I cannot remember a time when there has not been someone in my life that
I have not looked up to. Whilst there are those people that you admire because
of what they have achieved or because they take a stand for something that is
highly publicised that makes them famous in reality we will probably never meet
them especially if they have departed this world. So let’s explore those
individuals that are a little closer to home and have a positive impact on our
lives that help us achieve success by providing one of the key ingredients
required that of “inspiration”.
Inspiration can be defined as “a person, object, or situation which
stimulates an influence upon the intellect, emotions or creativity”. All of
us at some point have looked up to people that have had a positive effect on
us. But consider this rhetorical question “What stops you becoming a hero
in your own life?”
For the majority, our search for inspiration starts with Mum and Dad and
then probably a teacher at school. From the beginning these characters play a
major part in your story as they exert influence and start to shape you as
people from a young age. You usually find inspiration when your not looking for
it and it is usually arrives in the form of someone who has your best interests
at heart, can see your potential and gets their reward from seeing you develop
and achieve your goals. This is balanced by you looking up to them for the very
things that they have achieved and for me this is when the cross over occurs
from purely mentoring to becoming a hero. They become the same.
People constantly come and go in life especially in your professional
career. Personal development is another critical ingredient required for
achieving your goals. You will constantly learn as long as you open your mind,
be prepared to listen, and constructively question and challenge.
We work the majority of our lives so the working environment from a
social perspective takes up a significant part of our lives. The advent of
modern technology and online social ecosystems means that there is a much
higher propensity for people to continually cross over between our business and
personal lives. Life’s mentors and personal relationships can have a profound
impact on you as an individual and you often find you subconsciously develop
strong emotional attachments.
My Own Story – A Baptism of Fire
As an 18 year old I went straight from school into Lloyds Bank as a
Computer Operator (aka – I printed bank statements and made the tea badly).
However wanting much more right from the start, I subconsciously “disrupted”
the status quo of the work place just by bringing lots of energy, a can do
attitude, and an ability to question absolutely everything as I was trying to
learn. I was one of an intake of around twenty individuals the first major
recruitment in years and no-one really knew how to manage us. What didn’t help
is at 18 you don’t even know how to manage yourself. All the things we should teach
in schools definitely didn’t exist then. Simple things such as knowing how to
work effectively as part of a team which doesn’t come naturally to everyone but
is fundamental when in the working environment was something I personally
struggled with. Looking back I was totally focused on “me” and not the team or
what we were trying to achieve. What I viewed as positive was quite the
opposite – in-fact it became incredibly depressing and for a while completely
ruined my life to the point I dreaded even going to work.
However I was extremely lucky. A few people could see I had loads of
potential but it needed to be controlled, developed and channelled. I came
across these individuals who were in hindsight “disruptors” themselves who
engineered in getting me seconded onto a special delivery project (no easy
political feat back then), that unknown to me at the time was specifically
going to be a 9 month “crash course” in developing me both as a person as well
as technically.
I look back at it now and still remember the horror, when suddenly and
unexpectedly given this wonderful opportunity to work on a beta test programme
with the then mighty IBM implementing at the time what was state of the art
automation software for mainframe computer operations I was completely out of
my depth. I had gone from the bottom run on the ladder to joining the very best
and brightest brains Lloyds had at the time. Not only was I the youngest I
questioned my intellectual capacity to even do the task being asked and really
struggled. I was 20 years old and though I had thought I could do anything I
found out very quickly the complete opposite and became completely consumed
with self-doubt.
However speaking to those who mentored me then years later they
indicated as well as them having “a good laugh at me in private to bring me
down to the earth!” this was all part of their master plan to effectively turn
the “boy into a man”. This was about controlling and channelling my energy and
about how they could leverage my perspective as part of the wider team
especially my speed of thought and somewhat unique ability to see how computer
operations for a major UK and International Bank could be radically changed..
The project wasn’t about implementing new automated software this was regime
change in the very department I had originally joined and had upset -
they needed new thinking and fresh blood. What made it worse was the business
outcome of the project was going to reduce the headcount by a third (with
redundancies) and they were going to send me back for a year to be part of the
implementation team to do it! – Popular or what? keep in view my already
somewhat tarnished reputation.
However for my mentors the project wasn’t about just teaching me as an
individual technical skills and the fledging art of “Project Management” which
back in 1991 was extremely new and ground breaking, but a strong focus on
personal development - how to work as part of a team; how to lead a team; how
to deal with difficult situations and most importantly how to follow and be a
team player. Also they taught me how to make the most of my abilities and they
laid the very foundation stones that in later years would become my personal
competitive advantage.
