Our lives are made up of decisions. Sometimes they are trivial or occur unconsciously, such as what socks we put on, what we eat for breakfast, or what wine we order in a restaurant. Others have greater consequences, such as the choice of career or partner or important job decisions. Executives with a lot of responsibility in particular have to make important decisions every day that affect many and ultimately the success of the company.
Decisions are often not only important, but can also be very difficult - especially when no option seems clearly better than the other. Our interview partner of the month Sandra Buess has a credo: "Only no decision is a wrong decision". You don't necessarily have to ask yourself which decision is the better one, but which vision you are pursuing. In private, you can therefore consider: What kind of person do I want to be? Professional decisions are easier to make if you have a clearly defined corporate vision and mission and thus know the essence of the company.
Sandra Buess recently made many important decisions: After 18 years with one of Switzerland's leading food companies, the business economist moved in March 2022 to the Kern & Sammet AG as Head of Sales/Marketing/Development, where she will take over as Managing Director from January 1, 2023. The Swiss bakery and confectionery manufactory from Lake Zurich with almost 50 years of experience offers bread, baked goods, snacks, pies and cakes in various states. Quality and enjoyment are always the top priority. Sandra Buess and her team are familiar with the latest food trends and pursue the vision of offering their customers solutions with a range of products tailored to their needs and advising them at eye level.
Get an insight into Sandra Buess' everyday professional life in our interview of the month. In addition to the best professional advice of her career, she also tells us in the interview how she personally defines success and what she would like to work for free for a week.
Ms. Buess, if you had taken a different path when you were younger, what would you have become?
"I was very indecisive as a teenager and didn't really have a plan for what career path I wanted to take - it was just always clear to me that I wanted to work in an office and preferably be a boss. If I hadn't done the degree, I probably would have ended up somewhere in management consulting."
What is your favorite way to start your day?
"On a workday, mornings always start with a freshly brewed espresso. A high-energy Core & Sammet Happy Day roll may not be missing of course 😊. After that, I get an initial overview of the day's tasks. Normally, I'm in the office early in the morning. Time and energy are important, but also scarce resources, so the first undisturbed hour in the office in the morning is very important to me in order to start the day well prepared and coordinated."
What does success mean to you personally?
"To me, success means taking pleasure in something and having achieved a goal. Each of us can achieve any goal, as long as it corresponds to our abilities and possibilities. The possibilities are often influenced from the outside, but the skills we need to reach our goal, everyone has in his own hand! So we can develop ourselves purposefully in the right direction in order to be there at the right moment when opportunities arise. Of course, there's also a bit of luck involved."
What would you work for free for a week?
"In my free time, I am intensively involved with the subject of wine. It fascinates me how winemakers manage to create great products again and again under the decisive influences of expertise, starting product and nature, with one of the oldest cultivated plants. That's why I'd love to spend a week working for free at a small winery nestled in the picturesque hills of Piedmont."
What was the best professional advice you ever received?
"Just no decision is a wrong decision".
When we decide for ourselves, we have the reins of our lives in our own hands. We have made a decision and no one else has made it for us. And if in retrospect it turns out that we made the wrong decision, at least we have the chance to learn from it."
We would like to express our sincere thanks to Ms. Buess for her contribution to this article. This interview was conducted in writing
Batterman Consulting Basel AG
Executive Search,
Byfangweg 1a, CH-4051 Basel
T +41 58 680 55 55
basel@batterman.ch
