When people turn 60 – like me today on 6th of July – some are already retired, others get ready for retirement and again others are afraid of not keeping up with the dynamism of the world of work. I don't. My father used his 60th birthday to organize a great party with all friends and relatives in his bakery (his workplace). I can’t do that because I am an international urban and regional development expert and my friends and relatives are spread across Germany, Europe and the entire world. The carbon footprint of such a party would be unacceptable. But I am lucky, I just returned form a training on sustainable urban planning in Riyadh, met many of my friends and colleagues at the World Urban Forum in Katowice, Poland and went right afterwards to the 30th anniversary party of the IÖR in Dresden. As I write these lines I just returned from another dinner with nice local friends here in Berlin. So, I am doing good and I’ll keep my birthday celebration small and contemplative.
Yesterday, I discussed with my family and a visiting friend, Zainab Al Mansour from Saudi Arabia the question when does a junior become a senior professional. The main line of argumentation was that it would be somewhere between five and ten years but that there might be exceptions according to professions. And, of course, some call themselves already senior after two or three years. The truth is we are all juniors if we look at what is ahead of us! Mitigating climate change, overcoming wars and inequality, fostering sustainable development and designing the future of work where all of us find their place and decent income. That scale of interrelated challenges is new to all of us. We’re not prepared for this and signs are mounting that the dynamic gets disruptive. Disruption brings risks but also tremendous opportunities.
When I left university in September 1989, I had no clue that just weeks later the Berlin Wall would fall. That was a disruption nobody had expected and nobody was prepared for. Political systems, economies and societies of former socialist countries imploded. And there was no UN (or other) handbook, guideline, toolkit or software to help. People had to muddle through on their own. In May 1990 I was sent to Dresden in the still existing German Democratic Republic to support democratic institution building, local and regional development in those districts that should form the new State of Saxony, a regional state within the enlarged Federal Republic of Germany. Well, I didn’t meet Vladimir Putin but I know that he worked in the same city and at the same time as a young KGB officer. It was a wild dynamic time. Later the EU asked me to use the experience from those dynamic times to manage programmes on urban and regional cooperation in support of EU Eastern enlargement. And after that the UN assigned me with similar tasks at UN Headquarters and in the Global South. Always working along and across borders of countries, systems, disciplines and policy levels - and sometimes I didn't fit into traditional boxes of professions.
The support that I delivered in those earlier years as ‘junior’ to cities and regions was based on both, the knowledge that I had gained at university, a lot of improvisation and the approach of trial and error. Not a perfect starting condition, but nobody was prepared! We were all juniors! In spite of the challenges, it was an exciting and fulfilling time. It formed me for my professional life ever since. I learned to life and work in a dynamic environment, to keep learning, to be ready for the unexpected and to support institutions and cooperation in a context of instability.
Something similar and even more challenging may lie ahead of us due to the need to decarbonize the way we live, to adapt to the changing world of work etc. To think about current risks and threats can be scary but since I lived through something similar before, I see more the opportunities to improve urban and rural life and to develop a more just, inclusive and sustainable world. It won’t be easy. It never was.
I would have loved to invite you all to a great birthday party but I am glad to stay in touch with you all at training courses in Saudi Arabia, the World Urban Forum in Katowice, a party in Dresden, a dinner in Berlin, via my LinkedIn Network, my website and blog (www.ugraute.de) or in whatever way you prefer.
We have to grow up to the challenge but if we really try we can make it and even have fun while doing it. And yes, for me it indeed means that -provided I stay healthy enough- the most exciting phase of my professional life may still lie ahead of me. And the experience of my early years of my career may even serve as an asset. That sounds good. Let's go for it.
Selected LinkedIn posts in addition to this and other blog posts on this site
Posts on the training in Riyadh: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/graute_class-of-2022-successfully-ends-transformative-activity-6945775530159828993-ivOd?utm_source=linkedin_share&utm_medium=member_desktop_web
Post on the World Urban Forum in Katowice: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/graute_president-of-un-ecosoc-and-heads-of-g7-express-activity-6947863205578735616-bo_j?utm_source=linkedin_share&utm_medium=member_desktop_web
Post on the party in Dresden https://www.linkedin.com/posts/graute_happy-birthday-herzlichen-gl%C3%BCckwunsch-activity-6948611396158803968-sF1G?utm_source=linkedin_share&utm_medium=member_desktop_web