Gay, Dorian (eng.)
Mar 24th, 2011 by Charlotte Haug
Dorian (IIEP) writes:
Dorian with Afghan IIEP trainee, Mr Qasim Mohseni
First, you turning 70 is a little bit like Einstein relativity theory. What does 70 mean anymore? Why can’t I also be 70 and need only two or three hours sleep per night?
You were the first IIEP Director that I worked with, starting from early 2002 – I was just 25. I was lucky to work quite a lot with you. When you first asked me to work directly with you, you said the following “I need an alter ego.” Again, I was just 25. I think you saw it on my face that I was impressed. You said: “Don’t worry. You will make mistakes. People who work make mistakes.” I drew two conclusions from this: (i) I had to take the job and (ii) I should beware of people who do not make mistakes!
What had to happen, happened: I made mistakes. When I confided in you about one of them, you once taught me a Norwegian saying: “What is eaten is eaten.” Believe it or not, when I make mistakes today, this saying never fails to come back to my mind – it helps, I have to say.
At least expected times, you would often also quote someone. One day, I accompanied you to a UNESCO meeting (Youth Forum) where you were the keynote speaker. There was some situation there. We solved the problem. Just one second before you started giving your speech, you said to me: “Do you know how Ernest Hemingway defined manliness?” … ”Grace under pressure.” Believe it or not, the aphorism comes back to my mind once in a while when pressure gets high.
I could continue the list and even remind you of less scholarly things I learnt from you such as how to knot a bowtie or how to eat a yogurt without a spoon…
I simply wish to wish you a happy birthday. It looks like many people who love and appreciate you will not have forgotten you on that date. Happy birthday.
Dorian was – and is – an impressive young man: Talent moved by energy! Eager to learn, always reliable, always delivering.
I sensed when I first met him that he had been trained too well in the French manner: i.e. with too much respect for those higher up in the hierarchy. So I thought, if I let him work with me, he will soon see that I would make bigger mistakes than he at the time was capable of.
The whole point of learning is this: Make mistakes fast – and then correct them immediately! Any good organization must make it inexpensive to make mistakes so that people quickly can learn from their own – and those of others.
Dorian was one of the young staff at IIEP who made it such a pleasure to work at UNESCO. The young staff members who are worth their salt, combine professionalism with the attitude that no mission is impossible. Dorian is one of those. It is good for UNESCO – and it makes it a pleasure to work with him.
So perhams he has some experiences from missions to tell?