Downsides of Promotion
Most things in life have two sides. Therefore, it is difficult, if not impossible to find ideal solutions. What may sound philosophical, has very practical implications.
As readers of this site may know, I came to Cairo some five months ago as a part of a professional promotion. I moved up the ranks and joined a small group of senior officials, some of whom you may see in the ensuing picture posing in front of my institute’s headquarters in beautiful Potsdam, Germany.
I never made a secret that getting promoted was not a driving force for applying for the position in Cairo. When I asked to be given the job, my objective was not to step up the ladder and earn (a little) more money. I applied mainly for the sake of going (back) to Cairo and working with and for Egyptians, which I enjoy very much.
I am telling you all this to introduce the point that professional promotion may come with a prize and may have downsides, too. I have made this experience twice. The first time I felt this was back in the early nineties, when I took up the job of department head at Radio Deutsche Welle. While in my early years as a junior radio editor I would produce programs, write commentaries and conduct interviews (and did all those things that make journalism exciting), circumstances forced me to give up most of this after assuming the top job in the department. I had become responsible for myriad administrative affairs, which prevented me from doing what I liked most and what had made me to choose journalism as my profession: writing and reporting.
In a way, I am experiencing a similar situation now in Cairo, where various administrative tasks are keeping me utterly busy these first months as the Regional Director of my Institute. While I do find time for discussions with Egyptian friends and partners, writing a regular newspaper column or preparing analytical papers as I used to do during my ten years in Asia, seems like a distant memory.
I hope this is just a preliminary phenomenon, and may be overcome as we move along. I am looking forward to a day when I can take time off and write about - and share with others - what is happening around me.
Here in Cairo, I would never be in need of a good story.
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