It might have been years ago, but reflecting on these experiences, Mariel can see the roots of how she approaches challenges today. She was in a situation she didn’t fully understand, but rather than running from it, she did everything she could to understand and adapt to find a solution.

Drawn to special projects

From early in her career, she found she had a knack for going against the grain and not simply doing something because that’s the way it’s always been done. Instead, she would stand back and quickly gain the ability to pull together lots of different parts to form a solution.

“Somehow, I have always been drawn to special projects,” she says. “As an intern, I was asked to work on a special project for the board and was sent to Boston for a couple of months to do an assignment. It was fascinating for me.”

It would be her last internship, as the IT company — based in Geneva, Switzerland — would go on to offer her a full-time job. It was an industry she wasn’t entirely familiar with, but it didn’t stop her from finding ways to go beyond what was expected and stand out.

Gaining confidence early

She continued to grow professionally. Your colleagues can make or break your work environment, and Mariel was lucky that her first boss really developed her confidence. “He empowered me completely,” she says. “Obviously, he was making the decisions but he made me feel like it was me. He gave me the opportunity to have an impact, and completely trusted me.”

Clearly seeing her potential, he challenged Mariel to achieve the very best she could. “He pushed me beyond what I thought I would be able to do, and he stood behind me when things were getting a little bit shaky. I think this had a huge impact on me. It showed me that when you empower and trust people, the sky’s the limit,” she says.

This brand of mentor can be found at Siemens as well, and Mariel’s belief in this kind of leadership plays a major role in her commitment to the concept of ownership culture. In her experience, Siemens has all the ingredients and provides the freedom to foster this way of working.

Thinking outside the box

At Siemens, Mariel is one of 377,000 people — but she’s happy to forge her own way. “I’m quite independent in my thinking,” she says. “I have my views, and I’m happy to speak up and share my views with whoever I work with.” Just as when she was a child, she remains respectful of authority, but it does not stand in her way of challenging the status quo when necessary.

Mariel knows her colleagues and team are more than the title on their email signature — and the same rule applies with her own title. “I don’t define myself through my job or my function, or my role or my business card. I define it more than anything else by what’s being done, how it is being done and the results we achieve.”

Learning from others

Mariel believes in the powerful statement by educator Peter Drucker, who said: “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” In the same way, she wants to be a leader who is not afraid of taking a more difficult route if it leads to a more successful outcome.