Slow down. Take a breath. There is no need to inhale deeply. Just become aware of the oxygen you are taking in. Reflect on last summer. Maybe you finally dared that skydive you always wanted to attempt. Or life around you was given an extra dimension by the emotion that visiting a historic site, admiring an ancient or recent work of art, evoked in you. Or did the less fun planetary events of July and August convince you to take a more active role to make your own mark on our common future through entrepreneurship, creativity and humanism.
The Great Respiration
September is one of those typical times of the year to reboot for a while. In recent years, there was much talk about “The Great Resignation” people leaving their jobs “en masse”, out of dissatisfaction, fatigue or despondency.
We prefer to talk about “The Great Respiration“, a generous portion of extra oxygen that gives us the energy to take on new challenges, with the ultimate goal of becoming and making us happier as human beings. Many talented independent professionals (T.I.P.) have or are about to experience a certain key moment of their career as a rebirth. Their “metamorphosis” then takes the form of an Interim Manager (I.M.). At ADM, we are the hyphen “-” to generate the ideal “pairing” between the man/woman and the mission, the client (the company) and the contractor. And we also like to do this through inspiring texts and tips, hence our TIP-IM.
Dear Oxygeneer…
Yes, this salutation is addressed primarily to you. Starting this month, we like to make it a fun habit to create a neologism that fits seamlessly within your competences, your character and can inspire you daily.
Business leaders who read us can certainly get a kick out of this. Interim Manager, you come and go, but always leave a trail behind. You breathe in that new wind with every mission, giving the company an extra burst of steam during your presence, but also long after. You will certainly revel in the satisfaction of the mission you have brought to a successful conclusion.
Creativity is oxygen for our souls, its own reward
Speaking of oxygen, this expression comes from writer Julia Cameron, in her bestseller “The Artist Way”. However, it is equally applicable to the business world. Insight, creativity, enterprise, are a source of “oxygen” for our souls that can also immediately generate happiness and satisfaction. In a world where everything evolves so fast, where triggers are so diverse, a balanced combination of short-term and long-term rewards for our human activity is essential. Let that be precisely the strength of her/him jumping in temporarily. In this TIP-IM, we also devote an article to what is still going on in the human brain and how the mindset and actions of an Interim Manager can stimulate in him and those around him the “release” of happiness hormones.
Renaissance and humanism, anno 2023
These small “liberations” often feel like small rebirths. We only have one life, of course, but the rebirths can be countless. Let us encourage all this within a bigger picture, a New Renaissance as it were. This era in the 15th and 16th centuries brought about a broad artistic as well as social and societal movement. Consequently, this was at the cradle of humanism.
Humanism changed conceptions of man and his relationship to the world. This new thinking brought several other ideas that would significantly change artistic and social aspects. The notions of freedom, tolerance, independence, openness and curiosity are associated with this cultural movement.
If you ask me, humanism is more fundamental today than ever. Perhaps it is in need of an “update” or “upgrade”. Would you like to help write the new paragraphs together?
