Political prophets

Felix Valloton "From the Front"

In the eve of the Cold War, JAV diplomat George F. Kennan wrote  ( it was back in 1948!) that no Russian government would ever accept Ukrainian independence.

 Back then, he also wrote: “At bottom of Kremlin's neurotic view of world affairs is traditional and instinctive Russian sense of insecurity. To this was added, as Russia came into contact with economically advanced West, fear of more competent, more powerful, more highly organized societies in that area. But this latter type of insecurity was one which afflicted rather Russian rulers than Russian people; for Russian rulers have invariably sensed that their rule was relatively archaic in form fragile and artificial in its psychological foundation, unable to stand comparison or contact with political systems of Western countries.

 For this reason they have always feared foreign penetration, feared direct contact between Western world and their own, feared what would happen if Russians learned truth about world without or if foreigners learned truth about world within. And they have learned to seek security only in patient but deadly struggle for total destruction of rival power, never in compacts and compromises with it”

Was Mr. Kennan a political clairvoyant or an empathetically strategic political analyst,  one of those rare species hardly found these days?

Utopian games

Many Eastern European countries banned the communist symbol the hammer and a sickle.

And when I cross such symbol in the street  called Chemin de la Paix (The Street of Peace) just on the corner of primary school in a calm neighborhood, I feel irritated and angry.

It seems that extremely bored kids have nothing to do but play communism.

 I would really like to see them  fulfilling their dreams not only sitting in their mountain-facing villas but in practice.

(Not So) Much of the Progress?

It is widely thought that gender pay gap has been greatly narrowed as time went.

Surprisingly, this year’s Nobel prize winner in economics , C. Goldin’s research  reveals quite unexpected thing - the gender pay gap has decreased over the years but not as significantly as expected.

While married women began working less after the industrialization era in the 1800s, their employment rebounded in the 1900s with the growth of the service economy. Factors such as increased educational opportunities for women and the availability of contraceptives accelerated these changes, but the gender pay gap persisted.

Of course, results vary from country to country, but the research is based on solid US data. It is more than sufficient to have a global view based on C. Goldin’s groundbreaking research.

Her research uncovered the parenthood effect, which is also a major contributor to the gender pay gap Interestingly, Goldin found out that the current gender pay gap is largely attributed to the impact of having children, and the disadvantages handed to women as a result of gender stereotypes.
 
Goldin's research uncovers the nuanced and evolving nature of the gender wage gap, demonstrating how it has changed in response to shifts in society, technological advancements, and market dynamics. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, in announcing Goldin’s Nobel win, emphasized that her work provided the first comprehensive account of women's earnings and labor market participation through the centuries.

Only time will tell how the policymakers will use her insights.

A Good Start

In the past, primary education was more focused on the instillment of basic skills: reading, calculating etc., abstaining from providing a broader outlook on the surrounding world.

Now, when I look to the homework of my older son, I am amazed. How smartly cognitive development skills are being fostered! Reading is not a mere reading -  there is a text comprehension questions after every text, math is not dry calculating – arithmetic is included in daily life situations. That is how critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and a thirst for knowledge are being aroused.  These skills are not only vital for academic success but also for navigating everyday life.

Access to primary education is a basic right for every child. Unfortunately, UNICEF indicates that in West and Central Africa, less than 30 per cent of the children from the poorest households complete primary education. Over the past two decades, the number of out-of-school children has been reduced by over 35%  globally. However, there is still a long way to go: 64 million children of primary school age remain out of school, with the majority of them coming from marginalized groups.

Good education marks the beginning of a long road to a fulfilled life and every single child deserves the good start.

The Doctrine of S​hortcuts

Usually, there are two categories of people: those who believe one should make an effort to achieve something and those who slide through every possible shortcut in life to reach success.

Their philosophy consists of using as much as 'freeriding',  lies, manipulations, and sweet talks, self-aggrandization, downgrading others, when in fact, they themselves are nothing more than bubble that bursts in the slightest change of a weather.

No surprise that even some of  these ‘shortcuts’  reach something, this is as ephemeral as their effort. Usually, they end up unemployed or with low-paid job, without or with broken family, real friends, financially dependent on someone else, with a huge emotional void and face trembling from grudge and jealousy for those who are succeeding. And even when they find themselves in  such ‘dark night of the soul’,  their ego is still so inflated that they cannot come up with the reality that those who walked through their life honestly without shortcuts, holding to their moral principles and following grander vision, enjoy real happiness and stand much higher than them in every possible sense.

