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Gratitude to iPEK: 10 years in the sewers

Updated: Feb 28, 2022


Yes. I spent the last decade focused on developing a rather underground but global niche market: sewer inspection.  

What are sewers?

Sewerage is certainly the most unattractive utility and perhaps the one making the biggest impact in our lives. See that turd? now flush the toilet: out of sight, out of mind! A 2 second operation that my 2-year old son performs several times per day and feels extremely proud about. Having such a quick and sanitized way to get rid of our biological waste prevents us from disease and allows us to enjoy long lives in crowded cities.


Why would anyone want to inspect underground pipes filled with poo, cockroaches and rats?

Building good sewers takes a lot of ingenuity, time and money. Usually they are built once and left there in oblivion. For decades. Or even centuries. They have long useful lives but when forgotten they may start leaking. When that happens, our whole environment is at risk. Our fresh water sources could get contaminated with deadly pathogens such as cholera. You don't want that. Cameras are currently the best way to check for these leaks.


What's special about sewer cameras?

They are phenomenal robotic tools that get into places no human could possibly go. They fit in narrow spaces, crawl for hundreds of meters, dive under water, take measurements. As most things in our times, sewer inspection cameras are also undergoing a digital transformation process. Sensors, batteries, artificial intelligence and internet are making it increasingly easier and more automated to get all this information from down below. And this is obviously great because nobody enjoys fiddling with other people's crap.


image: courtesy of iPEK International GmbH


I am actually proud of having contributed to making our cities safer with the technological progress we could bring to sewer inspection cameras over the last years. But most importantly I am proud of having worked with, learned from and developed people around me. These are the key learnings I made about organizations as we figured out poo and robots.


10 learnings about working in a corporate environment


1. Always start with the Customer

Questions to ask yourself: Who is my best customer? How well do I know her? Why does she buy from me?

No matter what you think, you are probably wrong. It is hard to put yourself into someone else's safety boots, more so if that person lives 10 time zones away, speaks a different language and has a totally different education background. Do not second guess, make all is possible to establish a strong connection and get to know her. What keeps her awake at night? What does a perfect day look like? What is her dream? With this information in hand you can get back to the office and lead 99% of the staff who never ventured beyond these four walls.


2. Be useful to your Boss

Questions to ask yourself: Why was I hired? Does my boss need me? How am I helping her succeed?

You are part of a project bigger than yourself. Ideally your personal project should be nicely aligned with your boss's personal project. Then, magic will happen and many pieces of the puzzle of corporate life will fall into place both for you and for your boss. The usual thing is not knowing what your boss's personal ambitions are. Just ask her! your boss may be initially surprised with your question but then will feel honored and give you her honest, unprepared answer. Use this opportunity to align expectations, craft goals together and deliver results with passion.


3. Help your Peers

Questions to ask yourself: How can I help this guy? Is there anyone in my team who could alleviate his overload?

Trust is the most important thing you are building with your peers. Life is a constant give and take. Make sure you give more than you take and that your credit balance stays on the black. The organization talks about you all the time, mostly informally on corridors, by the coffee machine and behind your back. You are the last one to know what your reputation is. Very often it is your peers who put you on the list for the next promotion and not your boss. Be a genuine team player with your peers, see them as a means to your objective as opposed to adversaries. Better function together like clockwork then.



4. Put effective Processes in place

Questions to ask yourself: What will happen to this project if I leave the company tomorrow? Can we double output next month with our current setup?

You are probably like me and have a tendency for action, rolling up your sleeves and jumping from one problem to the next. This gives instant satisfaction after the crisis of the day is solved, however this does not bring the organization forward. It is important to take the rest of the company to the same level of understanding, and agree on how to solve this same problem when it arises next month. Even better, design a way to avoid this problem from happening again. Processes can be boring and finding consensus across departments time consuming and energy draining. Still, processes are probably the best legacy you can give to an organization. Once they are in place they become part of the furniture. Make sure those processes make lives easier and not more difficult for those who have to use them, otherwise they will not last.


5. Manage your Career (or someone else will)

Questions to ask yourself: What do I want to be doing 5 years from now? Is my current job getting me closer to whatever that is?

Corporations are not static and their needs evolve depending on market conditions, investors' interests, management's maturity level, leadership style at the top, pandemics, you name it. Chances are that the company you once joined has muted into something quite different. You are now considered for jobs that did not exist when you accepted that role. And that´s OK as long as it is aligned with what you want to do with your life. You shall ask yourself if what once fulfilled you is still fulfilling you now. If you are fulfilled, keep going. If not, figure out what it is that needs to happen and escalate to your boss in your next one-on-one meeting. Use this opportunity to gauge their interest in your developing in that direction. It could be that the company sees no priority in following that path. Then do not waste your time and start working on your next move. Life is too short to live without purpose.


6. Take big hairy Challenges

Questions to ask yourself: What's the worst that can happen? What will I learn from this experience? How long do I want to do it for? Can I design an exit for myself in case it does not work out?

Do not be afraid of challenges. The private sector is about taking risks and reaping rewards. Play the game! Know where your limits are... then stretch them a bit and take projects that make you somewhat uncomfortable and insecure. No matter the outcome, they will eventually make you grow as a person and as a professional. It is like swimming the Christmas race at the port of Barcelona: once you are in the cold water you have no other way than press your teeth and swim forward with all your forces. When you get to the finish line the water feels warm and the challenge looks easy after all. So are we humans!


7. Build a Team that outperforms yourself

Questions to ask yourself: who in my team can take my role if I go on parental leave? Will the team work better if I do not return after the parental leave?

If your answer to the second question is “Yes”, you have done your job already and can move on to your next role. If your answer is “No”, make sure you disappear every now and then and let your team have an opportunity to adjust to your absence. This will test their own team dynamics, natural leadership, authority. Ultimately the situation will reveal for you the team's and the individuals' immediate coaching needs. Repeat the loop until the answer is “Yes”!


8. Conflict and Empathy make a difference

Questions to ask yourself: am I sugar-coating my feedback not to hurt people's feelings?

By avoiding conflict you are not doing your direct reports and peers any favor. You are only avoiding conflict for yourself. And this will have negative consequences on your colleagues and also on the company.

There is a technique, a time and a place to deliver feedback. Learn how to do it and do not miss these opportunities because they are golden. As Churchill said “never waste a good crisis”. This is where empathy plays a role. Be kind and tactful, but stay fact based and stand for your values. Your direct reports will respect you for your honesty and transparency, plus will understand that you care for them. By being open and candid with conflict, the company will become aware and will address it without any major issue.


9. Family comes first

Questions to ask yourself: am I prioritizing family or work? Would my partner answer the same?

“If you want to change the world, go home and love your family” Mother Theresa said. Those who are career driven like me may have issues to always see it this way. My own misperception is that problems at work tend to be time-bound whereas family is timeless. I usually fall prey of this time pressure at the office and abuse my family's endless patience at home. Do not take your family for granted. Quality time with our kids is precious, as they grow so fast and need us so much. Our agreement with my wife is to be present at home, use our limited time together to have constructive activities and avoid pointless arguments. Consider your career choices carefully with your family. It has to be a team decision.

Every minute spent at work is returned with short-term monetary compensation. Every minute spent at home is returned with long-term love and happiness, and amplified to each member of the household. Nothing escalates like love.


10. Have Fun!

Questions to ask yourself: do what I love? Or love what I do?

Keep a playful approach to life. You can have a lot of fun in the sewers. Most people I met in this industry actually love it and never leave the wastewater business. You need to have fun on what you do, no matter what. Otherwise, what is the point?


image: courtesy of iPEK International GmbH


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