I am pleased to present the eleventh part of the my article series on inspiring people in my life. My inspiring colleague Florentine Dräger is on the ‘hot seat’ today. I am so pleased that Jérôme is joining this series in his capacity as key note speaker, coach, trainer, and, in this series, first male interviewee. You can find the past interviews with myself, Susanne, Annika, Kirsten, Karen , Jin, Martina, Laura , Julia, Irene and Jérôme linked to the names.
This is all about people who inspire me as a coach and trainer.
Today I am interviewing Florentine Dräger, or Flo, as I called her. She is the first in this series of interviews, who is not working as a coach and trainer and thereby widening the circle to be more in keeping with the fact that I find people from many walks of life inspiring. I met Flo at Protofy, where I worked with her from the point she started working there in the framework of their measure allowing all employees regular access to coaching. You can find more about this measure and its benefits in the linked series of articles. I really enjoyed working with Flo and found the work inspiring, interesting and stimulating. For these reasons, it is my pleasure to share this interview with you. Enjoy the read!
I am very pleased: Today is the eleventh part of the series of articles with inspiring people, and this time I interview Florentine Dräger. You can find the other interviews with me, Susanne, Annika, Kirsten, Karen, Jin, Martina, Laura, Julia, Irene and Jérôme linked under their respective names.
What do you particularly enjoy about your work?
Looking forward to Monday on a Sunday evening is something I’ve actually experienced a lot in my job over the last five years. This is due to a combination of different components and of course it’s not always the case without exception. But when I’m lucky enough to work in a team that has learned to treat each other with respect, where I can make mistakes without being pilloried for them, where we pursue a common goal together and motivate and support each other, then I really enjoy my work.
I particularly enjoy it when a previously unknown piece of the puzzle is revealed to me, when I learn something new, gain insights that fit seamlessly into the picture and broaden my view of the big picture.
That’s why I love working in an agency. The changing projects mean I’m always working with different people and can learn something new from everyone. With each project, I try to get a little better, develop a good habit and implement feedback from previous projects. This is easier for me because the project context also changes. It’s like a “blank slate” – it’s not so easy to fall into a rigid routine and you’re constantly evolving.
When you are working on something new, where does your inspiration come from?
At the moment I’m working on deepening my computer science knowledge. I’m doing this in various ways, but it works particularly well with a crash course I discovered on YouTube. This 9-hour course is broken up into small 10-minute videos that are perfect for filling the empty hours of my day instead of scrolling through social media.
The inspiration to engage with this topic from a scientific, theoretical standpoint comes from a deep curiosity and inquisitiveness that I mostly feel when I meet people who generously share their knowledge with others and speak with joy about their expertise.
If we had asked you 10 years ago, what would the answers to these two questions have been?
Ten years ago, in my early 20s, I was studying law and working in the restaurant trade in the evenings. I particularly liked the energy that arises in a team when the place is full to the brim and everyone works together like a well-oiled engine.
When every cog meshes with the others and you work in a kind of “flow” for hours on end. The team spirit that is created is something very special.
I made friends back then that have lasted to this day.
At the time, I had just decided to go vegan, a plan I was to stick to for eight years. So I started cooking a lot, improving my cooking skills and always trying out new dishes. I was inspired by my interest in other cultures, my enjoyment of new flavors and my deep conviction that I wanted to gain something by changing my diet instead of just giving something up. The joy of cooking has remained to this day and has become an important part of my everyday life and self-care. Thank you, 20-something Florentine!
If you could choose the next question: what would it be? And what would be your answer?
What is one realization you have made recently?
The biggest realization that still resonates with me and runs very deep is the realization to cut alcohol out of my life completely. No other decision has had a greater impact on my wellbeing, both professionally and personally. Through this decision, I have learned so much about myself, gained time and health, deepened my relationships and also developed professionally.
The clarity that has come into my life as a result has enabled me to develop access to topics that previously seemed difficult to access.
My inner dialog has changed noticeably, and it was all triggered by a seemingly small change in my consumer behavior. That really is mind blowing!
Thank you, Flo! If you have questions on this or coaching, training and facilitation, get in touch! Looking forward to hearing from you.
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