Whether it's the tasks we undertake, the teams we assemble, or the days we face challenges or celebrate victories – for me, it all boils down to people.

Despite the ever-changing dynamics of the business world, the essence lies in the interactions we have. To achieve and deliver the best results, and understanding the teams we work with is paramount. This forms the foundation for effective leadership, optimization, and progress. Once this understanding is in place, transforming into a high-performing and engaged team is only a matter of time.

Looking back, I've navigated through six different roles in the past 18 years. In each transition, I meticulously crafted, documented, shared, and followed a plan outlining how I wanted to shape my career. While having the support of the right stakeholders was instrumental, there's one crucial aspect I can't overlook—patience. Success is not instantaneous; there were days when progress seemed elusive, and I felt disheartened. Yet, it was my enduring patience and resilience that propelled me forward. Now, in the fifth year of motherhood, I find myself excelling in patience, thanks to the lessons learned from my beloved son. I believe, that I can attribute some of my newfound patience to my son, who has always regarded sleep as the most tedious activity imaginable. Navigating through those sleepless nights not only tested my patience but also taught me to savor the journey, enhancing my adaptability along the way.

Every day brings its own set of challenges, and no two workdays or career journeys are identical. I share my experiences in the hope that they can inspire someone reading this.