Otto Belz

What has shaped my life

• The great for­tune of always being able to live and work the way I want­ed to
• Par­ents, sib­lings, part­ners, chil­dren and friends who sup­port­ed me uncon­di­tion­al­ly and were always there to help where need­ed
• A stroke of fate that pre­vent­ed my mis­takes and mis­be­hav­iour from end­ing up in dis­as­ter and instead turned them into some­thing good

The sto­ry: How it all came about

• Won­der­ful teenage years with lots of relo­ca­tions, tran­si­tions and changes
• A degree with the oppor­tu­ni­ty to try out every­thing that inter­est­ed me along­side study­ing
• Boss­es, employ­ees and cus­tomers who taught me how things work

What fas­ci­nat­ed me, and still does

• How to recog­nise the unique­ness of peo­ple, com­pa­nies and insti­tu­tions and help them to use their spe­cial qual­i­ties suc­cess­ful­ly
• Ques­tions of per­cep­tion: Why do we see the world as we do, how is it per­ceived by oth­ers and why?
• The rules and laws accord­ing to which things devel­op and change

Skills that have helped me

• Curios­i­ty and the endeav­our to under­stand new worlds and be able to grasp them in their con­texts
• A feel for what moves oth­ers, what they feel and what they want
• The abil­i­ty to shed light on prob­lems in a team and devel­op solu­tions togeth­er, com­bined with the abil­i­ty to express this in words

What I can nev­er get enough of

• Con­ver­sa­tions with oth­ers that give me new insights and, despite all the dif­fer­ences of opin­ion, give me the feel­ing of being under­stood
• Nature: Swim­ming in cold water, the mood of the lake in the morn­ing, read­ing in the gar­den, walk­ing the dog in woods and mead­ows that are new every day
• The feel­ing of ela­tion when a new solu­tion proves its worth or a text has turned out par­tic­u­lar­ly well

Quotes that some­times help me do the right thing

• “My advice to you is not to inquire why or whith­er, but just enjoy your ice cream while it’s on your plate.”

Thorn­ton Wilder

• “The mid­dle of the night marks the turn­ing point of a new day.”

Demokrit

• “He felt the wind in the sails and the surg­ing tide under the keel.”

Joseph Con­rad