Michal’s Story: Senior Manager, Delivery Project Executive, and Loyal IBMer

Meet Delivery Project Executive, Michal, from Poland. Hear more about his progression in IBM since he began in 2013, how he developed into his current role, and why he chooses to continue being an IBMer nearly ten years later!

Tell us more about what you do as a Delivery Project Executive.

I predominantly work for the Banking and Government sector for customers inside of the EU with limitation of transferring and processing sensitive data. Our team delivers custom and tailored solutions for their customers’ needs.

Also, as senior manager, I’m responsible as a functional leader of the organization, and from a local perspective, I’m the upline manager where I’m locally reporting to the IBM Security Wroclaw Site Leader.

Talk us through your IBM journey and what lead you to your current role.

I’m coming up on my ten-year anniversary as an IBMer. What led me to my current role are the constant promotions and upward movement, which keeps my job exciting, and is a great way to see the successes in my work.

I began as an IT Administrator, and then just a year later was promoted to team leader for our command center. Then, I went from being a line manager to a global manager, and now onto my current role as a senior manager.

The promotional opportunities are endless within IBM. IBM truly appreciates its employees and finds ways to reward them with recognition and new responsibilities.

Tell us about an interesting project you’ve worked on recently.

The biggest ramp up of my career was the first customer I worked with for almost three years. It was one of the biggest logistics companies in Europe that was government owned, so, there were many regulations and practices that we needed to follow. We had around 100 people working on the project.

From this experience, I gained an understanding about why these processes were set in place, and it wasn’t just to make my role complicated! They provided you with the guidelines of how to do the job properly, and once this was learned, the outcome would be repeatable, resulting in a delivery process that was thoughtful and efficient.

Thinking about all you’ve done throughout your time at IBM, what has been your biggest accomplishment?

I believe that the DNA of an IBMer is that you’re always looking forward, and never backwards. You’re searching for more things you can do and achieve, without focusing on what you already achieved in the past.

I hope my biggest accomplishment and milestones are yet to come!

Why do you love working at IBM?

IBM is like one big family. Normally, it would be challenging for a big company to keep such a culture, but IBM manages to keep the environment as if it was a much smaller company, where you can have close working relationships with colleagues without having hierarchical structure that seems overarching. Every IBMer acts the same way no matter what position they are in.

For instance, we all celebrate the marriages of our employees, go out for lunch or coffee together, and even hang out for a couple of drinks after work. It’s a comfortable, community environment. This is something unique to IBM, and I haven’t experienced another company like it.

In Poland, the typical length of time an employee stays at an IT company is usually less than 3 years. I’ve been here at IBM for nearly ten years now, and some of my colleagues for even longer! This shows you how much people love working for IBM.

Another thing I love (and they even incorporate this into their corporate values,) is that nobody will say you can’t look the way you want. You can have multi-colored hair or tattoos and no one will criticize or question you. IBM values individualism, champions diversity, and strives every day to create a culture of conscious inclusion and belonging. This is what makes IBM so unique; other global companies have strict rules and guidelines around what to wear or what you are allowed to look like, but IBM wants its employees to bring their authentic selves to work every day.

Every day is different at IBM. It’s such an interesting and dynamic environment!

What is your work life balance like?

A golden rule at IBM is that you won’t be disturbed outside your working hours, even if you’re on vacation. They value your life outside of work and truly appreciate that a work life balance is essential to keep employees happy and motivated. I think this creates a great working culture. IBM truly wants the best for its employees.

IBM is also very flexible with your workdays when you need to be at home. For example, I’m currently having construction work done on my house and I’m able to work at home while it’s going on. This allows me to save my vacation days for more important things like time with my family.

I also think IBM is a great workplace for parents. I personally have three kids and have grown up with them all while working at IBM. I think I’m living proof that it’s possible to have a big family AND a rewarding and fulfilling career – all made possible by IBM. This is something that’s missing with other companies.

What advice would you give those considering a career in your field?

My advice is to take the first step and apply for the job. You may not be accepted the first time, but you’ll learn a lot about any gaps you may have and what you need to do to cover them in preparation for applying again. The experience gives you direction and a goal to work towards.

Don’t think that IT Security is not for you if you don’t get the job the first time. You need to experience some failures to have road signs for success in the future!

Discover your potential as a Delivery Project Executive

If you’re interested in the work Michal does as a Delivery Project Executive or want to learn more about our other roles at IBM, please visit our careers website. If you don’t see any open roles that align with your skills and interests at the moment, consider joining our Talent Network to receive updates on new job opportunities and future career events.