261113 1500 IRCAI_UCL_Event_TPs_Cedric_Wachholz_Panel.docx

a proven capacity to manage competing priorities and meet tight deadlines

At UNESCO, I was tasked with drafting talking points for my Chief, my supervisor’s supervisor, for an event on Monday. The revised event details only arrived on Thursday evening, which left me just Friday to prepare and submit everything. On top of that, my direct supervisor, the Programme Specialist, was leaving that same day for COP31.

I had to balance two competing priorities. The first was making sure the Chief received the material before the weekend, with enough time to prepare. The second was respecting the reporting line by having my supervisor review it first. If I did not submit on Friday, the Chief would have had to review the talking points in a rush on Monday morning.

I first completed the talking points within the day. I then discussed the situation with my teammates so we could weigh the options together. We agreed that I would report to my supervisor first and, once approved, send the final version straight to the Chief. In parallel, I prepared a calendar invitation with all the event details so the Chief could see everything at a glance.

My supervisor reviewed it before boarding the plane and approved sending it to the Chief right away. As a result, we kept the reporting line intact, and the Chief received the material before the weekend and had time to prepare properly.

This taught me that when time is tight, the answer is not to skip the process but to make reporting concise and clear, so decision-makers can act quickly. Next time, I would also agree on a fallback plan in advance in case a response is delayed.