ABOUT MARC

BIOGRAPHY IS DYNAMIC

My biography keeps changing and growing. And I enjoy that very much. It’s not only what is still to come that is in motion, but also my view and understanding of what has already been. Things I am proud of, and things I am not proud of and would have liked to do differently. All of it is part of me. What I am and want to be today may only have been possible exactly this way.

MY FIRST ROOTS

Perhaps more the soil I was planted in, and in which I put down my first roots. I didn’t choose it, as no one ever does, and looking back I am quite happy to have been born into the wild early days of Hamburg in 1968. My parents ended up in the beautiful Hanseatic city by very different routes, from the Rhineland around Düsseldorf and from Upper Silesia. To this day, silence and questions never asked still shroud parts of the war, refugee and family stories.

Not unusual, in the sense that this is how things were back then, too, are my many ‘half’ siblings. Although today I think that half and more or less have nothing to do with descent, but with closeness. I never got to know my eldest sister; she died when she was only a few months old. I didn’t get to know my eldest brother well enough; he disappeared into Hamburg’s scenes at sixteen, contracted AIDS before the danger was even known, and died before I was mature enough to deal with it. My closest brother, with whom I mainly mastered my childhood and youth, lives close to the sea on the Baltic coast. I only remained the youngest brother until my sister, now living in Cologne, first a half and then a full sister, came along late. Suddenly I became an older brother, too. Since then, I have been able to put down many new roots in other soils as well.

And no, not everything runs smoothly for us either. Experts are usually not experts on themselves. So in our family and in my biography, too, there is speechlessness, broken contact, smoldering conflicts and everything else that goes with it. Nevertheless, or precisely because of that, I can be a good companion for others.

SCHOOL ROLLER COASTER

Turbulent family histories usually bring many moves and changes. By the time I turned 17, I had changed places and school classes more often than I had years of life. That alone was certainly not the reason for the turbulence to come, but it surely played a part. I found school mostly tiresome, and still do today; nevertheless, or actually because of that, I spent 15 years on winding school paths. Almost thrown off track in eighth grade, then, against or because of many teachers’ predictions, I did finish my Abitur after all. Well matured at 21. Luckily I stayed at school for so long, otherwise I would not have met the love of my life in the advanced math course in eleventh grade.

I turned my notorious skipping of school into a kind of distance learning at university in Flensburg, even though there was no distance learning there at all. I always had better things to do with my time. Since my studies, I have kept as far away as possible from this kind of teaching. At the same time, my hunger for knowledge has grown almost bigger since then. Alongside school and university, odd jobs allowed me to discover new things, enjoy freedom and build a little financial independence. My first job, paid with the small change from the farmer’s worn corduroy pocket, came at seven or eight: harvest helper. Before I came of age, I had already been a stable mucker, demolition helper, driver, bird shooter, drywall installer, tree feller, ride-on mower operator, rat catcher, bottle and waste paper collector, guitar teacher, market crier, piano tuner and quite a few semi-legal things more.

FIRST CALLINGS

Ideas of refusing all military and civilian service earned me police custody and a compulsory medical examination, and almost a first taste of jail. I turned off in time, to a decade of civilian service in a German Red Cross catering unit. Although here, too, largely by way of sporadic remote participation. My abilities and passions would have driven me to an apprenticeship as a piano maker or to studying the humanities; curiosity and job market prospects redirected me to studying electrical engineering and computer engineering.

My first experiences with suit and tie, and even tie pins, while writing my thesis in cooperation with Siemens and Hapag-Lloyd led to fourteen eventful years of career in an international corporation. For a long time, I believed I wanted to and could become a board member. Outstanding assignments and training opportunities, almost unlimited support and many fantastic colleagues in Germany and abroad made this time one of the most valuable of my career paths so far. Most of it in consulting, sales, marketing, strategy, knowledge and change management and business development, in so-called top management circles. The corporate headquarters in Munich drew our family to the Bavarian capital. A never-extinguished longing for independence and the realization that I could never become a loyal board member then ushered in a new chapter that continues and evolves to this day.

MY TRUE CALLING

In my late thirties, I started out into complete self-employment and self-determined freedom as a family entrepreneur, happily arrived in constant change. As an entrepreneur, I love undertaking new things again and again, as often as possible with family and friends. Working with people, the ever-inspiring encounters full of small and big adventures, is the essence of my joy in discovering new challenges.

When asked what my ‘job’ is, I can never think of a simple fitting answer. I speak and think more in terms of passions and fascinations with which I like to spend my time and also earn my living. Just as I keep growing, my professions grow, too. My true calling, if there is such a thing at all, is probably to be as happy as possible with what I did, do and will do.

