DONE! DNA: The World Is Our Oyster

She's the longest-serving member. Myrto Tzani has been with DONE!Berlin for eight years and is already looking forward to the next ten. How does a company manage to retain and inspire employees for such an extended period?

October 24, 2023

A Quick Look At The Beginning

When Myrto joined DONE!Berlin in 2015, she had just completed her master’s degree in Production Engineering. Why did she opt for a People & Culture boutique consultancy as her initial employer after finishing this kind of studies?

"I'm a 'People Person'. I am all about human interaction!," explains Myrto. “To decide for DONE!Berlin at the time, it was the best career decision of my life."

Finding professional happiness requires self-aware individuals who have the courage to pursue a career path different from their initial studies. Myrto is such a person. Another key element contributing to this successful relationship was DONE!Berlin's inclusive approach, flexibility, and provision of opportunities to career changers.

Jumping In, Doing, And Learning A Lot

Bringing entry-level talent into your organisation comes with its set of unique challenges. These individuals typically have a strong drive to rapidly progress in their careers while craving continuous learning opportunities. Balancing these ambitions with the long-term work environment can be a complex undertaking for companies.

But DONE!Berlin did it right: From day one, Myrto worked at the rapidly growing FinTech N26. This meant she had to dive into the deep end - learning on the job, listening, making mistakes, improving, and evolving.

"I must say that I had the best mentors one could imagine: our founder Cornelia, who temporarily took on the role of Vice President of Human Resources at N26, and our current Managing Partner, Janet, who was an HR Business Partner at the time," Myrto fondly remembers her early days.

Afterward, the journey continued at a rapid pace, with stints at PayU, Foodspring, Recare, Clark, Casper, Fiverr, Ratepay, Inkitt, Mister Spex, The Quality Group, and many more. Myrto got to experience various fields, including Talent Acquisition, People Operations, HR Business Management, and C-Level Consulting.

Throughout her journey, there were many significant moments. For example, the exciting collaboration with Casper. Myrto has managed HR within the American company for three years, learning the entire lifecycle of a company - from pre-launch to dissolution in Germany. Her valuable experience extended to collaborating with the parent company in NewYork, where she navigated cross-cultural challenges, including communication styles, labor laws, deadlines, bureaucracy, regulations, and different tax systems. These initial international experiences continue to bring tangible benefits to our clients today.

Evolving With The Company

Myrto also had the privilege of witnessing DONE!Berlin's remarkable growth journey. The boutique consultancy experiences annual growth of 40 percent, expanding from a small team to 40 employees.Today, DONE!’s expertise extends beyond startups to consult mid-sized companies and large corporations.

“I not only worked with diverse clients, but also observed DONE!’s transformation from a small team to a rapidly expanding GmbH. This evolution involved establishing robust organisational structures, mentoring colleagues, and diversifying into new business domains. It presented an incredible learning curve and an opportunity for personal development," comments Myrto. Today, Myrto leads her own team, contributing to the company's continued success.

Maintaining An Employee-Friendly Culture

Despite many changes and growth, DONE!Berlin has remained the same for Myrto: the work is still engaging, diverse, and often presents exciting challenges. The company has preserved its distinctive working culture, fostering an environment where employees have the autonomy to nurture personal and professional growth.

And consider, this isn't a massive international corporation, which, by default, can offer a wide array of opportunities. Nevertheless, DONE! manages to leverage its employees' talents and interests, identifying their potential, and seamlessly integrating them into various projects and client engagements, all while maintaining a flexible approach. This allows employees to explore diverse business models, founder visions, corporate cultures, organisational departments, as well as candidates.

In closing, Myrto says: "Ten years DONE!Berlin, I still can't believe it. It feels like both a year and twenty at the same time. Remembering our 'roots' warms my heart, but I’m one to gaze more toward the future than dwell in the past. And I see more exciting projects coming. 'The world is our oyster,' and I cannot wait to explore it and see how we (D!B) will celebrate our next ten years!"

Yes, at DONE!Berlin, they are not the typical Recruiters, People Ops or HR managers. The team dives headfirst into a whirlwind of learning experiences – from different companies and situations to unexpected challenges and cool coworkers. And there is not just one recipe for such a successful collaboration. This includes many factors: On the one hand, employees must know themselves well and be able to correctly assess their preferences, character traits and abilities to then be able to make the right career decisions. On the other hand, employers should be able to adapt to this. Both parties should always discuss each individual career path on an equal, honest, and transparent basis and find possible solutions for further collaboration. That also requires that employers trust their employees and let them try things out and gives the further development of his employees a priority.

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