“Different cultural backgrounds and ways of thinking make us more successful.” 

Géraldine Legros works as Manager Transport Planning at our office in Mulhouse, France. In this interview she talks about her experience, working and living in different countries, why she values diversity, and which aspects are important to her about leadership. 

Since you’ve lived and worked in many different countries before you joined 4flow, could you tell us a bit about your journey? 
I studied international Business with English and Russian language at University. After my studies, I started at PSA in Russia. I learned a lot about logistics in this job and knew that I wanted to stay in the industry. After two years I went to Brussels, Belgium, to work at Toyota Motor Europe. Then I decided to move to India, where I started at Renault Nissan and later worked at Stellantis. In 2021, I wanted to come back home to France, so I started at 4flow in Mulhouse. It was amazing that I got to work in so many different countries. I love exploring new cultures. 

What did you enjoy most about the different countries and cultures? 
In every country there was something I really enjoyed. I liked the cold weather in Russia and I love speaking the language. In Brussels I worked together with people from all around the world, which was a great experience. In India I loved the amazing festivities and the welcoming culture. Now, that I’m back in France, it’s great that I still get to work in an international environment at 4flow.  

How can you use your intercultural experience in your work at 4flow? 
I got to work with people from different cultural backgrounds, which now helps me to adapt to different cultures and personalities. For example, I have one team member who is from India. We can connect on a deeper level because I have lived there and I know the culture. I believe that different cultural backgrounds and ways of thinking make us more successful. Especially in my role as a manager it is important to me to value our diversity because I want to make everyone in my team feel seen and heard. 

Can you tell us a bit more about what matters to you about leadership? 
For me it is important to adapt to people. One leadership style does not fit everyone. Therefore, I always make sure to ask a lot of questions so I can really understand how they are doing and give them a chance to express themselves. Since my team works at three different offices across France, a lot of our collaboration takes place remotely. This makes it especially important to me to create a safe space, so they know they can always contact me in case of any issues. 

Do you have any tips on how to foster a great team spirit when working remotely? 
Every Monday morning, we have our first call together as a team to ask how everyone is doing. This helps us to stay connected when working remotely. But I think it is also important to meet in person. When we meet we really make use of it by going out for dinner. Especially when visitors come from other countries we like to take it as an opportunity to spend some time together. I think it is great that 4flow offers many team events and opportunities to connect with colleagues. 

What was your favorite team event so far? 
I loved the 4charity walk & run, where colleagues from all around the world could walk or run kilometers to collect donations for a good cause. I personally ran 72 km last time, 4flowers in total reached 9,000 km, which is a great achievement. To me, this was a lot of fun because I love sports. Every Sunday I go cycling with my partner, no matter the weather. It helps me to start my week with a lot of energy.