I noticed the very simple truth: the most fulfillment, happiness and joy comes from personal or professional achievements that took time to build. Like playing a difficult piano piece after long time of practice,  a satisfaction of listening to your child starting to read fluently, being able to talk in foreign language after some time, performing a first successful surgery after 10 years of medicine studies and many other examples when shortcut philosophy just doesn’t work.  

 ‘Shortcuts’ people  maybe enjoy some short time success at some point of their life but when it comes to lasting happiness – I’ve never seen any example of it.

When Doing Nothing Is The Best Possible Path

Laurent Grasso "Arrival"

Great leaders such as Gandhi lived by the teaching ahimsa parama dharma: “Nonviolence is our greatest walk of life.” The principle of Ahimsa is inspired by the premise that all living beings have the spark of divine spiritual energy. Therefore, to hurt another being in any way is to hurt oneself.

 Ideally,  a principle of Ahimsa should be followed not only in personal but in professional environments.  Many are used to talking talk behind other colleagues’ back and inventing speculations about their work ethic or personal life. But does it bring any value? Would anyone repeat it if that person were in front of their face? Or repeatedly saying relevant or not remarks to their co-workers – does it really bring them any value and raises the quality of work? Anyway, a criticism will be usually accepted only from their direct manager. So why to burden yourself with the problems of other?   The principle is simple: always consider potential harm done both for The Other and for Yourself.

Even though personally I am not a fan of Eastern religion, this principle of abstaining from doing harm to another directly or indirectly, is so universal. These are the very basics that only bring benefit to all.  Unfortunately, they are so easily forgotten.

Always Late

More often than not punctuality may reveal more about personality profile than any other behavioral pattern.

A study, performed by San Diego State University psychologist, Jeff Conte, found that "Type A" personalities tend to be more aware of timeliness than the more laid back "Type B" personality. The more highly organized, ambitious, and impatient, Type A personalities estimated that a minute passed in 58 seconds.

The more laid-back Type B personality perceives that a minute passes in 77 seconds. Those ‘happy-go-lucky’, always multitasking personalities, who usually believe that a world revolves around them...

Yet, only those chronically late believe that it’s nothing wrong of these plus 5 or 10 min. The truth is that such personality trait acts as a huge put off and  dissuades  from further personal or professional collaboration.

How could one feel respected and valued if his colleague having to replace him after tiring night shift is chronically late? Would you be happy if a doctor having to perform emergency surgery for your child would come late?

There is no place for double standards if someone is going to draw a dull distinction between the different profile of office and life-saving jobs.

Because professionalism, work ethic and respect for other colleagues are universal traits, applied to every single profession on earth.

Summer Fridays

It is not easy to work and even be productive in summers. And an additional workload while the colleagues are away could be overbearing. Therefore,  one renewed corporate trend could be a real treat for overall well-being .

The policy of  so-called Summer Fridays allows staff to leave early, or take the day off altogether, every Friday during the summer months.

Early documentation of Summer Fridays appears in the New York Times in 1988, in an article spotlighting the perk in New York City publishing: "From management's side, summer hours are acceptable because they are of limited duration and – unlike a pay raise or enhanced medical coverage – they do not become a permanent part of the wage-benefits package."

When it comes to our days, A 2022 report by PwC showed that 90% of its staff thought summer Fridays had a positive impact and 73% said it impacted their general wellbeing to a great extent – and they are now a permanent feature in their employee benefits package. Other firms such as Kellogg’s introduced a summer hours scheme 20 years ago allowing their office-based staff to finish at 12pm on Fridays from May to September.

Even though some enterprises can’t afford to offer this opportunity for its staff, this trend is obviously a way to go.  What can be better than to have an opportunity to enjoy long summer days with family or friends that pass so quickly.

The Etiquette of Breaks

How do you spend your breaks at work? Usually, those 15-20 minutes fly fast while chatting with others, scrolling smartphone  and doing other passive activities. A lot of researchers are still focused on the effects of after-work activities that help to maintain good work-life balance. But the quality of breaks at work is as important as the recovery at home.

