Flexibility is the best work-life balance to have

Wetumwene Shikage

Rene Traut practices as an industrial engineer consultant for various companies. Entrepreneurship continues to be one venture which does not fail for many. Traut says he has adapted to it and is flexible and manages to balance business well.

Many Namibian professionals have proven that entrepreneurship requires hard work, determination and endurance. Traut has been self-employed on a consulting basis for four years now and says this is the best decision he could have made throughout his working career. He says being flexible is the best work-life balance to have.

“Completing my MBA through a distance study programme from Germany has been one of my biggest and biggest accomplishments. On the other hand, my biggest challenge has been working in a corporate environment. This is because the fact that flexibility is not guaranteed,” he said.

Struggling to stay motivated when others have control over the work you can or cannot do was also a challenge for Traut.

Propelling forward

The company is currently working on a few projects hoping that one of them will really take off. Traut explains that the goal is to be financially stable once his first daughter goes to school in 2023.

Traut wishes to further his studies to attain a PhD in 2023. He says completing his MBA also goes to show other people that it is possible to be busy with many things and still manage to achieve goals.

Traut’s typical day is different from the previous and the next. Some things remain standard, including taking his daughter to pre-school, going to his office, having a cup of coffee and casual meetings with staff. He continues to tick off his to-do list and tries to get as many meetings going as possible in order to network.

On days when he has more time to himself, he dives into music and sports, which he believes contribute towards a work-life balance needed to stay focused.

Traut’s education includes studying industrial engineering in Cape Town, which he finished with a B-Tech at Cape Tech. He continued to complete his MBA at the Steinbeis University of Berlin. After attaining these qualifications, he was employed in the corporate sphere for 12 years, after which he became self-employed and currently practises as an industrial engineer consultant for various companies.

“It is important to obtain some sort of education, be it theoretical or practical. People want to see achievements, experience and ambition. Stand by what you say and believe in, have goals, work towards these goals and make sure you progress in life. If you do this, you don’t have to explain yourself to anybody,” Traut advises.

He said he was very fortunate to have a free and healthy childhood thanks to his parents. “My entire childhood is a good memory. The most important thing we will ever do in our life time is parenting. Children are the next generation and if they don’t have hope, I don’t know where this world will end up one day,” he said.

Ten facts about Traut

1. He is punctual and precise.

2. He is accountable and self-disciplined.

3. He believes that networking is a great tool to move forward.

4. He is very optimistic.

5. Traut is competent in his expertise.

6. He is a passionate musician and sportsman.

7. He is open, but also stubborn.

8. He is sometimes too laid-back.

9. Easy and soft spoken.

10. Traut wants to achieve a PhD by 2023.