After 8 years at NNE, Senior Engineer Tidiane Diallo-Madsen still loves to get up in the morning and come to work with his colleagues and customers. But what is it about NNE that he finds so special? And how have the challenges he’s faced along the way helped him grow throughout his career?
Tidiane joined NNE in 2013 and was quickly immersed in NNE’s project driven atmosphere:
“I started as a Support Engineer helping out customers with MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems) support. I had no knowledge of MES at all, but I remember within a few weeks I was thrown out into projects. The funny thing was that I had just gotten married and was straight away sent to Brazil for six weeks. Quite a difficult decision and challenging for myself and my wife, but it was also a great opportunity to learn what MES is all about.”
Challenging indeed. But challenging experiences have always driven Tidiane forward in his career; something he highly appreciates.
“It was a very important moment for me to learn because I was close to the customers, and when you are on site you see how production works in real life and can apply your knowledge. This was a turning point. So, from being a Support Engineer to a Senior Engineer today, I’ve learnt a lot and been part of many projects around the world. I have built a solid relationship with our customers and I understand their needs.”
Personal development, empowerment, and diversity at NNE
After eight years, how does Tidiane feel about the company to which he’s dedicated his career? Personal development, empowerment and diversity come out top.
“First of all, NNE is a company that values its employees. People are our assets here and we invest in our people. We care about personal development, allowing people to grow, fulfill their dreams, follow their own path. And you are also part of defining that path. You have the freedom to choose where you want to go and what to do, and the company supports you.” He tells us.
Diversity is key to delivering projects of high quality at NNE. Different cultures, different nationalities, different sexual orientations. People don’t feel different; they feel special.
“My ambition for the next few years is to become a lead engineer or specialist in my area and continue to help our customers. Right now, I’m involved in an important project - the largest one in NNE history - and I am pleased to be part of it and look forward to helping our customer achieve their goal. I would like to continue this journey to be an ambassador for NNE. I do this already by always aiming to deliver quality work and to a high standard, but I also want to speak up and say how great the company is in order to attract young engineers, because there is a lot of work to do, and we need good people.”
When it comes to the culture of NNE as a workplace, Tidiane highly appreciates the trust from his team and the freedom to deliver work on his own schedule.
“Another thing I like is the empowerment you get from the management – you are almost your own boss. You are the one who defines your daily tasks - nobody cares what time you come in and what time you leave, you have total freedom. And you know what happens when people have freedom? They perform. They take responsibility.” Tidiane explains. “This is a trust-based company. You are accountable for your outputs, which drives you to perform and deliver. That is very important.”
Finally, diversity is a huge plus-point, especially the way NNE makes each person feel important and valued.
“Diversity is key to delivering projects of a high quality at NNE. Different cultures, different nationalities, different sexual orientations. People really don’t feel different, but they feel special. I don’t feel different – I feel unique. I think most people feel this way. I saw myself as an important asset to my team and the company from day one. Every morning I wake up, take a shower, eat breakfast, jump into the car, and it’s kind of like going to a party, that’s the feeling I have! Because I’m looking forward to meeting my colleagues, to having a cup of coffee, chatting, and interacting with my customers. I have never, as far as I remember, gotten up in the morning and thought ach, I don’t want to go in. It’s a very nice feeling to have”.
Learning to lead by leaving your comfort zone
As Tidiane mentioned, employee development is a huge focus point for NNE. One key opportunity is the LEAD programme; four days of training where participants strengthen their leadership skills doing various activities outdoors. For Tidiane, it was an influential experience that shapes how he works with his team today (despite the cold November weather).
“It was a very challenging programme because people are taken out of their comfort zone. We’re all used to sitting in an office – it’s a known environment. When taken out of that context, put in nature, that was very challenging for all of us. On the first day we were cool, but out there in nature, the façade falls off. You see how people really are.”
Leadership skills are taught through a combination of 1) practical training 2) giving and receiving feedback on behavior and 3) an introduction to simple and powerful models of leadership. So, with office hats off and winter hats on, what were his main takeaways?
“I learned a lot of things. I learned how to communicate, how to give feedback, and how to appreciate each of my colleagues and inspire them.” Tidiane says. “I also learned about myself – self-awareness, humility, positivity, and empowerment. And how to delegate responsibility, because as a leader you tend to be the one who does things, we forget to let others shine. I try to apply that in my work today.” He explains.
“It’s the best thing that has happened in my career but also in my journey at NNE. The fact that I was given the opportunity to develop, the opportunity to try out new things, but also to be at a place I’ve never been before. And that’s a good thing about NNE; we give people the opportunity to try out new things and to challenge themselves. NNE is a great place to work, a playground for engineers. Come and join us.”
Bio
Educational background
BSc. Computer Science
Ecole Supérieur d’Informatique - 1993 (Guinea)
PAS-X Certified Professional
Werum - Denmark (2016)
NNE history
Senior Service Engineer - MES Service Owner
April 2016 -present
Support Engineer 2nd. Level - Knowledge Manager
November 2014 - April 2016
Customer Service at NNE
Customer Service is the support unit under Manufacturing IT and handles IT support and maintenance tasks for customers in the pharma and biotech industry. They also handle functional support and technical support for MES systems and integrated systems.