Here are some interesting facts from the researchers of American Psychological Association who tried to find out what makes breaks a real respite:

  - There exists a close connection between exercising and well-being (both physical and mental).
  - The effectiveness of social breaks depends on with whom the employee spent their meetings. Work-related conversations were not as effective as the time spent with other close people.
  - Employees who spent their breaks with a dog had lower stress hormone (i.e., cortisol) levels.

Israelian study found that the judges were more likely to grant paroles to prisoners after coming back from food-breaks, as compared to when they’d been working for hours at a stretch. As decision fatigue set in after long hours of work, the rate of granting paroles gradually dropped to near 0%. This was explained as the judges resorting to the option that required them to put in the least amount of thought— just say no.

Even though more and more work environments offer their employees diverse break opportunities, many companies still look suspiciously to someone, who decides to use their break for stretching, jogging, or walking around the block. And for their own disadvantage.

M K. Čiurlionis " Pilies pasaka"

The Fairy Tales of Everyday Life

The Picture above is created by the most prominenent Lithuanian painter and composer Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis.

‘How wonderful it is to be useful for people and to feel light in your hands’ – wrote he in a letter to his wife Sofia. I am certain – if he had lived in Paris, Madrid or London, he would be even more famous than other artists of his era.

Like Van Gogh and Kandinsky, he had synaesthesia, a neurological condition that enabled him to see sound in colours and images. “People talk about Kandinsky being the first abstract artist, but Čiurlionis was there first,” says curator Kathleen Soriano to ‘Financial Times’   “He is often compared to William Blake,” says Soriano, “but while Blake was all fire and brimstone, Čiurlionis is all about joy. Unlike Van Gogh, he never painted when he was depressed.”

Wonderful fairytales, cosmology, Lithuanian forests and seas, angels, kings and  paradise – everything tuned well in Čiurlionis works. Only in recent years, international audiences have  discovered the genius of M. K. Čiurlionis. The example of our national treasure just assures: irrespective of your starting point in life,  if you bring light to other people, you will be discovered and never forgotten.  

The manipulation of  'Busyness'

The façade of ‘busyness’, a wish to be seen as a good employee and somehow better than other colleagues. In every work environment there are those ‘work bees’ who are always busy. ‘I can’t. Look, how busy I am!’  - their constant mantra could be heard as a silent reproach to others.

I remember an accountant who was a textbook example of a fake ‘busyness’ at one public institution I was working at a time. She complained that she had to come to work on Saturdays  because of the heavy workload. Meanwhile, everyone could hear clattering coffee cups and laughs from her office because during official hours she was having constant coffee breaks and chats with her colleagues instead of doing her official tasks.

What is worse is that such fake bees are still perceived as an example to follow by many old-fashioned managers. In the public sector such  ‘busyness’ is like an infection. There are few who are able to discern true and pretended efficiency.

Fortunately, pandemics have shown that flexibility in working hours and a general mode of work could actually increase productivity. And replacing some business meetings into the virtual ones won’t hurt anyone, just save some costs which later could be transformed to generous bonuses for employees.  In recent years, four-day week projects have taken place in various forms in Spain, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, and Iceland as well as in Ireland, the US and Canada.

And a new generation of leading managers, I believe, will finally instill a permanent mode of real productivity when  results will be more important than hours spent getting them playing the role of a never-resting bee.

Too Greedy to Survive?

Whilst many are recovering from the news of the collapse of a bank named ‘too big to fail’ ( maybe better name it too greedy to survive?), for the employees the life changing drama is just beginning.

An unnamed  UBS manager told the local newspaper ‘SonntagsZeitung’ that a new bank created by the UBS takeover of Credit Suisse is going to reduce its global workforce by 20-30% – this means around 25,000 and 36,000 posts. Up to 11,000 jobs could be cut only in Switzerland. This means 11000 people with their own different kinds of financial obligations and problems requiring a stable job.

I sincerely hope that the new management will tackle their human resources crisis management as well as they have put into their place greedy CEO’s whilst rejecting their demand to AWARD managers up to 34 million CHF in basic pay. Award for what??? For destroying the bank who was considered having built ‘the modern Switzerland”?

