Management Summary
We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all of you who contribute to the continued success of panagenda. You are our customers, partners and friends, the people behind every one of our panagendians, and every single panagendian.
We wish you and your beloved ones a wonderful festive season and a healthy, happy, and successful new year!
As for the title of this post: When you have a minute, take the time, and read on:
Looking back on 2023
From a corporate perspective, we were very busy this year with many new releases across our entire portfolio. I would like to personally express my sincere gratitude to all our employees, customers, and partners for their unwavering support and dedication throughout 2023!
On a much broader scale, to me personally, this last year was yet another one in a growing row to time and again doubt humanity. Without naming or referencing them, the most significant world events of this and previous years speak for themselves. Across the globe, politics and societies lack to sincerely pursue peace, tolerance, and respect as core values.
What really matters
Speaking of core values, in recent weeks I have come to a somewhat weird realization, especially in connection with the above and the two omnipresent and closer-to-our-business topics artificial intelligence and working from home:
People make the difference.
To me, working from home (WFH) comes with two primary challenges:
- Not all people can or want to work from home, or don’t want to do so all the time. And when they come to the office, they want to see as many colleagues as possible in person, too.
- I miss visiting customers and partners and attending as many (physical) conferences as we used to years ago.
The topic of artificial intelligence and the huge leaps made in just this last year is full of opportunities, exciting, amazing, disrupting, and daunting at the same time. And as the name suggests, artificial intelligence brings dehumanization into play.
Both topics present an ideal opportunity to practice peace, tolerance, and respect for one another. On many occasions and in many places one can witness people taking up a tough, one-sided, or even alienating stance.
Instead of turning against one another we should turn to one another
Life is not just about a single person’s beliefs or interests.
If you don’t want to work from home, can you help others to flourish away from the office? If working from home is good for you, can you help a colleague who would love to meet in person occasionally? If many of us enjoy working from home, can we still try to meet in one location, at an office, or at a conference here and then?
If artificial intelligence can be used to do good – or even better –, can you help others learn? If artificial intelligence helps you, can you add a humanizing touch? If artificial intelligence scares you, can you spend time with others to build bridges?
Whatever the topic may be, turn to one another.
Together, we make all the difference or 1+1=3
Whilst alone you already make all the difference to the world in touch with you, we always make an even bigger difference together.
Together is about much more than just being multiple individuals in the same room, be it virtual or physical.
Together is about taking time, taking a step back, or towards others, about being considerate of others, about contributing and listening, about taking and giving, about teaching and learning, about helping, understanding, respecting, and caring = turning to one another.
The above-described togetherness matters both privately and professionally: It is what makes us grow together, what sets us apart for the better, and what makes every moment more than just the sum of all parts.
To a happy New Year!
I am very much looking forward to making a difference together in 2024 and wish for all your wishes to come true for you and your beloved ones!
