Year 2020 in retrospect

It was a dark and stormy night…..

…2020 certainly did not begin like that for me and did not end like it either. But between 1/1 and 31/12, there were moments, chunks actually, of needing to take a deep breath and reassess my reality.

Covid-19 hit us squarely between the eyes. Thankfully, I was able to take the kids skiing in Japan before doing so became irresponsible. While the flight from Taiwan to Japan was packed, the Singapore-Taiwan leg of our journey was possibly only 15% occupied (a bad omen), so all four of us had our own 3-seater row on the plane. That was back in February before the virus really embraced the world in its infectious hug.

News of a brewing epidemic had us all stand at attention, scanning the news more fervently than before to keep up to date with the latest strategies to keep ourselves safe. Opinions differed: Mask, no mask. Test, don’t test. Contact trace, or not.

In a parallel development, work/life balance as we knew it was getting impacted. Work from home became standard. Amazon, Netflix and Zoom became staple services. Many other businesses suffered. 

Talk of layoffs and redundancies filled the corporate news ether. Recession, missed financial targets and cost-cutting measures followed in the footsteps of Covid-19 turning into a full-blown pandemic.

I was not spared. After 13 years with GE, I got a tap on the shoulder. All very civil. No drama. Just a new reality. I received the heads up in June and turned my badge in on 11/11 @ 11:11 am.

The first time I was given a “tap” was in Sweden when I worked at Citibank in the back-office to FX dealers after finishing high school and national service. The entire department was moved to Denmark, and 40% of staff were laid off. Three weeks of work rendered me four months’ pay, and I got to keep my meal vouchers (Rikskuponger), so I could pig out on pizza even after I left the bank.

That extra cash, paired with a decent sales commission earned from subsequently taking a gig at the prestigious (well, back then at least) department store “Nordiska Kompaniet”, selling toys at Christmas time, earned me enough to go travelling. To Asia.

That was perhaps where my non-linear career story had its origin. Not to mention the influence from my Hungarian born medical doctor mother, who fled the communist regime in 1957 for some peace and love in Sweden, and my globetrotting government administrator Swedish father who under the Swedish Red Cross flag volunteered in the ambulance service during the “Winter War” between the Soviet Union and Finland in 1939, and later joined the Swedish field hospital in Pusan during the Korean war 1950-53.

Fuelled with wanderlust, some of it arguably via DNA, I set a goal of getting a Master’s degree in East Asian Studies, Korean and International marketing. Midway through the programme, I did a language exchange in South Korea. Turned out a good choice.

Upon graduation, equipped with access to a corporate office, I announced my intention to travel to China and, as one did back then,  f a x e d my resume and travel itinerary to numerous Swedish companies in Beijing and Shanghai to start my job hunt.

Perhaps not surprisingly, being the global nomad I am, I ended up with a job in the mobility industry, working for Crown Relocations. One day I was having lunch with my mates in Shanghai, and the next, I was on a plane to Australia for the first part of my onboarding. The second phase took me to London before I was assigned to run an office start-up in Korea. The rest is history. 

The second time I was “tapped”, it was a real cold shower and a wake-up call. I had left Korea, moved through Singapore and was working in Hong Kong. It forced me to determine what I really wanted to do. I went in-house. There is opportunity in adversity.

As a consultant with Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong, I loved every minute of my time there. The people were great, the work was fantastic and the pay even better. I was on a roll.

Then General Electric popped up on the radar. Great company, regional responsibility, permanent role, back “home” in Singapore. Tick, tick, tick, tick. My journey of 13 years commenced and took me right across the world regularly. APAC, of course, and Sub-Saharan Africa, which I came to manage, interspersed with regular trips to US HQ and the occasional excursion to Europe. The businesses were diverse. My team of co-workers, colleagues and stakeholders down to earth, approachable and professional. I grew in so many ways by the opportunities GE presented to me. 

11/11/2020 @ 11:11 - Here we go.

There is something intriguing about the proverbial “blank sheet of paper”. It gives you the freedom to fill it with what you want, only limited by your own imagination, drive and determination. Redefine what is possible. We owe that to ourselves. It is an attitude. 

So, in short order, I did the following:

-      Network like a man possessed

-      Register a business

-      Get my CV in shape

-      Train for a half marathon, get me in shape

-      Pursue meaningful conversations with people I find interesting

-      Write a business plan

-      Not take me too seriously

-      Look at investment opportunities and actually invest

-      Scrap the first business plan and write a new one…repeat

-      Seek out speaking engagements

-      Outline topics to blog about

-      Get off Netflix

-      Drink loads of coffee and electrolytes

I have secured my first client under my own firm GROW HR Consulting, and serve Benivo as a Strategy Council member. Other collaborations are in the pipeline.

Later this month, I will commence another entrepreneurial venture with Antler, which promises to become a great adventure.

Will I return to the corporate world? Perhaps. Our pursuit of happiness takes us on paths we cannot plan for. All we can do is be honest, active and brave. The rest will fall in place.

I wish you all a happy and healthy 2021 and look forward to sharing, learning and collaborating in this new year of new opportunities!

#futureofwork #bepositive #donotworry #iam #iamoptimistic #whatareyou #growhrconsulting