Interview with Marc (43), Branch Manager in the Communications Technology BU
Marc entered the industry as an industrial climber – today he manages a branch in communications technology. For him, a few things take top priority: safety, team spirit, high motivation and a cool head, even when dealing with difficult issues.
Marc, what exactly does the job title “Branch Manager” entail? What are your responsibilities?
In a nutshell: I ensure that our staff can work on site without any issues and that their projects run smoothly. I’m responsible for making sure the lights are on, the heating works, the laptops are up and running, and the chairs don’t tip over. I ensure the external conditions are right so that everyone can work without hindrance. But there’s not just the material side of things but also the human side: I’m there to listen to any concerns or difficulties within the projects, offer advice where necessary, and keep an eye on our capacity. Depending on the situation, I have to assess whether I can create further capacity or, at times, decide that no further resources can be allocated, e.g., for strategic reasons.
But that means you’re not personally involved in the project work yourself, right?
The day-to-day operations are handled by our project managers – I “merely” set the direction. I ensure that my team and their projects operate independently. Of course, I’m always there, but ideally they don’t need me. In fact, I’m still managing a microwave radio project, but that’s only because of my professional background and because I want to support a new site manager colleague as she gathers her first experience in this area. This offer applies to everyone in project management: I’m there to help in difficult situations; I can make the unpopular decisions. Every once in a while, people are even allowed to “hide behind me”, if only to ensure it doesn’t put a strain on working relations at the construction site.
In your opinion, what skills or qualities are particularly important for success in your role?
Keep calm – just try to keep calm. When emotions are running high in the office, I always say: “Take a deep breath, breathe out, then we’ll talk.” And then we look at the situation analytically, with a cool head and some distance. Because every challenge actually holds an opportunity. It might be a problem at first, but in the long run it can make things better – even if it just becomes a prime example of how not to do something. I try not to let minor issues rattle me and instead take a bird’s-eye view. Having foresight and being able to think outside the box, staying positive – that’s important in my role.
What do you currently value most about your job and your team?
We’ve recently had some staff turnover in the team and, overall, we’ve grown again. So my most important task now is to build a new team spirit. And that starts with the little things: If you have nothing to do at the moment, ask where you can lend a hand. Help one another. Creating that motivation and attitude – getting colleagues back on track as a team – can certainly be tough at times and make you enemies all around. But once it’s up and running, we all benefit. We’ve more than doubled our results over the past three years, and that’s quite something. We can all be proud of that.
“In my team, everyone should get as much joy and fun out of their work as possible.”
You mentioned staff turnover earlier – is there anything you’d like to share with new colleagues about working here in general?
Get involved and then it’ll be fun. My personal motto is always, “Work in order to live, but don’t live in order to work.” For me, that means: Everyone should get as much joy and fun out of their work as possible, so that it doesn’t become a burden for anyone. Don’t get annoyed about things that have gone wrong, but be happy about the small and big things that are going well, about projects won and solutions found. Motivation is the key to success, and for me, motivation doesn’t work without joy. The happier everyone is in their job, the happier I am, too, and the calmer and more relaxed things are for everyone in the end.
What makes the field of communications technology so exciting for you?
When I started out, we were installing UMTS. Then it was replaced by LTE. After that, there was 4G, now we’ve reached 5G and eventually 6G will follow. Every three years, we have new technology to install – and it’s really lovely to see how everything keeps evolving. That constantly brings new challenges and keeps things varied. Even though we’re broadly doing the same thing, the finer details are always changing. We’re at the forefront of technological change and building the future. Mobile communications have significantly transformed the world as we know it today. When I compare the early days with today’s standards, there’s a world of difference: I grew up without a mobile phone; my son goes to school with a smartphone. Back then, people would panic if they accidentally pressed the internet button; today it’s standard. This technological change is just so much fun.
Is that why you initially chose a career in communications technology?
Actually, it wasn’t a conscious decision – I’m a qualified industrial climber and master electrician. My first job was as an instructor at a high ropes course and doing tree maintenance work, before I focused on industrial climbing. Within three years, however, I made the switch to what was Alpine back in the day. At the time, they offered me a site management role in either overhead line construction or communications technology, and I opted for communications technology. It’s generally a bit more technical and on a smaller scale than the huge pylons used in overhead lines. Since I’m an electrician, it just suits me better. So I’m the classic lateral career changer, which isn’t unusual in our industry anyway.
