Resilience is the “the capacity to overcome and recover from difficulties”. And did we all have our fair share of difficulties for the past 3 years… and more seem to be headed our way. The difference between overcoming challenges and surrendering to them sits in our resilience, our capacity to move forward through tough times and to recover from challenging experiences. This process is not an easy one, we don’t go through it and come out exactly how we got into it. We transform, and, again, it is our choice if for the better or the worse.
My collaboration with EUEW started during these tough times, exactly 3 years ago, when I not only became Manager of Operations at EUEW but also took over a completely new business, one that is much closer to my heart, to my personal goals and to the legacy I want to leave for my two incredible daughters. Working for EUEW and sailing through these troubled waters along with the leaders of this great organization has been a major support for me professionally and has taught me that embracing change with open arms and the ability to adapt to it are the best instruments at hand to keep heading for your goals successfully.
Here, at EUEW, I also learned that it is important what pair of glasses you chose to wear every day. You can either keep a positive outlook through all the hardship, focus on the positive elements of each situation and make the best of it, knowing that the pages will turn and better times will come your way. Or, you can choose to only focus on the difficulties and how demanding the process of overcoming them will be and, thus, be knocked down by any small, additional challenge coming your way.
We are living such historical times, so many major events happening is such a short amount of time. This is, indeed, overwhelming, especially for us, generations who only read about plagues, wars, severe economic hardship in the history books. However, we must remember that there are other generations who lived much more difficult times and made it through, much stronger and a lot smarter. And, more importantly, they passed that wisdom on.
The above, presented rather simplified, is the history of how EUEW became the resilient and emblematic organization it is today.
Now, a bit about my experience with EUEW and some of the amazing results of this resilient federation that I witnessed and contributed to achieving. Just shortly before I started my collaboration with EUEW the federation decided to tackle matters affecting electrical wholesalers at European and, subsequently, national level in a more coordinated manner, just a bit over three years ago. At present, EUEW has been collaborating with a senior adviser for EU Affairs for the past three years, initiated and collaborated with its peers on a number of position papers, relevant for the industry and the ecosystem as a whole and has recently setup its first working group for Advocacy, with experts from 4 countries (Belgium, Finland, France and Germany) who work together to achieve even more ambitious advocacy goals.
During the pandemic years, with the “fast forward” digitalization process, EUEW realized that it needs to function more efficiently, and this became a strong goal, achieved today, when the organization elected a smaller and more manageable board, now meeting every month and keeping the organization moving forward at the right speed in this dynamic environment.
Briefly after my collaboration with EUEW started, the organization decided that it not only wants to be the strong voice of electrical wholesalers but that it also wants to have a say and a place at the table along all its peers in the ecosystem. Today, EUEW doesn’t only have an excellent collaboration with peer organizations from the ecosystem, but we are contributing, together, to the EUEW newsletter, we have quarterly meetings and some of our peers had their fair contribution to the success of the EUEW Convention in 2021.
And, speaking of the EUEW Convention, this resilient, “old” organization, was among the very few entities that had “the audacity” to organize a live meeting with such a large audience during the pandemic, in 2021. Against all odds, last year’s convention was an amazing success, with over 200 participants and not one Covid case reported after the event.
The above, although it may seem long to read, is only a small part of why I am proud to be part and to contribute to the success of this resilient European federation, stubborn enough to keep transforming over decades while constantly remaining a strong voice to represent the interests of its members, for their benefit.