Who is it for you ? A personal post

Dear reader,

As I am approaching my 30th work anniversary on Sep 1st, I thought this is a good time to reflect on three decades of professional life. Those of you working in the same industry would agree that 30 years rather translate into 40 years in terms of time spent and aging process so I should be close to retirement by now but in fact have another 15 years to go. Well, I guess it was my own choice and no regrets !

WARNING: This is a 5 minute read, so if you are in a rush, skip and come back another time, if you are ready to devote a few moments, THANK YOU and hope you enjoy reading ! (and please make sure you read all the way to the end)

Looking back through the rear mirror, it becomes evident that there are a few situations in life that have a major impact on the direction that both your personal and professional life takes, a few crossroads where you consciously or unconsciously decide whether to turn left, right or go straight ahead.

I was hitting the first of those crossroads on November 30th, 1994. Why I remember that date ? simply because it was my birthday that I was supposed to spend with my girlfriend back then, however, she decided to break up a couple of days before (gosh was I devastated…). Instead of celebrating with my (ex) girlfriend, I attended the Company Christmas Dinner that happened to be on the same day and started to drown my sorrows. Late that night my boss came up and said “hey, I don’t want to see your face here anymore next year !” and I thought, wow, how nice, first I lose the girl I adore, then my job, so what’s next ? it turns out he did not mean to fire me but wanted me to move to Hong Kong. A few month later, I found myself on a plane with a one-way ticket to Kai Tak Airport, first time ever to Asia. Two suitcases, my stereo and some vinyl, the most important things for me at the age of 24. Imagine those were the analogue times before Internet so all I did know about Hong Kong came from a picture book I got from my dad. This was the beginning of an incredible journey, a fantastic time with tons of opportunities to grow and gather experience both good and bad to learn from. After almost two years in Hong Kong my boss offered me to move to Shanghai to support the Sales Team and tap into the German speaking community. The second crossroad for me. I accepted and another great chapter in life began. Shanghai in the late 90’s was just the place to be for many different reasons. Three and a bit years and several roles later I was asked to come back to Hong Kong to run a project for the Asia Pacific Region which sounded really exciting, so I packed my stuff and returned. Crossroad #3. Everything went pretty well until 9/11 ultimately changed the world. Things came to a halt and I did not know what the future would bring. As my project was put on hold too, I was forced to waste my time playing Solitaire and Minesweeper at the office all day long. Not a good feeling… All these years I had someone looking after me but that very moment in an environment of uncertainty and fear I had nobody to turn to. The person I reported into at that time was located in Switzerland and far away. One day he called me up telling me that the project I was responsible for will stop. He was wishing me all the best for my future endeavors and hung up. Well, certainly a good example of someone who does NOT care at all or maybe he simply did not like me. Sitting there thinking about the future and not knowing where I would end up, I got a phone call from Germany. The Company had a nice opportunity for me back home. I did not really want to leave Asia and somewhat got used to the “you work hard, you play hard” style but I was happy and kind of proud that someone remembered me and thought I was a good fit for the position they had to fill. Crossroad # 4 and after more than six years in Asia I returned to Germany for good. I soon had a number of people around me that supported me all the way making it easy to continue my professional career throughout the following 11+ years. During that time I also met my wife (surprise surprise, she was working for the same company) and looking back this was the best that could ever happen to me as she is the rock in my life and mother to my 9 year old son that I am so proud of.

As years went by and things were changing, I – for the second time in life – was lost again and had to do something about it. Crossroad # 5 and a tough call to make. After close to 23 years with a great company full of opportunities and great people, I decided to apply for a new job with a new company. I had a few rounds of interviews, funny enough always in the same Italian place outside the office and was invited to their Paris office for the last interview round. I got the job ! Soon I found what I had lost, another great company to work for and again full of opportunities and great people that took care of me and continue to have an impact on me and my development every day. When I started back in 2013, I was leading one district, then two, then three. How could things have gone any better…? At some point however, it was about time to not just “get” opportunities but also “give” opportunities. Today I am running one district again while the other two are run by individuals that truly deserve it and I had the great pleasure to mentor and coach them for the last couple of years and I can tell you, it feels just great to see people grow !

So why am I sharing all this and bore you with the story of my life ?  

Well, this is not about me but about other people I have met in life that played a major role to me.

I firmly believe that apart from your parents and close family, only a handful of people is responsible for how your life develops and who you become. When you are surrounded by people who care, it is so much easier to succeed, people mentoring, coaching, believing and trusting in you. I did not always like when people challenged me and got annoyed at times. Looking back, I am thankful they did what they did as they all were giving me an opportunity to learn and grow.

Now it is time to say a sincere and heartfelt THANK YOU to a couple of people, some of them for sure know why, some others maybe not (yet):

Johann W for kicking it all off back in the days

Gustav Z for making me shake every time I had to report to your office

Juergen E for throwing my name in when I needed it most (and to Rolf H for approving)

Volker B for being a mentor and a person I was always looking up to

Rainer K for believing in me and giving me a great opportunity

Clemens R for coaching me over the years (and for taking me to the Metallica concert in Amsterdam)

Tim B for being the most inspiring leader I have met

Ps. Thank you Sabine S for organizing the surprise party for my 30th birthday in Hong Kong and flying in my best friend from Germany. One of the greatest memories I have and I will always be grateful for this epic event in Lan Kwai Fong’s Insomnia ! J

SO WHO IS IT FOR YOU ? Give it a thought….