Beyond double-digit growth - The value of money
By Nelsy Salden-Rebbens
In finance the sky was the limit and almost anything was possible.
I dove right in at the time. Looking back, what really mattered to me was the energy of progress. It wasn’t until later that I realised ‘moving forward’ can manifest itself in many different ways.
So, double-digit growth. And yet there was an immediate uproar when I was set to jump three pay grades in one go. Apparently, spectacular pay rises were only meant for the top, not for an ambitious young talent who was set to earn a few hundred euros more.
It happened after all.
Not because of me, I was still completely unfamiliar with these dynamics, but thanks to someone who believed in me.
Our economic system, and the systems derived from it such as pay scales, are designed for steady linear growth. Until at a certain point, it stagnates.
Life isn’t designed that way.
Security is not a currency
In my personal development, I moved sideways, upwards, downwards and back again. Even when I didn’t yet know which way to go.
I took the biggest leap when I was told that I was being removed from my position overnight. That experience taught me that I don’t need to associate my self-worth with a job. Making that association is a choice in my thinking.
I learnt that goodbyes and renewal are part of the same cycle, just as in any natural cycle.
I know what it feels like to have the wind in my sails in my career, but I’ve also faced adversity. I know what it’s like to have to apply for a job during a reorganisation, to decide against it, and yet still be placed in a role I didn’t aspire to. I know what it’s like to be identified as a high-potential talent, to have that confirmed externally by a top-tier assessment agency, yet at the same time be shown the door.
Sometimes the logic was lost in what was happening, and yet clarity always emerged from within.
That has become my certainty. I have become my certainty.
There are two sides to every coin
I’ve learnt that growth isn’t really about money, nor is it about moving up, nor is it about predictability.
For me, growth is all about energy, having a brave heart, seeing opportunities and seizing them. Dealing with the unexpected.
Exactly twenty years ago, I entered the world of finance. I think it's a powerful place.
Too powerful at times.
With my broad range of experience, which I can still draw on for some time to come, I want to give meaning to the system and, above all, to the human experience within it.