"I plan for spontaneity"

• April 10, 2024
• Lukas Heger (guest author of Pluswert)
• no comments

What is Irene Baumann's superpower? This question does not arise with Irene. Or at least not like this. "Super" means something like "above" and therefore calls for a comparison such as "fast" to "super-fast". Irene doesn't like comparison or competition with other people, she has never liked it - not even in gym class. She doesn't compete with others, only with herself. However, in Irene's inner world, the bar can be set quite high. She has to think things through in depth, has high expectations of herself and wants to develop further. But not in order to leave other people behind, but to leave misconceptions behind and thus approach other people with more understanding. According to one of her favorite quotes from Nelson Mandela, there is nothing to lose: "You cannot lose - you can only win or learn."

Strength lies in tranquillity

One power, or perhaps a "superpower", that emanates from Irene is her calmness. Calmness requires sovereignty. And this requires far-sighted planning and internal and external order. "A good mise en place is the be-all and end-all," Irene is convinced. "Order is half the battle". This sentence could also have come from her. Because order and planning in one half of life allows for spontaneity and flexibility in the other - both professionally and privately, as Irene says. For example, she plans a trip well in advance. Everything about the trip, including the first and last day, is meticulously organized. This allows her to be very spontaneous during these days and to adapt flexibly to the circumstances. She often only reads the travel guide on the plane. This flexibility and freedom is no less important to Irene than the planned, organized part: "I plan spontaneity - that gives me freedom."

Egg or chicken?

Irene's pronounced sense of order brought her into the 5-star hotel industry after hotel management school. Or was it the other way around? - Was her sense of order only developed in this environment? "Every cushion has to be in the right place, the curtains perfectly draped and the plants in their rightful place," Irene remembers the demands of a 5-star hotel - and also the fact that she loved rearranging and tidying her room as a child - egg. Working in the hotel industry appealed to Irene not only because of the structure, but also because of the diverse, international staff and guests. Her warm-hearted interest in people, combined with the 5-star skills she had acquired and her desire for new things, brought the Bernese native from the Schweizerhof in Zurich back to Bern: to the SBB Businesspoint, the predecessor of the zentroom. Here she was put in charge of operations, a position she retained when the Businesspoint was sold to Witzig three years later. She then crossed paths with the other zentroomies when the Businesspoint changed hands again three years later and evolved into today's zentroom.

Distribution of roles

Today's coworking space "zentroom" looks like the entrance to an oasis right from the reception - a counterpoint to the hectic outside world, four floors below in Bern main station. The atmosphere is both warm and professional. The furnishings and color coordination of the furniture show great attention to detail. The "Space" is a joint effort by the zentroomies, which obviously has a lot of "Irene" in it. In addition to her role as guest relations manager, which all zentroomies have, she is also responsible for account management, HR-related roles and the "5-star decoration". Of course, she is also responsible for the "mise en place", i.e. the long-term and short-term planning of organizational processes and development. The professional organization not only makes Irene appear calm and structured as a person, but also the working environment, which is appreciated by guests and the team alike. Thomas, the head roomie, puts it like this: "Irene makes sure that everything is in order and neatly documented. Her sense of duty, process-oriented thinking and passionate organization make her indispensable to us. She gives us and, above all, the company the necessary structure."

Blue Ivy, Meredith Gray and Miss Blueberry Muffin

Incidentally, anyone who associates characteristics such as "conscientious and orderly" or "process-oriented" with colorless is wrong about Irene in several respects. Irene radiates the color green to zentroomie Tanja "because she is the calming influence of zentroom", Tanja explains her perception and adds: "Irene has an overview and perspective, a big heart and radiates positive vibes." In the psychology of colors, green creates a balance between heart and head, between emotions and rationality. There is no doubt that Irene is not lacking in emotion, despite her rational way of thinking, due to her empathetic approach to people. But Irene takes it a step or a turn of the wheel further. She empathizes with the psyche of her three bikes, which she lovingly and colour-coordinatedly calls "Blue Ivy", "Meredith Gray" and "Miss Blueberry Muffin". Her first bike, or rather her faithful companion, was "Lotte", who unfortunately died of a broken frame, which was accompanied by a few tears at the time. "Last summer, I often gave preference to Meredith and Miss Muffin on the bikes stationed in Bern because Miss Muffin only has three gears. That sometimes made me feel guilty towards Miss Muffin," Irene recalls with a self-deprecating smile. "Life is like a bicycle. You have to move forward so as not to lose your balance." This quote from Albert Einstein sums up one of Irene's core values: constantly moving forward in a balance between planning and spontaneity, both in life and on one of the three bicycles.