Ipsos Leadership Interviews - Cristina Nine
Thrilled to invite you to our July 2023 leadership interview with Cristina Nine - Market Strategy & Understanding, Innovation Service Line Leader at Ipsos Romania!
Q: Cristina, what thrills you today?
The thought that thrills me today is gravitating around the idea of unity, working together in harmony, in a trustful and safe environment which facilitates growth.
Q: Among the five Ipsos values, which one resonates with you the most and why?
I resonate most with Integrity – I highly value and promote honesty and transparence within the team and towards our clients. Sometimes it might be challenging, maybe even an act of courage to embrace our vulnerabilities, but by acknowledging them, our true potential is revealing in front of us, showing us ways to improve ourselves by overcoming them. It’s important to be transparent across this process and set realistic expectations.
Q: The most interesting thing you’ve learned since you joined Ipsos is...?
Sometimes all you need to do is ask. There will always be a person who can and is willing to help. When you’re faced with a difficult situation for which you can’t seem to find a solution to, there’s no need to over stress in order to find a way to figure things out on your own. We should remember that we are not alone. For sure there is someone out there which overcame a similar situation at some point – all we need to do is ask.
Q: What behaviors make a great leader?
To be there for the team by taking the time to offer support. To allow team members to grow and learn from their mistakes. To trust them and let them decide if a situation requires a manager or not. To appreciate their courage when they feel confident to handle difficult situations without involving the manager, but also to offer support whenever they feel that they need help or validation.
Q: What are your team’s top 3 key priorities this year and are you planning to address them? And what is your most rewarding story?
1. Growth: internal training sessions addressing various stages of a project, offering the team members a safe ground to ask questions, explore weak points, uncover vulnerabilities/ insecurities and address them in order to improve our day-to-day activities.
2. Process: efficient working process within the team
3. Teamwork: ensuring a healthy environment which facilitates a safe space for growth among the team members in order for them to learn, but also to continue to build confidence and preserve curiosity and thrill for the job. My reward lies at the end of each challenging project, after we see all of our efforts materialized in a report which uncovers all of the clients objectives. I find it rewarding every time a team members shows gratitude for what they’ve learned in the process and confidence that they gained new tools that they can use in similar challenges.
Cristina joined Ipsos in 2020 as Senior Researcher and took over the role of Market Strategy & Understanding, Innovation Service Line Leader in 2022.