REPORT CARDS SPEAK VOLUMES

Despite the family chaos and the many moves, I have kept almost all my school and other report cards. Some a little singed, one year somehow missing completely, but still. Their course tells quite a bit about my growing up, and is of course embedded in family and historical moments. Reading them and shaking my head, I wonder more than once what the respective class teachers spent their time on, certainly not on dealing with us and taking care when analyzing and writing the report cards.

Some phrases, like ‘Marc daydreams and is distracted’, read like a compliment to me today. Why not take the following glimpses as inspiration to trace your own educational biography.

Grade 1c, first semester, 1974/1975…
“…Marc is an attentive and friendly pupil. His working pace is very satisfactory. His reading skills deserve special mention.”

Grade 2b, second semester, 1975/1976 “…Marc is a lively, bright and active pupil. He works hard and purposefully, but not always with enough concentration. His oral participation has declined somewhat lately.”

Grade 3a, second semester, 1977
“…Marc has settled into the class community quickly and well. He takes great care with his written work…”

Grade 4b, first semester, 1977/78
Marc is a friendly, bright pupil with good contact with his classmates. …distracts himself and other pupils. Marc must do his homework regularly and more carefully..”

Assessment for the transition to the orientation level, 1978
“…Marc is spontaneous, active, but his participation varies from fluctuating to low. He daydreams and is distracted. Marc is friendly and open to contact. He is accepted, but has no close friend in the class. Rank 13 of 25 in the class sociogram.”
Note: I can’t for the life of me remember being asked for a class sociogram. Nor any conversation or group work afterwards. Had I known about it back then, or understood the principle, my way of dealing with it would probably have been to come first or last.

The report cards from my first fifth grade were apparently lost in a sudden move.

Grade 5d, second semester, 1980
“…Over the last semester, your participation was very inconsistent. You could improve your performance overall if you made more use of your abilities in class…”

Grade 6d, first semester, 1980/81
“…You may be “always up to date”, but you make far too little use of your abilities and talents…”

Grade 8c, second semester, 1982/83
“…no voluntary participation in class whatsoever. By decision of the teachers’ conference, he was not promoted…”

Grade 8d, second semester, 1983/1984
“…still too little involved…”

Grade 9d, first semester, 1984/85
“…quiet, but involved….”

Grade 10d, first semester, 1985/1986
“…In some subjects he shows no interest or effort whatsoever…”

In the upper level of high school, grades 11 to 13, one of the most important stages of development for any young adult (I turned 18 in tenth grade), apart from the grades there is absolutely nothing at all about the person, personality or behavior. Congratulations, Schleswig-Holstein education system! Instead, from the graduation yearbook, a quote from history class, roughly: “…speak louder, so that Marc doesn’t fall asleep on his bag…”

Internship certificate, machine factory, 1990
“…Conduct: good, diligence: good, performance: good. He submitted to the work regulations without exception…” (a stock phrase, probably in use since the 1890s)

Internship certificate, Siemens AG, 1993
“…Mr. Widuch acquired the necessary specialist knowledge exceptionally quickly. His self-motivation, excellent articulation and ability to think in terms of customer and benefit advantages made him a recognized partner. Supervisors and colleagues value Mr. Widuch as an honest and self-confident employee with an open nature…”

Certificate of the final examination, Flensburg University of Applied Sciences, 1994
“…Thesis: very good, colloquium: very good. Overall grade: 1.87…”

Certificate of exmatriculation, Flensburg University of Applied Sciences, 1994
“…It is hereby confirmed that he has not definitively failed any examination under the examination regulations currently in force…”
Every country in the world envies us for this bureaucratic German: ‘definitively not’.

Reference letter, Siemens AG, 2007
“…as a mentor for managers from other divisions, Mr. Widuch was always a role model and coach. (…) In his manner, Mr. Widuch was always friendly and extremely confident and assertive, and impressed with excellent manners…(…)”.

I can’t quote more from this almost four-page reference, because I had written almost everything else in it myself, and it was signed without any further contribution from management or HR. Pragmatic, and quite common in many companies, but an incredibly stupid procedure. On my part, too.

ME – IN FIFTY WORDS

Hamburg native. Loner. Observer. Empath. Entrepreneur. Stubborn. Movie watcher. Independence-seeking. Child of the Baltic Sea. Precocious. Creative. Family man. Recalcitrant. Provocateur. Fast. Silent type. Distance-needing. Questioner. Organic near-vegetarian. Teasing. Philosopher. Analytical. Dropout. Annoying. Cheeky. Decision-maker. Cheerful. Structured. Free spirit. Fair. Brave. Maverick. Loyal. Piano enthusiast. Determined. Listener. Phone-call refuser. Innovator. Autodidact. Connoisseur. Early riser. Collector. Pool player. Dog person. Doer. Wine drinker. Persistent. Enthusiast.

