Voice of Experience: Nina Simosko, Head of the Global Ecosystem & Partner Group, SAP

by Pamela Weinsaft (New York City)

“Whether you’re studying an instrument, exercising or tackling a business issue head-on, be sure to understand that there are real choices in how we go about accomplishing whatever it is we are doing. There’s an expression that comes to mind: ‘There is never enough time to do something correct the first time, but there is always time to do it over again. Be sure to assess the needs of each situation and decide what is most important before taking your first steps.'”

So writes Nina Simosko on her eponymous blog ninasimosko.com. Ms. Simosko is Head of the Global Ecosystem & Partner Group at software leader SAP. She keeps a schedule that would lend itself readily to proclamations of being too busy to care about the details of how things happen; her global role requires her attention for more than the standard 9 to 5 day. “I don’t have the luxury of working in a time zone…to me, it is just one continuum. I am on the phone with the Europeans at 4 in the morning (in the car on the way to the gym for my morning workout) and the folks in Asia Pacific at 11 at night. I work whatever hours are required for me to do my job.”

Yet she manages to attend to the details of both her work and her personal life. Simosko cites her strong supportive relationships with husband and friends among her proudest personal achievements. “My career puts a large demand on my time. And I love the fact that people get it. It would be horrible to be in a relationship with someone who didn’t get the stress and the time a career like this takes.”

Simosko clearly enjoys the challenge of it. She says she was born with business acumen, crediting her mother for instilling in her a great work ethic and self-sufficiency. “I don’t really think about work as work. I think that is pretty important. It is an ancient cliché—do what you love—but I think it is true. If you consider something work or a job, you aren’t going to be very happy. I don’t look at [work] that way. I don’t distinguish between work time and non-work time. But, that said, I do make sure I take the time to focus on myself.” She added, “I’m a bit of an exercise freak [and] I also enjoy quality time with my husband.”

She also posts regularly on her blog, in which she discusses all sorts of topics from technology to mentoring, communication to leadership and everything in between. She loves posting on the blog because of the volume and vast array of people she reaches with it. “I can’t believe how many people find the blog in different countries and industries.” Simosko particularly enjoys offering advice “to those who aspire to climb their own corporate ladders from the perspective of someone who’s been there.”

Simosko cites the relationships she has with friends and colleagues as her proudest work achievement. “I’m a true believer in the concept of ‘it takes a village’ so I’m proud to have had many friends and colleagues whose careers have blossomed and who have helped mine to thrive as well. I’m most proud of where some of my colleagues are. I’ve worked with many of the same people for three companies now, and in some cases, pushed and been pushed by these folks. Seeing what they’ve done with their own careers is really inspiring.” She also enjoys the shorthand that develops when working with the same people over an extended period of time. “They listen to what I mean, not what I say. They know me so well that after 10 years of speaking with me every day and solving a myriad of business issues [that they know what I expect]—the trust and the sixth sense are critical.”

Simosko had a circuitous route to her high-powered career in software via sales and telemarketing management. “I’ve been working since I was 10 years old. I started cleaning houses. I worked in retail. I’ve always worked,” said Simosko. Her first “real” job during high-school was with Strick Lease in Fairless Hills, PA, where she was charged with calling construction foremen to see if they wanted to lease storage trailers for their construction sites. She worked at several other companies before going into hardware in the mid-90s via a job with Tandem Computers (which was subsequently acquired by Compaq). From that job, she was recruited by Oracle for her first position in the software industry. “I used my strengths to grow their customer education business. And that is what started my software industry career,” said Simosko.

She later moved into a similar position at Siebel Systems, a software company known for its automated customer relationship management (CRM). “I did a similar job [to the one I did at Oracle] but in an expanded capacity – I was in charge of global customer education and managed their maintenance renewal business globally.” Simosko thrived in the industry even though she had no technical background. “I had [an innate] sense about how to do it. At the end of the day, no matter what it is, a lot of the business elements are the same. You have different business metrics you need to achieve so regardless of the business, the results in the end are similar – revenue goals and/or margin goals.”

She joined SAP five years ago as part of the education division and moved into her current position at the beginning of this year. She now manages around 1400 system integration relationships globally. She also serves as part of the 63-person senior executive team.

“In the long term, we always must think about what’s right for the company overall when acting within our respective roles to tackle the responsibilities required. Somebody said to me a really long time ago ‘just think about what the CEO would do.’ So whenever I confront business challenges, I think, OK, if I’m heading the company today, what would [the president] think is the best thing to do. I encourage my team to think like that too.”

Burned by “overextending” trust in a boss earlier in her career, Simosko stresses the importance of fostering and maintaining good professional relationships but cautions, “one should never really lose sight of the fact that corporations are emotionally agnostic towards individuals. The corporation will act in its own self interest.” She continued, “That said, I’ve had and currently do have amazing bosses that I trust and who do have my best interests at heart, so it is not a black and white issue. But I just think that it is really about being aware of any potentiality. Knowing that is better than blind faith.”

Concerning barriers to the advancement of women in the software industry, Simosko is somewhat skeptical. “As a woman, if you are good and you’re smart, you’ll get to where you want to go. Perhaps some creativity will be needed but I have not felt disadvantaged at any of the corporations for which I worked. Years ago, I would have said that software was a fairly male dominated industry but I don’t think that is necessarily true now. If a woman chooses software as a career and pursues it aggressively she can achieve great things… I’m aware of the statistics [about the brain drain of women in high tech] but I wholeheartedly believe that people (and women specifically) should strive for their goals and with hard work, flexibility, and open communication about their aspirations, they can really do anything.”