Time to Grow

I live in Stockwell – an unprepossessing area of South London, which most people pass through en route to somewhere else, but to me it is home. As I suspect you already know, I am passionate about nature and our environment…perhaps partially inspired through osmosis from my parents and via the soil in my garden, whilst I tend my bees and plants.  I love my small patch of ground – an oasis away from the pollution, pace and pettiness out in the streets and office. I am sitting in the garden now, listening to a blackbird, perched on our neighbour’s chimney pot singing about its place in the world (as indeed am I in this blog). One of my mother’s lasting memories after my birth (she had a particularly gruelling time bringing me into the world, even though I only weighed 2.8lbs) is of a blackbird singing its heart out from a chimney pot, whilst she lay exhausted in bed, in what is now a defunct maternity hospital, less than 5 minutes walk from my current home. Perhaps this blackbird is a descendent of the one she listened to.  The connection and continuity appeals to me.

Part of the reason for my comment about osmosis is that my house is on land close to the original site of John Tradescant the Elder’s botanical garden. Tradescant, an English naturalist, gardener, collector and traveller, was an amazing man and can be credited as the father of modern English gardening, specialising in the garnering and nurturing of unusual plants.  He commenced his career as Head Gardener to Robert Cecil, 1^st Earl of Salisbury, and created the celebrated garden at Hatfield House (the place where Queen Elizabeth I spent much of her childhood) and eventually was retained by the King as “Keeper of his Majesty’s Gardens, Vines, and Silkworms”.

Hatfield House, Knot Garden

In 1610/11 Cecil sent Tradescant to the Low Countries to select fruit trees and Tradescant returned with trees, plants and bulbs never before seen in England. This was the start of his life as a botanical pioneer. He and his son (John Tradescant the Younger) travelled abroad, as well as requesting others to collect specimens, to add to his collection.  Tradescant assembled a miscellany of curiosities (of natural history and ethnography), which he housed in “The Ark” – his home in Lambeth.  This amalgamation of rare and unusual natural and man-made objects established what was the first English museum to be open to the public, the Musaeum Tradescantianum and demonstrates Tradescant’s passion for learning and his altruism towards his fellow men and the world around him. After Tradescant’s death, the collection was acquired by Elias Ashmole and he bequeathed it to Oxford University as the nucleus of the Ashmolean Museum, the world’s first university museum. I love seats of learning.

John Tradescant the Elder
(portrait attributed to Cornelis de Neve) 

Although I honeymooned in Oxford, I studied at “The Other Place” and it was a real treat earlier this month to share my alma mater, Cambridge, with some of my colleagues and exceptional professionals and friends during a pioneering leadership development event, designed and run in conjunction with the Judge Business School. We took advantage of the amazing locations around the University to run some inspirational sessions covering a range of key topics including self-awareness, leadership styles, coaching cultures, communication, team dynamics and the traits of high performing teams. On our final night we had the privilege of dining in Cambridge’s equivalent of the Ashmolean – The Fitzwilliam Museum. The former Director of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, stated that, “Like the British Museum, the Fitzwilliam addresses the history of culture in terms of the visual forms it has assumed, but does so from the highly selective point of view of the collector connoisseur. Works of art have been taken into the collection not only for the historical information they reveal, but for their beauty, excellent quality, and rarity…It is a widely held opinion that the Fitzwilliam is the finest small museum in Europe.” Standing, conversing with colleagues surrounded by exquisite works of art, it was impossible not to agree.

Entrance Hall and stairs leading to galleries
Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge

How fortunate am I to be able to learn from, share and enjoy such treasures and memories, and also to be able to select my own dream team with whom to make the event such a success? I don’t often get given flowers, like a prima ballerina, for putting on a great show, but I did this time and they are still gracing my kitchen table. They make me smile whenever I look at them. It’s funny how impactful a meaningful “Thank you” can be. The personal notes from attendees have been heart-warming and inspiring. Hardened corporate cynics have emailed and written by hand to say that it was the best learning event that they have ever attended, some called it life-changing. Younger members of the group stated that they now appreciate where we, as a business, are going and what they need to do to enable success both for themselves and for the firm.  I am indebted to the wonderful professionals who, far more than I, made such an impact – especially:

