#SEGreatPeople | Mathieu Buscaylet: Empowered with Purpose

I've found that when you're empowered with a higher degree of responsibility, autonomy and control in your career, you're inspired and encouraged to do your best work.

I'm the Business Development Manager for the new wiring devices offer for Home and Distribution at Schneider Electric and have been with the company now for ten years. My native country is France, which is where I started working for Schneider. After six years with the company there, I was given the chance to go on an international assignment in the U.S. for two years to learn and switch from the business sales side to the more strategic marketing side. I viewed it as an amazing opportunity to not only learn more about the company's global impact and how it operates in another part of the world, but to also open my mind to new things and grow my skills.

Inspired by new opportunities

Ultimately that's exactly what happened. I developed new skills and acquired new knowledge that I wouldn't necessarily have had otherwise, such as how different the company's customers and products are from one country to another, as well the differences and nuances in cultures. Those two years in the U.S. turned into a full-time job at Schneider Electric here in Nashville where I've been able to be a part of the team working on a new product launch.

We are about to release our innovative Connected Home solution with Wiser, which I had the chance to work on some in France, but here it's completely new. Wiser is a whole new level of focus on energy efficiency, electrification, personalization and sustainability that's very simple and very smart. The connected home is an emerging new market I've wanted to work on for some time, along with wiring devices, and now it's coming together.

I'm fortunate I've been provided with the opportunities, support and means to succeed and empowered to make decisions that are critical and important to the work we're doing on a daily basis. For instance, I get to work with Schneider's offer management, marketing communications and sales team, as well as my fellow teammates to help ensure that what we're doing now makes sense for tomorrow and anticipates the customer's needs. Our customers are electrical contractors, retailers, homebuilders and distributors, and part of my responsibility is to see and communicate with a lot of customers to make sure that the product we're launching answers their specific challenges and requirements.

Trusted to make a difference

I've been empowered to go out, see and talk to customers in focus groups, record videos and speak with C-suite level folks, all of which I'd never done before. Over the past year, the team and I were able to build an entire project, then got to show the results to Schneider's executive management. I was able to make recommendations on what we should do and how we should do it. And that's actually what we're doing today.

The company sets meaningful goals and encourages us to be creative in achieving them. We understand that our feedback matters. Schneider not only solicits our feedback and opinions; they act on it. The trust that people give me here is really something that I think makes such a difference. Because they trust that we'll make intelligent, informed decisions, they are comfortable with our taking risks based on clear expectations.

Focused on purpose

This company also has a strong sense of purpose. You are immersed in it every day and know you, too, have a purpose. I know why I'm doing this. I'm helping give people access to responsible electricity, and I know it's important. We're combining digital and electrical in smart, efficient ways that improve the world and that purpose is very meaningful to me. I'm really excited to be part of the team that's actually going to introduce an innovative, smart and sustainable solution for homes, a Wiser home.

Big vision and open mindedness are really important and integral to the company.

We're the leader in the market, and people respect the brand. But they also respect the people who are working at Schneider Electric. I really do enjoy meeting a lot of people every day and learning from them. That for me is really most important.

Invested in people

I have been impressed with how invested the company is in the lives of the people who work here. Last year my wife and I got displaced when we lost our home and everything after the tornado hit Nashville. Within 24 hours, Schneider called - they stepped up and went above and beyond to help us relocate. It was a powerful testament to the way they take care of people in a time of need.

The company continues to provide organizational support and opportunities for internal development and growth. Last year I had the chance to participate in a leadership program with 30 other talented Schneider people. Five of us worked on a dedicated microgrid services project before presenting to the country's leadership team. It required between five hours and ten hours a week on top of my regular job and provided access to leadership training. Because of these types of opportunities, as well as the support and training I've received, I feel totally empowered. I've been helped by both my manager and my peers who believe in me and trust me. They help me succeed and be effective at making hard decisions.

Empowered to act

Schneider has given me the tools to be able to realize what I'm trying to achieve. I got to speak during a forum to a hundred people recently and give my presentation fully in English, which is not my native language. But now I'm really comfortable doing things I wouldn't have had the confidence or skills to do before.

I actually want to influence people, not manage them. I've had people influence me throughout my career, and I just want to positively influence others - my team, my coworkers, my customers and company leadership. When you're empowered you feel like you can accomplish just about anything.

About the Author

Mathieu Buscaylet is Business Development Manager in the Energy Management Business at Schneider Electric. He is from Rodez in France and has been living and working in the United States for more than four years.

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