For better or for worse, Credit Suisse will be made to adjust to UBS’s way of doing things, not the other way around, and to adapt to a more conservative way of doing business. ‘Financial times’ sources tell that “UBS will assign teams to go through Credit Suisse HR files for evidence of cultural slippage”. A priority will be identifying those who have committed regulatory infractions, people who are heavily motivated by pay and are “holding the firm to ransom” and those who were forgiven for past transgressions or dealt with “softly”. In other words, UBS will eliminate those Credit Suisse employees that are corrupt and, in some way, having contributed to the collapse of the giant.

It will require colossal efforts:

-       Merging two banks with entirely different organizational cultures, finding common points, and drawing up a new uniting mission and vision.
-       Building a new cultural climate with skillfully integrated different organizational, communications and HR strategies.
-       To create a new, more transparent stable bank for its stakeholders. Not repeating past mistakes by immersing itself into the culture of greed which eventually destroys everyone, even those who are considered ‘too big to fail’.

And for the laid-off employees unfortunately it will be a painful dilemma filled with a deep reflection: where to head for a new professional stage and how to recover themselves after (un)expected blow-up.  

Procrastination As a Form of Resistance

Procrastination is usually seen in a negative light. But does it really deserve such bad reputation ? A few years ago, while having an opportunity to contribute to the content of TV edition on global politics, philosophy, and religion, I had the pleasure to listen to very unexpected explanation of this phenomenon.

“Procrastination could be perceived as a form of resistance”. – told us Judy Wajcman , a professor, researching time management in London School of Economics. “There are all sorts of things that people are doing that they don’t think about as resistance, but these are actual ways of distancing themselves from these optimizing kind of strategies”. So, it is worth questioning: if you procrastinate too much and cannot finish a given task, maybe this is a sign that something must change in your professional life? Maybe all the side things you are doing are a warning sign, some kind of red flag?

 I cannot disregard the positive side of procrastination. At times, it offers an opportunity to cultivate other aspects of our lives, crucial to personal advancement. Yet, some procrastination ‘techniques’ lead nowhere but to the regression of personality and further development of mediocrity. For example, online stalking.

What leads an individual to stalk people that he/she has no contact with – only a void, some kind of serious lack in their personal life: be it financial, professional, or personal. Analyzing their achievements, counting money, digging ​ into the details of unfamiliar people's life...Let’s imagine how virtual stalking and misconstruction of reality would play in real life. Someone comes up to you and begins staring at you, then uses their observations to create a narrative based on their assumptions. How would you feel?  Frustrated? Confused? Indignant? But why so if you are used doing the same in the virtual world?

Recently, I heard very engaging story of online stalking. From time to time one woman crossed her ways with a couple with whom she had 0 relations with. She did not even know their names. On the contrary, that couple of stalkers managed to not only find out her name. They began to obsessively stalk her social media content, maliciously created, and spread a false narrative about her personal life and her marriage that had nothing to do with her actual life. Of course, these stalkers pretended that they do not know her. No ‘hello’, ‘how are you’ etc. She was so disgusted by such low-level sneaky behavior that at time when she saw one of the stalkers, she immediately distanced herself from that creeper. Boomerang came back in an unexpected way: he misunderstood her reaction, and his deranged mind became extremely paranoid that she would sue him for sexual harassment! Some kind of self-imposed mental prison...

Stalking advances and unfortunately will be progressing to much more advanced levels. The worst of them is  stalking people with malicious intent, interpreting their content in a manner that is convenient for their disturbed mindsets  and framing them according to their assumptions. Undoubtedly, in the future there will be more and more lawsuits related to this type of slandering.

I believe it is much better procrastinate with reviewing old photos, cuddling a lover, a child or pet, and discovering something new. Because when people share their reflections online, they do not invite you to their homes. They want you to reflect their ideas and invite you to discuss with them but not to degrade to the pursuit of false narratives and engaging in petty gossip.  

Never-ending Debate of Swiss Neutrality

Tout le monde is aware that Swiss law not only prohibits giving weapons to other countries but also prohibits delivering them to countries involved in an internal or external armed conflict.

Having known this, Switzerland have already and openly provided weapons to countries like Saudi Arabia, which was involved in Yemen war and Pakistan, involved in armed conflicts over Kashmir.

