What makes an assignment interesting? Every once in a while, it’s time for something new. Tasks have been completed or budgets have run out, handover is in full swing and in comes a new request. Is it appealing?
There’s always the split-second judgement: wow or meh… The better look usually only confirms the initial hunch. Then the moment of truth arrives: apply or let pass? For the wows it’s not an issue, obviously. But what may lead to un-meh-ing the mehs?
When listing arguments, semi-consciously, I always hope to push strategic considerations and financial necessities beyond the point where they would kick in. Applying for an assignment just because the company would look interesting on my CV or, worse, because the treasury is empty doesn’t make for a good start. Fortunately, it has never come to such assignments.
It’s challenges and learning opportunities that I’m really looking for. They may be lurking in less obvious places. A recent one that has been very satisfying was improving my German skills.
There’s always the split-second judgement: wow or meh… The better look usually only confirms the initial hunch. Then the moment of truth arrives: apply or let pass? For the wows it’s not an issue, obviously. But what may lead to un-meh-ing the mehs?
When listing arguments, semi-consciously, I always hope to push strategic considerations and financial necessities beyond the point where they would kick in. Applying for an assignment just because the company would look interesting on my CV or, worse, because the treasury is empty doesn’t make for a good start. Fortunately, it has never come to such assignments.
It’s challenges and learning opportunities that I’m really looking for. They may be lurking in less obvious places. A recent one that has been very satisfying was improving my German skills.

The assignment largely involved project management support, generally referred to as PMO services. That’s a field I consider instrumental rather than centre-of-attention, although it does remain rewarding to facilitate the smooth and efficient functioning of a team. Its most conspicuous alternative attraction lay in the subject matter: it was my first dealing with balancing markets. That certainly was a benefit not to be scorned, yet the other one conserved its freshness even longer: the fact that the assignment was in German.
It wasn’t my first German assignment. But the previous one involved an international project, so most documents had to be written in English anyway. Here, all oral and verbal communication was solely in German. What’s more, the facilitation of the meetings required some linguistic versatility: keeping things moving by speaking while, at the same time, writing a running summary of the discussions. The on-the-spot summarising, simplifying, synonym finding, conclusion drawing and next-step phrasing while heeding the bounds of spelling and grammar did make for a tough workout, but also was great fun. And it definitely bore its fruit. I now write a work instruction in German in a trice; a year ago, it would have taken me forever.
Obviously, applying for an assignment, be it first- or second-choice, doesn’t guarantee that it is awarded. In hindsight, I am very glad that this one was.
It wasn’t my first German assignment. But the previous one involved an international project, so most documents had to be written in English anyway. Here, all oral and verbal communication was solely in German. What’s more, the facilitation of the meetings required some linguistic versatility: keeping things moving by speaking while, at the same time, writing a running summary of the discussions. The on-the-spot summarising, simplifying, synonym finding, conclusion drawing and next-step phrasing while heeding the bounds of spelling and grammar did make for a tough workout, but also was great fun. And it definitely bore its fruit. I now write a work instruction in German in a trice; a year ago, it would have taken me forever.
Obviously, applying for an assignment, be it first- or second-choice, doesn’t guarantee that it is awarded. In hindsight, I am very glad that this one was.

What makes an assignment interesting? Every once in a while, it’s time for something new. Tasks have been completed or budgets have run out, handover is in full swing and in comes a new request. Is it appealing?
There’s always the split-second judgement: wow or meh… The better look usually only confirms the initial hunch. Then the moment of truth arrives: apply or let pass? For the wows it’s not an issue, obviously. But what may lead to un-meh-ing the mehs?
When listing arguments, semi-consciously, I always hope to push strategic considerations and financial necessities beyond the point where they would kick in. Applying for an assignment just because the company would look interesting on my CV or, worse, because the treasury is empty doesn’t make for a good start. Fortunately, it has never come to such assignments.
It’s challenges and learning opportunities that I’m really looking for. They may be lurking in less obvious places. A recent one that has been very satisfying was improving my German skills.
The assignment largely involved project management support, generally referred to as PMO services. That’s a field I consider instrumental rather than centre-of-attention, although it does remain rewarding to facilitate the smooth and efficient functioning of a team. Its most conspicuous alternative attraction lay in the subject matter: it was my first dealing with balancing markets. That certainly was a benefit not to be scorned, yet the other one conserved its freshness even longer: the fact that the assignment was in German.
It wasn’t my first German assignment. But the previous one involved an international project, so most documents had to be written in English anyway. Here, all oral and verbal communication was solely in German. What’s more, the facilitation of the meetings required some linguistic versatility: keeping things moving by speaking while, at the same time, writing a running summary of the discussions. The on-the-spot summarising, simplifying, synonym finding, conclusion drawing and next-step phrasing while heeding the bounds of spelling and grammar did make for a tough workout, but also was great fun. And it definitely bore its fruit. I now write a work instruction in German in a trice; a year ago, it would have taken me forever.
Obviously, applying for an assignment, be it first- or second-choice, doesn’t guarantee that it is awarded. In hindsight, I am very glad that this one was.
There’s always the split-second judgement: wow or meh… The better look usually only confirms the initial hunch. Then the moment of truth arrives: apply or let pass? For the wows it’s not an issue, obviously. But what may lead to un-meh-ing the mehs?
When listing arguments, semi-consciously, I always hope to push strategic considerations and financial necessities beyond the point where they would kick in. Applying for an assignment just because the company would look interesting on my CV or, worse, because the treasury is empty doesn’t make for a good start. Fortunately, it has never come to such assignments.
It’s challenges and learning opportunities that I’m really looking for. They may be lurking in less obvious places. A recent one that has been very satisfying was improving my German skills.
The assignment largely involved project management support, generally referred to as PMO services. That’s a field I consider instrumental rather than centre-of-attention, although it does remain rewarding to facilitate the smooth and efficient functioning of a team. Its most conspicuous alternative attraction lay in the subject matter: it was my first dealing with balancing markets. That certainly was a benefit not to be scorned, yet the other one conserved its freshness even longer: the fact that the assignment was in German.
It wasn’t my first German assignment. But the previous one involved an international project, so most documents had to be written in English anyway. Here, all oral and verbal communication was solely in German. What’s more, the facilitation of the meetings required some linguistic versatility: keeping things moving by speaking while, at the same time, writing a running summary of the discussions. The on-the-spot summarising, simplifying, synonym finding, conclusion drawing and next-step phrasing while heeding the bounds of spelling and grammar did make for a tough workout, but also was great fun. And it definitely bore its fruit. I now write a work instruction in German in a trice; a year ago, it would have taken me forever.
Obviously, applying for an assignment, be it first- or second-choice, doesn’t guarantee that it is awarded. In hindsight, I am very glad that this one was.