Angry Birds

I sneakily slipped into the toilet and quickly locked the door with a ‘click’. Finally, my self-created habitat. So: seat down, lid down. Sit back and… play Angry Birds.

My foreign adventure in Kazakhstan had just come to an end. Lots of freedom, lots of responsibility, and major dynamics. I thought I’d found a great challenge with a new crew: an ambitious scale-up.

The organisation was in the ‘between piglet and boar’ stage. A critical period. Soon it turned out to be more piglet than boar. I was given a great job title though. But my freedoms were severely curtailed. Even the radiator knob was not at my disposal.

I can still clearly remember the feeling as soon as I entered the building. I felt immensely out of place. The scrutiny and suspicion was crippling me. As a result, I sought refuge in the toilet. My new comfort zone.

Three months was all I managed. Signing the termination agreement felt like an acquittal.

It can happen to anyone. A wrong decision. Falling for a beautifully drawn picture of the future, while the reality is much more obstinate. My advice? Don’t hang around (… on the toilet) for too long!