by No, this is not another blog post on how miserable 2020 was and how grateful we are to see it over (almost)….and no, there is no mention of Corona, C19 or the number of dead people in country X…. no this not apocalyptic Apocrypha…. This is just a fairy tale (again…almost)!
One of the greatest gifts a man could have are friends! And happy are those who can count their co-workers among them. As the year wraps itself – and for those who follow me in LinkedIn; I decided to move forward in my career and left Paul Hartmann for Siemens Healthineers. This week was my last working day…and what I write today is about the impact we have on people’s lives and their impact in ours during our careers.
As a parting gift, I got a book filled with memories from my five years in the company. Each colleague wrote something personal, something that we shared, that we learned… I have to admit, it brought me tears, because it was then when I realized that we are not islands, and (I promise it is the only mention of 2020) this year more than ever showed us that our human connections are what we should value the most.
Leaving a company and joining another one in the middle of a pandemic is an adventure in itself but I think for those who were unfortunate to lose their jobs and are still searching, please do not give up hope, if we are connected, then reach out…let me know what you need, if I can help, I will. For those, like me who were fortunate to progress in their careers- despite the pandemic, count your blessings, but also count your friends…I am sure that in a way or another, either through motivation, indication or simply by understanding why you want to move on, stood by your side and encouraged you.
The influences we have along our career are in my view, the most critical factor in character formation -in the professional manner, one can experiment. And the boss/leader/ head or whichever title your superior carries plays a central force. Choose your boss wisely, don’t be enchanted by salary packages, nice offices or status; look them in the eye and listen to your gut feeling. At the end of the day, this will be the decisive impulse for you to succeed -or not. You are as much in charge of your interview process as the hiring manager, and this “chemistry” thing…yeah it is the real deal.
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Being a child of the world and living across different countries really helped me connect with people – ok being a psychologist helps but one thing that I heard over and over is that you need to be yourself, be authentic, do not be afraid to show weakness, and don’t be shy to show strength. Your authenticity will define the professional relationships you have. People will choose to trust you, if they can perceive you are being honest with them -and with yourself.
Human connection is our natural state of mind. Yes, you might think: “well guess what? I don’t like this or that person and I can’t bother being friends” … yes it is entirely possible. We are not perfect beings, and as I said at the beginning, this is “almost” a fairy tale. But one thing is here paramount: the way you handle the negativities, the people you don’t like -or that don’t like you, has even a bigger impact! It is not a matter of “turn the other cheek”, but rather the way you handle adversities and how you let these impact your positive relationships will speak volumes about your capacity to create authentic and lasting relationships.
I have had some challenges in building human connections… story goes that in my early days they called me “Gregory House”…. But I learned, improved and dealt with my weakness. The greatest proof of that is exactly the parting gift I got from my colleagues.
So this year’s last blog is still about insights…but our own insights!
I wish you all a very merry Xmas and a Happy new year, with the hope that we grow in our human connections, that we leverage our potential in improving the lives of the ones around us, that we all live happily ever after!
See you in 2021!
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