Give her a project approval and she’ll put it into practice. Give her a challenge and she’ll grab it with both hands. Majlinda Abduli knows from personal and professional experience that nothing in life comes for free. She gets the job done and coaches teams to do the same. At the same time, she helps ensure that the international and diversity aspects of our university get the attention they deserve. We meet the deputy director of People & Organisation.
Opening up difficult subjects for discussion creates understanding on both sides
Majlinda Abduli got to know the whole of VUB in a short time as HR & Finance business partner in the Better Services project. “I started talking to deans, researchers, administrative and technical staff, central departments... and a team was formed. There was some turnover in the team, and after a while I indicated that I wanted to become coordinator. I already was, it just wasn’t official yet, but I always carried out that double role. I got the chance, grabbed it with both hands and six months later we had a stable team and a clear plan of action.”
Then she received a surprising proposal. “When I submitted the project plan and it was well received, I was asked if I wanted to take on another new role as deputy director. In March last year, I helped to lead the reorganisation and since last October it has officially been my job. The familiarisation period helped to ensure there was support for this within the department as well.”
People first
Majlinda coaches seven teams within P&O. “The emphasis is on coaching, because the team coordinators manage themselves. As a facilitator, I mainly check how the teams are doing. Is there cohesion, is mediation necessary? The most important thing for me after the reorganisation last year was to create a network within all those teams. I also try to give tips on how to lead teams. The ultimate goal is that I become superfluous.”
The most important tip? “Put your people first. If your team and people are running well and feel happy in their jobs, the customer will automatically be happier. If you have a team that isn’t functioning because someone is unhappy with the job or with a colleague, that will radiate to the customers or to colleagues. Make sure your people are happy, like I have to make sure you are happy, and then the rest will follow.”
I was never considered the girl with the migrant background and that made me feel confident to take the lead
Majlinda has experienced up close how important it is to stand up for yourself. “I arrived in Belgium as a refugee when I was eight years old. I had to fight, stand up for what I want and stand out in the crowd to get involved, in class, in youth organisations or in the family. So yes, leadership is in me, but through circumstances. The context made sure I had to do that and those around me always encouraged it.
“For example, my teacher in sixth grade decided that I should have the lead role in a musical. I was never seen as the girl with the migrant background, but was always part of the whole. There is always a teacher, a neighbour or a friend who inspires you and gives you the self-confidence to try things out, to grow and to take the lead more.”
The great thing about VUB is that you quickly get respect for what you do
“It’s good to know what you want, but the most important thing is to express it and be transparent as an employee within your organisation, but also as a family member or friend. You also need to have a clear plan of action. It’s not enough to just say ‘I want to be that’ or ‘I want that job’; a vision without a plan is a dream.
“I still have the feeling of being an impostor, that never goes away. But I have enough confidence to say that I know how it all works operationally. Then you very quickly get respect for what you do, and that’s the great thing about VUB. The ultimate goal is that we recognise ourselves within all our services. If you look at the population of our students, the workforce is not yet representative.”
More than a university, more diversity
“I was involved in drawing up the policy plan, which enabled me to include the elements of diversity. With the Equality Team, we are looking at how we can put this into practice. What’s wrong now is the fear of the unknown. What influence does fasting have on the work of a Muslim woman, for example? How does she function in those circumstances? If you’ve never employed someone in that situation, you only have assumptions. We’re starting a team of students to encourage every department to recruit as many students as possible from underrepresented groups. This is how we gradually bring about that cultural switch and create extra job opportunities at VUB. In addition, a new team within P&O is focusing entirely on the international aspect, to further professionalise our international policy.
If our students know that we recruit people for different positions in different sectors, we’ve already created a large, diverse pool
“I hear in my circle of friends that VUB is not always seen as an employer. They see it purely as a university that is focused on students and studying. I also hear it from colleagues at other institutions; a university is not always seen as an employer. The best solution is that we focus on our students. If our students know that we recruit people for different positions in different sectors, we’ve already created a large, diverse pool. We need to introduce our working students to our various departments: they often don’t know they exist and don’t realise there are so many people working there.”
Making it a topic for discussion
The biggest challenges of the job? “That I’m still young and don’t know everything. And I want to know how everything works. I don’t want to be the manager who says ‘make it happen’. I want to know what the steps towards it are. Besides, as a young woman, I’m still in a man’s world. And you notice that from little remarks here and there, which I am very attentive to. Then I sometimes think ‘really, in 2021?’ For me, it’s not an issue to say something about this in a big meeting, so that’s what I do. I’m lucky that I can be very open about it with my own manager. It starts with speaking up if you feel uncomfortable with a certain remark. I’m convinced that not everyone thinks or means the wrong thing; bias is in all of us. Making it something you can talk about ensures you have understanding on both sides.”
Fasting at the VUB
“The first time I fasted for Ramadan was also the first time anyone in the department had ever fasted. The second year, I received messages from a number of colleagues with wishes of good luck and encouraging words. This year, there were even more. I thought this was a realisation of our service, that everyone was aware of the impact. They also showed understanding during meetings when I moved something around because talking all day and dealing with being thirsty is more difficult than usual.
“I changed my working day because my energy level is lower in the morning during the fasting period. There was a lot of understanding from my colleagues and manager. Every month we have a virtual meeting with the entire P&O, and just before Eid we organised a session in which I explained what it was. Colleagues asked afterwards how it had been and that was gratifying.
“I think the pandemic has also made those things more possible. We take more account of the fact that everyone’s life is different, for example between generations. As a manager you have to take all the differences into account. Autonomy remains the most important core value at VUB, and that makes it possible to give that freedom.”
People who say ‘I can handle it’, I find that fantastic
“It’s not bad not knowing what you want. That’s always changing, too. Knowing you want to be a manager is fine, but knowing that you don’t want to be one is just as fine. We’re going to have fewer and fewer careers where you spend 40 years at the same company. But that’s good, because that brings new ideas, new people, a different approach, and it makes your organisation grow. We need to think future-proof. The future is a mixture of ideas and initiatives.
“When we get new people in our service questioning things, I think ‘yes!’ We need people to say how they would approach something. That proactive thing, I’m a big fan of that. People who say ‘I can handle it’, I think that’s fantastic.”
Would you like to find your purpose as well and engage for humanity? Then take a look at The World Needs You under People.