When you think back to when you started with us: Is there anything from that time that has particularly stuck in your memory?
There was always a very strong team spirit at my location. We were a young, dynamic team. However, there was a fatal accident at work and I had to distance myself emotionally from the whole thing. That incident also showed once again what a great team I had around me. I left with mixed feelings – and with my boss’s words, “You can come back anytime you want.” After that, I worked as a freelancer for a while, opened a bowling alley, and then became a rollout manager in the mobile communications sector. After that, I took over an electrical company as operations manager.
And then you came back to us and EQOS after all – what tipped the scales?
My boss rang, I got up and followed the sound of his voice (laughs). And I was offered the position of branch manager, even though I wasn’t actually looking for a new job at all. But EQOS is EQOS after all – it was always nice here, I had great colleagues back then, and I hadn’t experienced the tough times associated with the closure of Alpine first-hand either. It was simply like coming home. Although there were over 100 people here at this location during my first spell and now there are only 21, I still knew quite a few people. My former microwave technician is now my new project manager. I still know the site management, and the team assistant is still there, too, as is the warehouse manager. Funny enough, I was more or less left to my own devices upon my return, in the same way as when you visit your sister, like, “Hey, you know your way around here, make yourself at home, there’s the refrigerator, just help yourself.” That feeling and the staff were my anchor, bringing me back to EQOS.
You were away from EQOS for a few years. From your perspective, has much changed within the company?
We’ve definitely become more structured and more transparent. Today, there’s a greater focus on cost awareness and the commercial side of things. In the past, there was someone who took care of the financial side of things. Now the topic is embedded right down to the site management level. Personal responsibility has increased significantly. And team spirit and the sense of togetherness are also being promoted much more across all locations. EQOS has become proactive, keeping an eye on the social aspect and the well-being of the individual. The phrase “We want all our employees to come home safely every day” is also very important. Every single person is valuable. Safety is more important than money, which is why I have no problem telling a client that, due to legitimate concerns, we won’t be building at a particular site. Wir sind definitiv strukturierter und transparenter geworden. Wir hatten schon immer eine Datenbank und Zahlen erfasst, aber heute ist das Kostenbewusstsein und der kaufmännische Part des Ganzen mehr im Fokus. Früher gab es jemanden, der sich schon um das Finanzielle gekümmert hat, heute wird das Thema bis in die Bauleitung hinunter gelebt. Die Selbstverantwortlichkeit ist wesentlich größer geworden. Und auch der Teamspirit und das Wir-Gefühl werden standortübergreifend deutlich mehr gefördert. EQOS ist aktiv geworden, legt ein Auge auf den sozialen Aspekt und das Wohlsein des Einzelnen. Ganz wichtig ist auch der Satz „Wir wollen, dass alle unserer Mitarbeitenden jeden Tag wieder gesund nach Hause kommen“. Jeder und jede Einzelne ist wertvoll. Sicherheit ist wichtiger als Geld und deswegen habe ich auch keine Probleme, einem Kunden zu sagen, wenn wir aus entsprechenden Bedenken mal einen Standort nicht bauen werden.
Zuletzt: Wenn du nun in die Zukunft blickst, freust du dich auf irgendetwas besonders?
I’m very happy where I am right now. If more comes along, then so be it, but I have no desire for change. I still have plenty to do at my branch; I’d like to continue growing with it and could even retire with the current status quo. It’s all flexible and varied enough that I never get bored here.Ich bin da, wo ich gerade bin, sehr zufrieden. Wenn mehr kommt, dann kommt mehr, aber ich habe da keinen Wunsch nach Veränderung. Ich habe in meiner Niederlassung noch genug zu tun, ich möchte mit ihr weiter wachsen und könnte mit dem aktuellen Status quo auch in Rente gehen. Es ist alles flexibel und abwechslungsreich genug, als dass mir hier nicht langweilig wird.