Ingrid Eras

I found myself in a unique situation: as the global lead for HR on an M&A deal, my direct manager was reporting into me on certain aspects of the merger. When the deal was done and the project team dismantled, I had to return to my “old” role at our Divisional Office in Belgium and thought: “And now what?”

I’d grown professionally and I couldn’t just slot into my old position. So my direct manager and I came to an agreement whereby we clearly divided tasks and responsibilities. I got promoted and offered to pay half the fees for an MBA programme.

But I decided to follow the EMC instead, because this is where my passion and interest lay. I love to help and see people develop and grow – as a professional and as a human being. I also believe 100% in coaching as a means to business development, as well as enhanced efficiencies and increased productivity.

EMC has helped me reach my objectives: it was as challenging as an MBA but totally focused on human behaviour. The EMC programme also helped me understand myself so that I could understand others better. It’s incredibly valuable to share experiences with a group of like-minded people that one does not know and to get their unbiased feedback. And by volunteering to be a “case study”, I overcame my fear of public speaking.

Now I speak to audiences at internal and external conferences and teach on our INSEAD Leadership Programme. I coach various people at our divisional office and also co-facilitate our HR Academy. During this academy, our HR directors of all hotels focus on the improvement of their professional skills, but it also includes education on EQ and the development of self. So I’m using my EMC skills and knowledge all the time.

In addition, I’ve become a more strategic and effective leader. Previously, the arguments that I was using to influence and convince people were mainly based on my emotions. Now I’ve learned that it is much more effective to base my arguments on facts and data, which has also proven to be a much more efficient way to reach my objectives.

And as for my direct manager, he feels he got a great return on his investment in EMC – I’m still here and contributing more than ever.