My posting was delayed for a while. But, of course, I was aware of the delay. Still, I stopped writing because I did not think I could write anything interesting when I was too occupied with urgent matters.
Every autumn in Japan, there are applications for competitive research grants called the Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research. The deadline was October 5th this year. Under the current COVID-19 pandemic, some staff wish to work from home, but I asked them to come to the office only during the week of the deadline.
Even after the period of this grant application is over, my office work will continue without a break. However, I asked my staff to gather, and we praised each other for their contributions when the deadline passed. I also asked the staff member who acted as the leader to give a speech. We spent only 15 minutes or less on this casual ceremony. However, I learned the strength of the team’s unity anew and was very impressed.