Lien Ceuleman

I am a massive fan of Brené Brown’s books; her ideas have long appealed to me. Her books, such as ‘Dare To Lead’ and TED Talks have helped me develop my own management style.

Brené Brown has made me think about empathetic, values-driven, authentic leadership. I also feel more confident as a leader as a result. After all, you don’t always have to know everything. To combine this through leadership with a strong culture of accountability, I can also recommend ‘The Power of Vulnerability’.

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast” It all starts with the culture you build. I also have this quote hanging in my house: “This is your world. Shape it or someone else will.”

I have always been very passionate about history and reading historical novels. About the World War: all the books from Thea Beckman, including Hasse Simonsdaughter (a great book about being different and maybe even feminism!).

In my ‘adult life’ and in my role at Salesforce, I am in the middle of innovation and exponential technology driving our future, so sometimes it feels this balance is moving a bit too much to these future aspects which might leave less room for my passion for history.

I do however think that we can only shape the future if we understand our history. The same is true for people, once you understand their history and where they come from, you understand who they are better. I love to do introspection and think about who I am and how my past, upbringing, family and experience made me who I am.

People and understanding them. I love to know who people are, what drives them, and why the way we behave. This is also why I love my job — I can bring people together, find values that unite us and operate from that framework as a starting point, to do something bigger.

Study psychology or history and do social experiments to learn about who we are, why we behave in a certain way and understand the human mind and society better. Ultimately making the world a better place by doing that.

Continue to find ways to help people, maybe go and work for the UN again and become a human rights lawyer. I would also love to just paint abstract paintings.

My colleagues and the people around me. Work is a big part of someone's life, so I'm extremely motivated and feel it's also part of my responsibility to make that part meaningful and fun for people. If we have more fun at work, things are just better! Everything we do can have an impact on others and I can make a difference in people’s careers, wellbeing, their families... The best is to see people grow and learn. And I also love to learn each day, being a bit outside of my comfort zone from time to time.

My family means everything to me. I am super thankful for my upbringing, my parents, grandparents and my 2 sisters. Even if it was not always easy (my parents divorced and I felt I needed to take on a responsibility that I did not really understand), they made me who I am. After working abroad nearly 10 years, it’s my family that brought me back to Belgium to rejoin Salesforce. My partner lives in Denmark, so I spent my time in 2 countries. With him, I feel at home and at ease. My sister had 2 small girls who are just the funniest and sweetest. So family keeps me grounded and connected. While they always come first, I have learned over time to actually put them first in my actions instead of being carried away by work.

Maybe we are our biggest obstacle -- holding back, doubts or insecurities. That is why I continue to do introspection and learn to understand myself better -- not necessarily to overcome issues or negative things, but just to be a better person and continue to grow. I have been working with a therapist for a long time, and I just love to discover new things about myself and the world and people around me.

Thinking I needed to be super technical and understand how to code and such to be good at my job.
Male-dominated environment and how to be true to myself.

I hope my leadership and ability to build a culture of trust and openness, bringing people together and together be better.

I strongly believe that values are the most important accelerators for success, starting with my personal number one which is trust and respect. If you don’t have trust - with your employees, your partners, your customers, there is nothing. Furthermore, it’s not only about having them and talking about them, but also making them come to live in everything you do, in every decision you make. Being yourself, but continuously trying to be a better version and grow.

How do I do it all (I don't ;-)) and where I find my energy?

How is it to be surrounded my men? How it is to be surrounded my more experienced people?

Do you have kids (I don't, but my partner has 2 lovely teenagers)? Do you want kinds?
Is it not tiring to move back and forth between 2 countries
For the last 2 questions people seem to continue to be stuck by traditional patterns.

The people -- and the ability to make a difference, also with the technology we bring.

The only way to get better is to learn from others, and I am lucky to be surrounded by amazing people. I don't have one role model or mentor, but continue to pick up things from others each day (what they say, how to act, the feedback they give, the mistakes they make). I am sure that every career step I made is thanks to the sponsors I had.

