As 2019 gets under way, I’d like to take the opportunity to wish you a year full of good things:

... a lot of listening: both listening to others and being listened to yourselves;

... understanding: may you and your colleagues have the courage to express yourselves openly and respectfully, making sure you’ve understood each other’s needs;

... kindness: may you and your colleagues assume that each other’s intentions are good, even if they may sometimes be interpreted wrongly;

... emotional openness: be able to express your feelings without fear at work, and take into account those of your colleagues; emotions are there whether you want them or not and ignoring them does no good;

... professional success: it’s so satisfying to achieve your goals – find the right compromise between perfection and what’s really necessary;

... the affection of friends and family: be attentive to the people around you outside the workplace; they need you and you need them too. Maintain a good balance between work and your personal life – it will benefit everyone!

Happy new year to you all and I wish you success in all your endeavours, both professional and personal!

Pierre Gildemyn

If you’d like to comment on any of my articles or suggest a topic that I could write about, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me at Ombuds@cern.ch.