• Tim Bellis, and Mark de Rond – both inspirational speakers and men I am humbled to call my friends;
• Stacey Clifford and Hannah Winchester of Judge – without whom the seamless coordination of the event could not have happened;
• Des Woods of the Moeller PSF Group (who can bring case studies to life like no other I know);
• David Goddin and David D’Souza who really brought home the power of coaching, encouraged all to participate, and who demonstrated the need to be adaptive to become a great leader, as well as bringing together the key messages from the event:
• Ben Hardy – an engaging and authoritative communicator who is also a dab hand with Lego;
• Lord Wilson of Dinton – whose knowledge, wisdom and ability to engage with a diverse audience is a lesson to all would-be-leaders; and finally
• Simon Heath – who can capture the essence of an experience, through a few simple lines, so that people see things in a different way and the learning sticks. 

You are truly a group of high-flying professionals who are a joy to work with. Our shortlisting for this year’s HR Excellence Awards is due in part to you and your influence.

Thank you!

Drawing by Simon Heath
Summarising achievements at Cambridge

It is a genuine pleasure watching and helping people learn and grow – that is one of the reasons why I love being in HR.  There are similarities between HR and designing and tending a garden.  Good HR takes time, it is often hard work and a thankless task, but the fruits of your labours can be fantastic. Frequently the most apparently uninspiring bulbs or roots, with some care and support, suddenly sprout and blossom. Productivity can be found in unlikely places. Last week I had the felicity of attending the RHS’s Chelsea Flower Show – certainly the most famous UK show and probably the best known floral event in the world. It was delightful to wander amongst the different gardens and displays.  I am in awe at the skill true horticulturalists display in bringing together textures, colours, vistas, scents and contrasts, with an incredible eye for detail, to create exceptional spaces that evoke emotions as well as being visually stunning. Each exhibit had its own style and personality and, as many of my friends on Twitter now know, certain gardens and plants reminded me of friends. I find that having a connection to nature makes me feel more alive and helps me grow, so that I want to sing like a blackbird.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaSMROk-D-A

Beatles Blackbird, 1968 

(lyrics were inspired by the civil rights movement in America)

Gardens inspire many people, this poem, Lines Written in Kensington Gardens – was composed by Matthew Arnold in 1852: In this lone, open glade I lie, Screen’d by deep boughs on either hand; And at its end, to stay the eye, Those black-crown’d, red-boled pine-trees stand! Birds here make song, each bird has his, Across the girdling city’s hum. How green under the boughs it is! How thick the tremulous sheep-cries come! Sometimes a child will cross the glade To take his nurse his broken toy; Sometimes a thrush flit overhead Deep in her unknown day’s employ. Here at my feet what wonders pass, What endless, active life is here! What blowing daisies, fragrant grass! An air-stirr’d forest, fresh and clear. Scarce fresher is the mountain-sod Where the tired angler lies, stretch’d out, And, eased of basket and of rod, Counts his day’s spoil, the spotted trout. In the huge world, which roars hard by, Be others happy if they can! But in my helpless cradle I Was breathed on by the rural Pan. I, on men’s impious uproar hurl’d, Think often, as I hear them rave, That peace has left the upper world And now keeps only in the grave. Yet here is peace for ever new! When I who watch them am away, Still all things in this glade go through The changes of their quiet day. Then to their happy rest they pass! The flowers upclose, the birds are fed, The night comes down upon the grass, The child sleeps warmly in his bed. Calm soul of all things! make it mine To feel, amid the city’s jar, That there abides a peace of thine, Man did not make, and cannot mar. The will to neither strive nor cry, The power to feel with others give! Calm, calm me more! nor let me die Before I have begun to live. Luciano Giubbilei's garden for Laurent-Perrier Best in Show, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2014 Be inspired and live life to the full - Don't waste time; we are surrounded by such wonderful things. A dandelion clock found in my garden https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LTZdZDEjTs Alexander Rybak – Song from a Secret Garden A perfect rose seen at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2014 A single flow’r he sent me, since we met. All tenderly his messenger he chose; Deep-hearted, pure, with scented dew still wet – One perfect rose. I knew the language of the floweret; “My fragile leaves,” it said, “his heart enclose.” Love long has taken for his amulet One perfect rose. Why is it no one ever sent me yet One perfect limousine, do you suppose? Ah no, it’s always just my luck to get One perfect rose. (Dorothy Parker, of course)

Free Bird

A little earlier this year a well-known and respected HRD commented that consultants and contractors do not have the same “skin in the game” as permanent employees and hence do not put in as much effort as their established colleagues. Although I think I understand the logic behind his statement, and perhaps I am just lucky, my experience of self-employed individuals during the past year has been the exact opposite. Without exception, the itinerant and contract members of the team have put in as much thought and effort as their permanently employed co-workers.  Indeed, without their help we would not have achieved significant, desired and beneficial change across the organisation where I work.

