🚀 In episode #225, we welcomed Maria Sundström, Senior People Growth Partner at Mentimeter. Maria Sundström shared her journey from Estonia to Sweden and her experiences in various roles, particularly in HR at Mentimeter. She discussed the importance of organizational values, the role of fun in the workplace, and the significance of effective onboarding. Maria emphasized the need for situational leadership and the continuous effort required to maintain high-performing teams.

Listen to this episode and learn:  

💡 What experiences defined Maria's beliefs as an HR professional and a leader

💡 What makes the culture of Mentimeter a unique blend of peak performance and fun

💡 Practical ideas to make your team thrive at work

💡 How to apply situational leadership to be effective in the workplace

And many more... 

Maria Sundström is a People Growth Catalyst with more than a decade of experience shaping cultures and supporting leaders across global tech, consulting, and corporate environments. She has built her career on a simple belief: when people feel safe, seen, and inspired, they can achieve extraordinary things. Today, Maria works at Mentimeter, where she partners with leaders and teams to accelerate performance, strengthen well-being, and foster psychological safety. She has led initiatives in leadership capability building, onboarding design, inclusion, and organizational growth - always with a focus on creating workplaces where people can truly belong and flourish. Her professional journey includes roles at Avanade, Mercer, and Coca-Cola Enterprises, where she supported leaders through transformation, built onboarding programs, and drove global HR initiatives that improved engagement and retention. With experience spanning start-ups to large corporates, she combines strategic HR expertise with curiosity and empathy - enabling people and organizations to grow in sustainable, human-centered ways.

Chapters: 

00:00 Introduction and Personal Background

02:32 Career Journey and Early Experiences

05:45 Cultural Insights from Living Abroad

08:36 Company Culture at Mentimeter

11:50 Values and High-Performance Teams

14:35 Recruitment Process and Cultural Fit

17:38 Onboarding Best Practices

34:28 Exploring Values in Onboarding

41:50 Navigating Organizational Values and Hypocrisy

49:51 Leadership Styles and Situational Adaptability

57:17 The Importance of Mistakes in Leadership

01:06:38 Balancing Fun and Productivity in the Workplace

Enjoy listening and #KeepPERFORMing!

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