Claudia

Introduce yourself within a sentence.
By day, I am an HR Business Partner, trying to have a positive impact on both, business and people. After work, I am simply a “people partner”, escaping to nature when the daily dosage of interpersonal activity is exhausted.😄

What is the most challenging part of your life in this time of crisis?
You might have come across the poem “We are not in the same boat” that conveys the message that this sentence is actually not true when we talk about the COVID19 crisis. Rather we are “(…) in the same storm, but not in the same boat”. So far, I consider myself fortunate, being on a solid boat. Therefore, to me the challenging part these days is finding ways to help those that find themselves on less solid boats. What comes with that is the acknowledgement of my own limitations, lack of relevant competencies that currently are truly needed. Not simply accepting that and still trying to make myself useful, is what I perceive as my personal challenge these days.

What is your guiding light every day that makes you smile?
Little anecdote. A few years back my family and I lived through a rough time dealing with sickness and existential fears as a result. To me it felt as if life has been taken out of my hands, being totally driven by external factors. While I was eager to win this battle and get through this, I also realized that the feeling of not being in control of what was happening to us was eating up my energy and resilience.
I was desperately looking for some sort of freedom, some part in my life I could potentially control. It was my super supportive manager back then who helped me identifying those. With his help, I realized that even in situations that seem to “lock you down” there is freedom to explore, freedom in your thinking, freedom in your actions. Since that time, the awareness of my freedom, is my guiding light.

If you can share a source of hope with someone in need, what would it be?
I think that there is a source of hope within each of us, which is our own strength. I am convinced that every one of us has lived through a variety of challenges already. Reflect on what helped you overcoming those, repeat what worked, change what did not. Dare to remember how strong you are and rely on it.