Still, eyes wide open, Monsieur A. Berset claims that Switzerland’s neutrality should be not questioned and refuses to provide weapons for Ukraine’s defense. Oliver Diggelmann, an international law professor at the University of Zurich very accurately noticed: “Switzerland wants to export weapons to do business. It wants to assert control over those weapons. And it also wants to be the good guy. This is where our country is stumbling now.”

You cannot be three guys at one time. When it comes to the notions of justice and freedom, you must choose which role you prefer. Otherwise, you will always be seen in international arena as mercantilist player which is respected by others only for mountains, watches, and chocolate.

The Spring of Human Rights

March in Geneva is more than just the beginning of calendar spring - it is a month dedicated to celebrating human rights and bringing attention to issues in this area through various formats.

The first week of this month is called the Week of Equality in Geneva University, with various conferences, forums, and discussions taking place around this topic. This year, a special cluster of women experts has been created for media and other interested parties to contact them for expertise on certain issues.  Yet, I believe some actions,  including this one,  in strengthening equality are more of a ‘show off’ level.  Highly valued specialists should be contacted regardless of gender. And honestly, I do not believe that  such ‘improvements’  bring some tangible benefits for a wider population.  The real problematic areas requiring a lot of work can be seen through statistics.

In terms of the work environment, Switzerland's legislation allows the pay gap between men and women to reach 5%, but unfortunately, just a few enterprises can maintain this level after auditing. The pay gap in the private sector still stands at around 18%. Switzerland is also considered one of the strictest countries in Europe for "punishing" women who decide to take a career gap to raise children. After having their first baby, women in Switzerland earn 60% less while men's salaries remain the same. Additionally, only 13% of men work part-time, compared to 40% in Scandinavian countries.

Having said that, women's rights are just one part of the wider human rights spectrum, and all the pieces are interrelated in creating a colorful picture like with a kaleidoscope. Respect for human rights should be instilled from birth in a child's closest environment. When respect for others, regardless of nationality, race, gender, and other peculiarities, is nurtured within the closest environment and stimulated by external sources such as education, exhibitions, films etc. on human rights, the problems prevalent today will naturally become irrelevant.

I do not hide my older son from the realities of life so that he can become an agent of change himself. I take him to manifestations and exhibitions that demonstrate the cruelties of war, and we will surely visit some of the events offered by the International Human Rights Festival taking place in Geneva during the first weeks of March. The construction of what is suitable or not for children is fluid. For example, at the FIFDH, there will be a performance where children will paint their understanding of peace, films about Ukrainian youth travelling from somber Donetsk to the Himalayas, various photography exhibitions, and other events that deepen children understanding of sensitive issues.

Statistics will not change without a change in mentality. The development of an inherent sense of how to treat "The Other" begins as soon as we begin to breathe.

Photo Credit: AP

Following The Right Leader

There is no secret that an official ‘paper’ leader of an organization is not the same as a real leader. No one can influence the choice of a leader – people just follow a certain personality or not.

The team follows him/her because they genuinely look up to him. Trust him. Not because he instills fear, exaggerates its power, and demonstrates its superiority. But because he/her is humble, he listens. His influence is created by genuinely connecting with others creating meaningful relationships. They do not hide from others just randomly popping into the office to say: how are you doing? And again, shutting themselves in their cubicle or home office.

Approaching an unfortunate commemoration of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, two leaderships are clearly illustrated by leaders of both countries. V. Zelenski is fortunate to possess both the qualities of an informal and formal leader. Unfortunately, all informal leaders in Russia happen to be shut out too early.

-       Ukraine’s President has been a breath of a fresh air since the beginning of his presidential campaign, which was considered  very unorthodox.
 -      He is devoted to his nation.  Refused to leave his country behind and remained with his people in front of danger.
 -      Constantly advocates for his nation and truly cares for them.
  -      He communicates clearly. He never hides the seriousness of the situation.
  -      He radiates self-confidence but maintains a sense of humility.

Another side of the camp

 - Typical self-contented authoritarian leader. 
-  Overly narcissistic personality, constantly demonstrating superiority and grandiosity. 
-  No empathy, 0 regret for executed atrocities.
 - Super defensive even surrounded by his own environment.
  - Travelling from point A to B in an armored train.
  - Using outdated propaganda machine to mask the hostilities of war.
  - Repeating the same bullshit narrative about the reasons for invasion.  

