Half-Year Sabbatical for Martin Gros
Martin, at the 5th of May your sabbatical starts. How much is it already on your mind?
It started already last year when I was dealing with the decision of whether to do it or not. Questions like: Do I need that? Things are going well right now….., all this arose. It was a really exciting process.
And now since January it casts a shadow over many things, or better: it shines on many things. There is a great joy and curiosity about what will come. But sometimes it is also not that easy, especially when there are very interesting projects of clients coming in. Then it is not me who can do them, because I will not be available during these next months. So to go into a sabbatical also means to let go! That’s the first lesson.
How is the reaction of your actual clients?
Most clients find it quite extraordinary that we are doing something like this. And concerning the actual work, things have to be very well organized, planned and sometimes also given to somebody else. But this is no problem at all.
Is this your first sabbatical?
Yes and no. It is the first one within a company, but I have taken some time out already as a student. Back then I explored South America and Southeast Asia in a back-pack tour. It was living my dreams then. And I can remember quite well when afterwards an application consultant recommended, I’d better “hide” these times. Later when I left KPMG and came to ComTeam, I took good care that there was enough time in between the old and the new job. And to do it like that was very useful.
How will you spend your time?
This is the question most people ask. Of course I have some ideas: discover this part of Bavaria more, climb mountains, go surfing, build a raised hide, go to a retreat, clear up things, read….. But in the centre of it all is living daily life together with my family, make a journey through France and Spain and have time for myself.
What is your family’s reaction?
My children are three and five years old, so they are too young to really understand what will happen. But that we will be going for a longer journey and that I will build for them a raised hide, this has already come through. My wife is relatively flexible because she is a freelancer. I am quite sure that also for us as a couple this sabbatical will be something special.
When will you be back?
I will be back at the 5th of November. But this does not mean that I will not drop in here sometimes. I sure have to visit my great colleagues and encourage them…
From today’s perspective: What should have happened until November the 5th, so that you would say at the end, it was really a great half-year? I will have the feeling of being inspired by many things during this time, will have experienced new and surprising things, will have cleared up some things and will be fit, healthy and well relaxed.
What is it you are looking forward to the most when you will come back in November?
It is the action in our job, which gives me a lot of energy. This implies doing a good job for our clients together with my colleagues and I am also looking forward to go on creating ComTeam’s future. All in all I believe even today, that it will be quite easy to start working again. I like the work a lot, but sometimes you have to leave something in order to gladly come back.
It was Karin Pressa who interviewed Martin Gros.
