The final quarter of a successful business year is now behind us, and the first quarter of a new one is in full swing. For us as a team, this time of the year is an opportunity to talk about what we did well. But it's also a chance for us to discuss what we could do better, to ensure that we are able to stay ahead of the competition and to meet the needs of our customers. The year-end process is an opportunity to give and to ask for feedback. But these end-of-year reviews aren't the only opportunity to give and receive feedback — as I've previously covered in our priority program "The Big Dipper". Feedback is an everyday part of our culture, and we've been working on further developing this aspect for some time. Your upcoming performance reviews are a formal way to share feedback, and I would encourage all of you to see them as a two-way street. Giving and receiving feedback and constructive criticism is the only way for us to grow and improve as individuals and as teams.

We strive to make improvements at both the individual and the team level. Professional training and classes help us do just that, and our new learning platform on the TEAM ZEISS website, CurioZ, offers numerous opportunities to expand your knowledge and expertise in a digital environment which is attractive, relevant and easy to use. Apart from hosting mandatory classes and product/process training, CurioZ also enables you to learn more about ZEISS, digitalization, leadership, IT and new languages. And there's even a class on how to give and receive feedback. It's up to you to take advantage of these learning opportunities. Stay CurioZ!

As always, I look forward to hearing from all of you and receiving feedback about CurioZ, about your performance reviews, and even about your feedback. Send me an email or come talk to me the next time you see me.

Yours,
Jan Willem