The days of his leadership are counted. The month of May, I believe, will be a crucial. It will be extremely difficult for Russia to change its current political system even with an emergence of new leaders. But looking overall – the days of authoritarian leadership are over – be it in the political, be it in the organizational context.

Feedback: Feeding Egos or Mutual Understanding?  

Common sense tells us that constructive feedback could make a way for improvements. Because otherwise – why on earth they are demanded?

 Surprisingly,  some organizations consider employees’ feedback nothing but a means to validate themselves. If so-called feedback navigates from a narrative that  HR or leading managers wish to hear, brace yourself!  You are welcome to express your opinion if this opinion is framed into a manner that is acceptable for a reading person. Otherwise, you can even be fired!

Would you believe that this is happening not in some post-soviet bureaucratic institution but in world-known international organizations with proclaimed paper values as team spirit, creativity, respect, innovations?

Even more hilarious, when HR thinks that they are standing on the top hierarchy of organization. That their annual  games with reviews and feedback really contribute to the  contentment  of the staff.

There is one ad of  in Switzerland that we make fun of: “ Fust – et ça fonctionne (eng. Fust – and this works)”, -  they proudly shout in their advertisements. When actually, one of the most expensive washing machines that we bought from them was total crap. And this, in our experience, goes practically with all their production.

This is the same with reviews, feedback  and so on. They can only function well only when a reviewing person comes with a real and not a fake receptivity and openness.  When they truly care about the wellbeing of the team and trust building. Without engaging in  power games and self-aggrandization.   

Marc Chagall "Artist and his Bride", 1980

The Colour of Love

Approaching Christmas, I would like to share a quote from Marc Chagall, a painter me and my husband adore. “In our life there is a single color, as on an artist’s palette, which provides the meaning of life and art. It is the color of love. “And this quote could be applied to EVERY sphere of our life. I’ve already written how love can be brought in every business, irrespective of its nature.

I could look at Chagall’s pictures all day, be it full scale originals in the museum of Nice, reproductions, or tiny notebooks. I get never tired of him as every time his paintings unravels something new.

M. Chagall was self-taught Jewish genius, who masterfully expressed in his paintings not only his deep love for his wife, but subtly embraced biblical as well as historical elements. I believe the love for his wife and not some kind of mistress – as usual in other’s painters’ works – distinguishes Chagall from others. When you look at his art works, it is like immersing yourself in fantasy, some promised land, surrealistic transcendence, recognizing collective archetypes and historical wounds in floating people and animal figures. Of course, not everybody can appreciate the peculiarity of Chagall. Not everyone is a dreamer and intellectual enough to understand avant-garde, collective archetypes and biblical connotations. And not everyone has some depth in his soul to feel him. But for those finding themselves to be the opposites of that, I truly recommend seeing some of his works.

I feel truly blessed that mine and my husband's love for each other could multiplicate and  create new projects, be it personal, or professional. Because only people who truly love can bring love and success to others.  Anyway, in the end, what matters the most, is how much love you brought to others' hearts.

Edward Hopper 'Excursion into Philosophy'

Do you face the void?

What is the first thing you notice about this picture?

I see the man facing a void.

My client, a man in his fifties occupied clerical positions all his life and periodically had to take sick leaves because of his uncontrollable addiction. When he was finally fired, do you think he drowned even deeper?  First time in a long run he is free from alcohol. Previous job was so consuming emotionally that even several times in the rehab was not useful trying to get rid of his insatiable thirst to escape. Now he is free not only from societal constraints but from addiction which also broke apart his family.

A loss of common sense?

Yesterday I read about one corporation currently laying off 500 plus employees and hiring almost 20 new ones. Opening a position for external candidates when several hundred will be literally kicked out from the game. And, unfortunately, it is not an exceptional case. It happens constantly not only in America, but in Geneva as well. On a smaller scale but still.

I am very interested :
-       Was none of those 500+ capable enough to fill these 20 positions?
-       How much additional financial costs will be required to execute a recruitment process to hire new people?

 I see this as a literal pouring of shit on all dedicated lifelong employees.

No human-based approach.

No financial foreseeing.

No logic.

I hope such companies will someday just disappear from the business landscape.

