This Friday it will be a year since I joined my current company. Looking back at how it was then and how it is now makes me realize how much we achieved during that time. And so did I – I have to admit it despite all my dissatisfaction with the speed we move at.

Perhaps the single most important thing that I succeeded in is creating a good team. Hiring is a painful process here – and not all my choices were good. But the crucial ones were and, most importantly, I could help them excel and grow along with the company. This is apart from the creative aspect of it one of the greatest kicks of being a manager – helping people grow. And I know I did help some develop quite a lot during my time here. It’s a wonderful feeling, the thought that some day our ways will part but they will still remember me as a positive influence in their lives.

Interestingly, at the same time I found that my boss, our holding CEO has been and still is this kind of influence in my own life. So in a sense I’m at the same time helping others develop and getting some help in my own development.

Sadly though, at least in one case I wasn’t able to help someone advance as much as I hoped. Maybe it’s because he reached his real limits, maybe it’s because I didn’t give him enough encouragement and time. Whatever the cause might be – it’s the other side of the same coin.