My mentors spent significant amounts of time with me developing and
teaching me how to question not just others but most importantly myself, this
enabled me with true insight as to how my actions impacted others around me. I
learned to shut up, watch and listen. Rule of thumb, if your not the smartest
person in the room then keep quiet, listen and learn!
As for Lloyds when I returned to the front line Computer Operations I
was better prepared, supported, and I was passed over to another mentor who
looked after me and then took me to another level.
Be Inspired – “Fuel In The Tank”
My mentors became my heroes. I looked up to them and in some ways I
wanted what they had. They had a profound effect on my life. Roll on 25 years
and some of these people are still very much in my life, they have been my
customers, and have even have worked for me (my turn to smile), and some are my
closest personal friends. They are my first point of call when I want to think
something through and understand the “cause and effect” of a particular course
of action before I take it.
These individuals continue to be prepared to invest their time in me and
push me to excel. Everytime I achieved a goal they just push me further,
indicating that even when I do achieve excellence do I have what it takes to
stay there? To do this you need constant “fuel in the tank” by the way of
inspiration. However as they constantly point out I am now of an age where I
need to inspire myself as well as look to others, especially as I have to lead
Certus, a company of 50+ across two continents and growing. How can I inspire
others, if I can’t inspire myself?
So how do I inspire myself? I just look at things totally unrelated to
Certus as a business directly completely differently and then apply it. For
example this weekend I watched a film with my two boys called “Streetdance” –
absolutely brilliant, but the story was the clash of cultures and dance styles
– Ballet v Streetdance – polarised or what? So quickly apply this to business –
Project Management in development – Waterfall Approach v Agile. What’s right?
They both are – where do you maximise benefit? by fusing the best bits of both
together. (Watch the film – you’ll understand what I am saying, it’s a great
film by the way – he laughs and I can’t dance!)
The Overlap between Business and Personal Lives
Something I have touched upon previously before and will continue to do
so. Time has taught me to value even more those individuals that have played a
significant part in my personal life over the years and their impact on my
professional life. This may sound really odd but trust me that when your
running a business it totally consumes you and you easily lose touch with those
closest around you. It’s a big warning to all who embark on this journey.
But I have my heroes in my personal life, and they are even more
important as those in my professional working life. Talking to them gives me
total perspective. When I don’t talk to them I miss them, feel empty inside and
something feels very wrong. Some people and events stay with you for ever even
to the point they can define your life to such an extent that you can never let
go.
They love you regardless for what and who you are, flaws and all. They
celebrate your successes and become a part of your story as you reciprocate and
become part of theirs. When you stumble and fall they are there to pick you up
again. This is the very fabric of your life.
Remember - We are all Flawed, even Our Hero’s
Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, but what they have in common is
that the true heroes are the ones that can have a massively positive impact on
your life, and not just your career. You find these people have such monumental
belief in you that you can not only reach but exceed your potential, and
become a better person for it, as others around you also benefit. Trust me it’s
a lot more personally rewarding when your team is successful and not just you
as an individual.
But remember as human beings it’s our flaws in our character that really
makes us who we are. The majority of people don’t want to be on a pedal-stall
so we shouldn’t put people there. People fail, and you will only get
disappointed if your hero does something you don’t perceive as right.
Contribution - Giving Something Back
I am not setting out to be a hero myself but the importance of sharing
and developing others is critical. I guess these things go full circle, and I
will have already had a profound positive impact on others careers. Selfishly I
would say my business would not be successful if I didn’t do this, but this
isn’t about Certus it’s about wanting to see people reach their true potential
and beyond. As Kevin Stacey says “If you are lucky enough to do well it’s
your responsibility to send the elevator back down”.
Whilst I don’t have all the answers I do know this that we all need
heroes in our lives. As for Lloyds Bank, this may be the only time in my life I
actually say thank you to a bank, and the people there that turned a “boy into
a man” and contributing to making me who
I am today.
So to answer that rhetorical question “What stops you becoming a hero
in your own life?” – the answer is simple “Only you” as David Bowie
said “We can be Heroes, for ever and ever, What do you say?”
Epilogue: This blog was written the day before David Bowie passed away. RIP David Bowie, you were truly a hero to many.
Epilogue: This blog was written the day before David Bowie passed away. RIP David Bowie, you were truly a hero to many.