A Moment of Awe: Too Precious to Miss Out

Do you often experience moments of awe? There could be no universal definition of awe – this sensation is as unique as every one of us. Yet, mostly awe is defined as the feeling of amazement when you face something wonderful and sometimes even frightening. The feeling that hits you and leaves mesmerized for a second. Or a minute. Or longer.

Awe is the subject of scientific research at the University of California, Berkeley, and other leading institutions around the world. Dacher Keltner, a psychologist at UC Berkeley, has shown that awe leads to greater humility, curiosity, innovation, happiness, and a desire to contribute to the world. I believe that the feeling of awe is directly related to professional satisfaction. Not all of us work in creative environments. And for some of us it is very difficult to be aroused by the  feeling of awe. However, the openness to everyday moments of awe can greatly benefit the quality of work.

When it comes to me, a certain naiveté that I still cannot get rid of, makes me embrace the moments of awe with a full heart. Every time of the year Geneva’s botanical garden provides a different sensation of awe that is mesmerizing.  Last week I was just staring  at big leaves laying on the ground thinking: how come they are soooo huge! Or seeing a squirrel cracking a nut in the middle of residential area. Or being hit by the creative ideas of my son. For Mother’s Day he made me the book of flowers. And it was totally his idea – to pick different species of flowers and to “conserve” it on special book. Or to incorporate Playmobil figures on the Christmas tree - the pathways of children mind is something magical!  Or some exhibitions of modern art – a head of a baby covered in a mineral pitch in the museum of art in Grenoble. And many other moments of awe which remind the purpose of living and inspire to savour every bit of life. And to excel at everything  you are doing.

Image credit: Jeff Dai

Counting Possibilities: Are you a Beginner or an Expert?

I’ve always thought that people are quite self-aware when it comes to evaluating their capabilities. However, when I began to work with unemployed, I realized that the reality is quite contrary: many people are quite unaware of their actual abilities to exercise a chosen activity.

Yesterday, we watched a masterclass given by Mindfulness expert Jon Kabat-Zinn. When he was talking about Attitudinal foundations of mindfulness, he said: In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities. In the expert’s mind, there are few.

 I instantly thought how well this could depict some individuals looking for a job!  Nowadays, the prevailing narrative of the world of never-ending opportunities is: You can do anything, just make a wish, work and everything will fall into your lap.
 
This is a bit of wishful thinking.

Of course, You can cardinally change your direction and change qualification as many people do nowadays. But it takes a lot of effort to do that. And still requires some inherent abilities. For example, the auditor may become a  journalist. However, he will have to put much more effort and time to succeed in a competitive market than a person with an inborn talent to master a word.

According to the psychologist Dr D. Gardner, the paradox is that the people who worry about self-awareness are often the very same people who already have it. Those that don’t, have no idea there’s something missing.

And this is the first question when beginning something new: do I really have the right capabilities to do a specific job? If not, do I have enough persistence to master a new skill?

The bubble of Diversity, Equality and Inclusion

Every bigger enterprise now quite skillfully develops the concept of Diversity, Equality and Inclusion. And why shouldn’t they – it has become almost a trend, a kind of seasonal ‘must have’. When I scrolled down through the departments of  DEI in various organizations, I noticed that they are very similar. Typical composition consists of the Black or Brown-skinned, the Scarfed one, Tattooed or Pierced, Gay,  some pink-died alternative punk. You see, we are very modern and open.

Good for you! However, I consider this approach incomplete. It is more than clear that as in every policy, in the realm of Human Rights, there are more privileged groups and particular agendas that are successfully pushed by those who have financial means to do that. And everyone knows very well what these groups are.

We are very diverse not only by gender, race, nationality, orientation but by other criteria who are often overlooked seeking to over-favor the minorities.
This is my Vision of Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion. Of course, utopian, maybe overly ambitious. But I believe  this concept must be universal as is The European Convention of Human Rights, without exclusion of any group and any pushed agenda.

I want to see single mums working on a flexible schedule with the same amount of salary as their colleagues. I wish they would have all the possibilities to take care of their sick children without silent remorse for not doing their job properly and fear of being fired.