WHAT DRIVES ME

The agnostic-spiritual answer: I have, from wherever, gifts and abilities in dealing with people and their topics that I want to contribute. The theistic answer: I myself don’t believe in any gods, so it is in all our hands to be the architects of our own happiness, and in my hands to help with that. The rational answer: I feel the greatest joy and affirmation from the positive feedback of people who, with my help, can make themselves a little happier. The material answer: my qualities are of great value to many people, which helps make my self-determined life possible. The selfish answer: I am curious and grow with every encounter. The paradoxical answer: engaging closely with people is very exhausting for me, and yet I love it.

In other words, my fascination with people doesn’t let go of me, nor does it fade: a continuing amazement, smiling and shaking my head. It touches me and drives me crazy to see when we humans don’t manage to spend the roughly 30,000 days of life we are lucky to be given as happily as possible, and/or make life even harder for ourselves and others along the way. My own experiences in times of personal failure, defeat, loss, grief and dead ends took away my precocious arrogance and made room for respect and humility. Only in my late thirties did I relearn how to allow real emotion and to cry freely. For all the temptation, I know that I know that I don’t know exactly how others are doing. What I am, what I know and what I can do, I offer.

OTHERS ABOUT ME

As nice as it is when the author holds forth undisturbed about himself, even more important is the perception of other people who have experienced me as a colleague, friend, boss, employee, opponent, supporter and in many other roles. Of course, it was mostly the friendly statements that were spoken, written and asked for by me. Nevertheless, I am probably also increasingly perceived this way where I want to be perceived. All of the following statements are taken from feedback, either in substance or word for word. I am happy to provide personal references if you would like them for your decision to work with me.

“…outstanding perception of the different perspectives and interests…”
“…always close to people…”
“…always positively persistent in seeking a solution…”
“…is at peace with himself.”
“…asks touching questions at the right moment…”
“…can enrich lives…”
“…competent, empathetic and unobtrusive conversation partner…”
“…speaks plainly when it matters.”
“…has a sense of humor that takes some getting used to.”
“…can be tough as nails…”
“…listens and gets to the heart of the problem…”
“…zooms in on the perspective of the individual and in the other direction, too…”
“…a partner who offers his knowledge to other people with wisdom, warmth and respect.”
“…committed and extremely capable person….”
“…can also be incredibly exhausting…”
“…can inspire with his ideas and his approach…”
“…he is someone who does what he says…”
“…when he does open his mouth, valuable things always come out…”
“…a very rare stroke of luck in competence, intelligence and quality…”
“…has become a confidant whom I also let close to my “core”.”
“…doesn’t take himself too seriously…”
“……is 100% trustworthy…”
“…has a very fine sense for nuances and undertones…”
“…unflagging energy and patience in giving orientation to people who want to take on responsibility.”
“…a pleasure to work with Marc…”
“…thinks almost obsessively from the customer and market perspective…”
“…very pragmatic in developing strategy…”
“…I was particularly impressed by Marc’s social skills…”
“…subtle kind of strong leadership in circles of diverse people and opinions…”
“…pronounced strength in analyzing complex situations and putting them into a logical sequence…”
“…has the ability to coach individuals and teams to their best performance…”
“…encourages creative thinking…”
“……is independent and incorruptible…”
“…strong perception of people as the key to success…”
“…convincing at all levels of the hierarchy…”
“…his principles, his sense of structure and justice can get on your nerves…”
“…addresses his concerns with enthusiasm and professionalism…”
“…as a mentor and coach, Marc can be demanding and exhausting…”
“…I benefited enormously from my time with Marc…”
“…I learned a great deal thanks to Marc’s open, friendly and motivating manner…”
“…a very capable coach and mentor for me in challenging project times…”
“…inspired me to find alternative and better solutions…”
“…opened up his network to me so that I could achieve my goals…”

THERE’S MORE

I usually call it ‘busy, versatile and interested’; others sometimes call it ‘restless, too many construction sites’. I love having several balls in the air and always looking for new challenges. A topic close to my heart since childhood has been pianos and pianolas from the golden era, which today has become FASZINATIONPIANOLA. Since pianolas can only play as beautifully as the music available on piano rolls, my business partner Daniel Heil and I founded iDMP to make the valuable recordings from the heyday of piano music available again. I am also the initiator and co-organizer of the Global Piano Roll Meeting GPRM. Together with my dear business partner and wonderful colleagues, I have been working with companies since 2006 as HANSECOACHING BERATUNGSCONTOR. I have probably always been interested in politics. In view of an increasingly complex and in parts increasingly crazy world, I am currently stepping up my activities to help strengthen liberal democracy. And since I have always wanted to write books that inspire other people, I have several manuscripts in progress.