"Grows Us" Journey for Pim

The “Grows Us” journey started with a simple truth: when a company invests in me, I feel compelled to give back. I remember it like it was yesterday—I was identified as a top talent, one of only twelve people chosen for a global leadership program at Citi. They invested in me by hiring experts like an NYU professor to teach us leadership qualities, and a company called Training the Street to teach financial modeling. Their educational investment in me reached almost half a million dollars in a single year. While working on the trading floor in New York, Brazil, and Australia, I felt an intense desire to give back. For years, my performance rating was "Exemplary," and I consistently brought in revenue and profit, and found ways to make my work more efficient and innovative. The company grew me, so I grew their business in return.

So, what would happen if your people felt that level of investment?

Then came a new challenge: leading a sales team at Google. Coming from a trading background, I was used to focusing on my eight computer screens, not people. I thought the way to win was to set clear metrics and push my team, but the results were flat. My leader eventually nudged me toward resources like Google’s Project Oxygen and Project Aristotle, which are all about putting people and teams at the center of success. Everything shifted. I focused on coaching, building trust, and providing tailored training, which helped my team become a high-performing team, doubling our revenue in a single year.

Are you focused on the metrics, or are you focused on the people who will hit them?

I found the impact of investing in people so fascinating that it changed me from someone who loved speaking to screens to someone who loved working with people. That sparked me to pivot my career to lead the APAC Business Enablement and Facilitation team at Google. My team and I had the privilege to train and equip thousands of people every year. The results spoke for themselves: my facilitation team was fulfilled in their careers, consistently delivering above the global benchmark with over 90% CSAT for every program they delivered. I invested in growing my team, and they were inspired to do more—sometimes I even had to give them a goal to take time off! Not only that, we were able to provide clear proof that sales and business teams we trained and coached had a 15-20% higher sales win rate. It was a dream job—I woke up every day excited to contribute to growing people to accelerate their performance and impact.

What if you and your team could feel this way every day, knowing your impact is building something far beyond yourself?

Enough Impact?

The impact felt huge, but confined to just one company. I tried having an impact outside by leading coaching training for Co-Active, coach executives outside my company. At the same time, I was becoming a weekend mom - traveling every weekday to different countries to train people for over a year. Deep inside me said it was time to invest in my 3 boys and family. When my role was impacted by a Google reorg, I took it as a sign and the timing couldn’t be more perfect. I am out here to continue living the dream—with my family physically alongside me this time, and with a larger impact on many more organizations.

And this is the story behind our name, Grows Us. It’s the powerful, mutual relationship I experienced firsthand. When a company invests in growing us, we, in turn, grow their business. That's our conviction and the truth behind our tagline: Grows Us - Human Growth for Impact.

Are you ready to grow your people to grow your business with me?