Speaking about people, I love Adam Grant and his podcast (and book 'Think again!'). Also, huge admiration for Sheryl Sandberg (starting lean in -- it was an eye opener for me and her book about loss Option B helped me a lot to deal with the grief of my best friend passing away).
They help me think long-term but also highlight the importance to take good care of myself and remain resilient.

Also love Jessica Pearson -- the fictive character in Suits. She is powerful, sets boundaries, is ambitious. I would love to be a bit more like her and be more firm.

Go for it -- you can do it. But it is OK to just be you! The worst thing that can happen is that it does not work out and then you restart and keep your head up. If it does work out, the world of tech is fast-paced and different each day, full of opportunities.

And you can make a difference. Always stay curious and open to learn, explore new things and don't hold back -- you can do more than you think.

Collaborative, open, and transparent, starting with a great culture. I strongly believe in transparency and providing feedback, creating a psychologically safe space for people to grow and mess up!

Empathy, emotional intelligence, focus. Focus in the new IQ 😉

Listen first. Give space. Act fast when needed. Transparency.

With my gut

Going ahead thinking you know how to handle the issue based on similar issues without fully listening and understanding where the issue comes from and what is causing it. Always deeply listen and understand, don't assume. And don't just fix it yourself -- so listening, questioning, verifying, staying connected on what the problem actually is and how to solve it together.

By connecting the dots of every customer engagement.

Saying no more often.

I just read this from Adam Grant yesterday on LinkedIn and loved it: "Achieving your goals is not about being more efficient in your tasks. It is about being more selective in your commitments. More free time in the future is an illusion. You won't be less busy -- you'll be busy with new priorities. If it is not an enthusiastic yes, it is a no."

Positively

Absolutely!

Customer 360 -- meaning technology that helps you to better understand your customers at any point in time and through every engagement. This creates more loyal connections. Generative AI will be the next big thing -- need for keeping into account ethics, privacy and security at all times to avoid bias and keep data safe and secure. Technology is amazing, but only if it can be trusted.

Building and changing the future -- it changes the way people work and live, and it can make the world a better place.

First, data insights are increasingly crucial as businesses navigate uncertainties. In 2023, there will be a growing trend of businesses using real-time data to provide key insights and trusted decision-making to mitigate risk in unstable conditions and maximize business impact. To do this, companies will need to invest in data skills and tools to turn data insights into actions that drive business outcomes.

Secondly, personalization will become even more essential. As consumers become more discerning about where they spend their money, businesses that offer personalized experiences in real-time will stand out from the competition and inspire loyalty.

And thirdly, with so much changing companies are forced to grapple with new ethical questions, and customers are watching closely. A recent study found that 66% of customers have stopped buying from a company because their values didn’t align. Companies should ensure their business upholds ethical standards worthy of their customers’ trust.

The internet -- making information accessible and building greater connection. The compass -- making travel more secure and opening up the world to explore.

Absolutely good for society. Technology in itself is most of the time neutral, it is up to us to build a legal, ethical and societal framework around it -- how to use it, why, when to ensure it does do good for society. Importance of trusted technology.

Always learning and being curious. Using it -- not being afraid to try.

Using hundreds of online tools, but picking one that is top of mind for me. Love my new e-notebook to write down my to do's, notes, but also just brainstorm and write about things and ideas.

Wanting to keep it light for now -- love browsing my inspiration on fashion websites and seeing makeup artists transforming people. All news sites -- cannot be without them.

Favorite: love my smartphone -- for pictures, reading, relaxing, finding my way, listening to podcast. Most importantly for staying connected to my family.

Least favorite: Super hard question -- any technology wrongly used to spread fake news and inform people in the wrong way, undermine democracy

Learning to say no to the right things - Listening and finding common interest.

How we think and act differently. Our past.

Simple -- no. Succes is also very relative; what does it ever mean.

Mind body connection is super important - our thoughts and feelings also influence how we feel and our health.