"As Team Lead, I create an environment for the people in my team where they enjoy working"

Meet  Sebastian Jende , Team Lead, and learn about how he evolved into a team lead position at idealo and which approach he took to prepare for that role.

What is your name and what do you do at idealo?

I'm Sebastian Jende and I'm a team lead in the fashion and fitness content area.  

When did you join idealo and what was your career like?   

Before I started at idealo in May 2016 as an editor, I worked at a news agency. At idealo, I quickly realized that I wanted to develop further. So I first developed into a training officer for the editorial team. After that, I decided to apply to become a team lead. I have now been in the team lead role since 2018.  

What exactly are you and your team working on? 

My team works to ensure that new products and models from the fashion and fitness sector can be found on idealo. The category managers and editors in the fashion and fitness area are responsible for 330 categories and ensure that each product is illustrated and described by a text and a data sheet so that users can find out more about the product before buying. 

 What is your function as a team lead in the content department?  

As a team lead, I create an environment for the people in my team where they enjoy working, where they can develop and where they can perform at their best. For me, it is first and foremost about creating a trusting environment in which there is a well-lived culture of mistakes and in which everyone can stand by their mistakes. As team lead, I want to set a good example. I also make 100 mistakes every day, that's okay, that's human. I communicate these because I also want my team to know that they can deal with them openly. If the team has a good foundation, it performs on its own. I, therefore, look closely at what my team is concerned about, what worries, needs, and fears they have, and where I can support them.  

What challenges do you have in your job? 

Everyone in the team needs something different from their leader and the characters in the team are very different. Here it is important that I can respond to each individual and their mood. This is a challenge, but at the same time it makes my job so varied and exciting. For example, if one of my team members is going through a difficult private phase, I try to be considerate and give them the space they need, not to build up pressure and to help them think about other things through their work. This is challenging because everyone deals with it differently.   

How did you prepare for your role as team lead? 

I read various literature and talked to acquaintances who were managers in different companies at the time. However, I didn't implement much of their advice since we live a very individual culture of leadership at idealo. Therefore, I prepared myself by looking back at my previous working life and reflecting on how I liked to be managed and put this into practice. With the honest and open feedback I regularly receive as a leader from my team and colleagues, I have developed into the leader I am now.   

What do you think makes your work at idealo so exciting? What motivates you? 

What is particularly exciting for me is the combination of working with people and supporting them in their development to achieve their personal goals. When I see employees develop and suddenly take on tasks they would not have dared to do before, it gives me a lot of personal strength. On the other hand, I still find it exciting to work on projects, drive things forward as a project lead, and bring improvements for our customers.  

What exciting project have you worked on with your team recently?    

My team has been at the forefront of automating the creation of products over the last 2 years. Until now, this has been done manually. We wanted to develop a tool together with other teams to automate this. So far, there is no one in the world who can do what we want, so we have to build this solution ourselves. We are still working on the project. The goal is very ambitious, but we are also learning a lot from it. 

Is there anything about you that has been/is particularly formative for your personal development at idealo? 

My dual leadership partner Heidi was and is a formative person for me. We are very opposite in some approaches and similar in others, especially regarding the human component of leadership. As a result, we learn a lot from each other and can react perfectly to the needs of our team.   

What would you say to someone who wants to apply for a job at idealo? 

I would encourage the person to apply if they want to work on their own responsibility, want to change things and not just work according to a pattern, because then idealo is not the right place for them. If you then choose idealo, you work in an environment where you are perceived and valued as a person. 

Thank you, Sebastian!

Ready to start your own journey at idealo? Check out our open positions here.