I want to see new mums enjoying long maternity leave  with a guarantee to save their workplace and get a solid maternity compensation. When I arrived in Geneva, the very first day when I went to the park, I saw several women pushing 3/4 seated strollers with babies. I thought – WOW, what a country, how many children families raise! Only later I realized that these ladies were the employees of la crèche, taking care of babies from 3 months….Having had an opportunity to spend quality time with my baby and get 70 proc. of a salary in the first year and 40 proc for the second year, I felt truly sorry for those mothers who wanted to stay with their children longer.

I want to see the survivors of cancer, who made a career gap because of their treatment, successfully working in the same position with the same salary as before the disease. This is more than awful after having overcome one challenge, to fight again, this time - for their place in the job market.

I want to see the grandest of us – a person with skeletal dysplasia, comfortable working in his special chair, an individual with an auditory device freely chatting with his colleagues and other people whose (dis) abilities are directly related with our perception of them, who occupy the position of the CEO.  The positions of ‘petty’ allocated to them to maintain an image of diversity, do not create diversity per se.

I want to see former drug addicts, alcoholics, gamblers who lost everything, fell into the ‘deepest deep’ and yet, they rose and stepped above their ego beginning their professional journey from scratch.

I want to see talented people from small countries speaking with their authentic accents, who finished maybe unknown for Western public, but respectable universities and who are striving to demonstrate that they are as capable or even better as those bragging of education of Harvard, Sciences Po, Zurich ETH etc. and work experience in world-known companies.

I want to see people with chronic mental health issues, suffering from episodes of depression, ADHD, bipolar syndrome etc. enjoying their profession without trembling that they will be fired after the next episode of relapse.

I want that DEI would be the concept, truly celebrating the victory of Human Rights and giving everyone the benefit of doubt. Not assuming and judging without truly knowing a person. Because such approach crushes all the human connections and in the long run is unprofitable for the growth of the economy as well.

Self-imposed masculinity cage preventing men from finding career satisfaction

Statistically, main clients who use my CV and cover letter writing services are men falling into 36 – 50 year category.  The surface level reasons are clear – men are more inclined to keep it straight and simple. They fill their applications with overbearing dry facts and numbers, lack an outside look to their capabilities and talents and wish to bring more creative approach to their experience.
However, there is one more, deeply hidden feature lurking behind an urge to have a rich CV and cover letter and unifying them all, truly great professionals in their field:

A fear that a loss of social position will destroy their perception of masculinity.

A change in position and an imaginary impediment to their masculinity threaten some men more than an actual decrease of money. This leads to various kind of addictions, temporarily helping them to escape into safe haven. They constantly compare themselves to ‘more successful’ classmates, ex-colleagues and other acquaintances. On a personal level, family/partnership dynamics starts changing to the worse side. If their wife/partner happens to earn good money, they silently resent her (even though she does everything for a household not to crumble). Family dynamics are broken.
What is striking, they could easily find a less paid satisfying job but they reluctantly hold to outdated patterns putting themselves in the same vicious circle. Although it is apparent that the model is not working anymore.
If you are one of these men that I mentioned above, don’t be harsh on yourself! This is human to feel this way. However, there is no need to stay in this victim mode.

You always have a choice to free yourself from outdated perceptions and to construct your life on healthy patterns.

https://www.labnol.org/internet/how-to-grow-grass-lawn-keyboard/5318/

The soft power of words in job search

Everyone had that feeling after reading some text, similar to going out on the first day of spring and taking a breath of freshness that flows in the air. That little bit of something that awakens you and tickles your heart. Or déjà vu feeling, when you think – that’s exactly what I am going through! Sometimes, a stabbing sensation, changing your personal paradigms of thought and rocking your foundations. Yet, there exist moments when the outcome is totally different -  you are eagerly waiting for some book or article, written by a popular and praised author and after finishing it feel nothing but void in the heart.

This is the same with CV and cover letters.  You look at the CV of a person who literally has profound working experience and diplomas from prestigious universities, but the presentation of all this harvest leaves you unimpressed. Meanwhile, the background of his rival is not as prominent, but he stands out with passion for a specific job clearly reflected in a brilliantly prepared application. The first paragraph is of the utmost importance both in the CV and cover letter and makes recruitment manager decide if your application's final destination is not supposed to be his recycle bin.

Nobody expects the IT specialist to be a writer. However, words DO matter in the CV. In cover/motivational letter even more. Sometimes, the difference hides in just a few words, rephrase and structure of the sentence.