Last week the Independent published an article entitled “Is this the death of the traditional employee?” It highlighted some significant changes that have occurred within the UK since 2010, one striking fact is that according to data released and celebrated by the coalition government, 2/5 of all new jobs have arisen as a result of a significant growth in self-employed workers. 15% of the UK workforce (circa 4.5 million people) are now freelance workers. The article goes on to ponder whether these people have been forced into self-employment (perhaps as an alternative to retirement, having been made redundant following the economic collapse in 2008, or because of a loss of income support but still needing to provide for themselves and perhaps a family).  Similar points about the rise in the self-employed sector are made by Barrie Hopson, the co-author, with Katie Ledger, of “And What Do You Do?: 10 Steps to Creating a Portfolio Career”, on his blog.

Many hats are required for a successful portfolio career

I am aware of the issues for many people on zero-hour contracts (as indeed are many more of us, now that Ed Miliband is planning to use it as his calling card to persuade the Scots to remain united with England and Wales).

A better blogger than I, Rick, who writes Flip Chart Fairy Tales, has been raising the matter of self-employment and the poverty trap for over a year now – if you want data on the subject read his recent post on the self-employed – the nouveau pauvre. I don’t in anyway wish to seem to be supporting the increasing divide between the affluent and the poor.  It is a matter of concern that the median self-employed annual salary is only £12,000 per annum. The Independent’s piece questioned whether, as the employment market picks-up, these people will seek permanent employment.  Perhaps the recruitment firms, or the websites such as LinkedIn, Monster and Jobsite are best placed to answer that, as they will see the number of job seekers in relation to opportunities. However, in my experience, the people who are self-employed and currently working with me (and who admittedly are not on incomes of £12,000) have no desire to resume employment with a single business.

Rich/Poor Divide
King George V driving to Epsom Derby, 1920 
with a beggar running beside his carriage

I like the fact that I can bring in particular expertise, such as an artist and corporate observer or a great coach and L&D expert, or a truly smart OD specialist, as and when I need them, but that I don’t have talented individuals, on my payroll but not using their specialist skills, when an internal requirement is not there. Talking with the freelancers I work with, they love the variety of multiple challenges that their choice of career provides and they find the diversity of projects and organisations enjoyable. I learn from them and they gain skills from doing stuff for my organisation. We all have fun and it is rewarding. I am fussy and believe in working with people I like and respect and whom I know will do things better than I could. When I returned to work following maternity leave I only did so after I had hired a nanny who was significantly better at looking after children than I was. I apply a similar approach to hiring self-employed specialists.

I am probably the biggest winner from the arrangement. In a fortnight’s time I am co-facilitating an industry leading Leadership Development programme in conjunction with the Professional Services team at Judge Business School of Cambridge University.  In addition to the academics, I have brought together a number of experts – how lucky am I to be able to assemble a dream team with complimentary skills? Doing things like this in real life beats any fantasy football game and I learn from and thrive on the diversity of thinking and approach.

Super heroes - a dream team

In some ways, I am a good example of a portfolio careerist.  However, I started enjoying the benefits of variety long before the term came into common parlance. The author Erin Albert who wrote “Plan C: The Full-Time Employee and Part-Time Entrepreneur” says that individuals who are trying to decide whether they should stick to working for a sole employer or to become a freelance entrepreneur should look at the patterns of their earlier life and what they enjoy/have been successful at doing, especially when at college or university.  I deliberately immersed myself in a broad gamut of areas when a student, from acting, debating, rowing, painting, cooking, rugby, academic studies, running a fly fishing school, belonging to societies, organising balls and charity events, socialising, holding down a job and I was vice chair of the JCR and president of the Law society, as well as being captain of the first boat for my college. I have always been fond of personal freedom and variety it brings.

Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynrd 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np0solnL1XY&feature=kp

Much of the secret of success is being able to understand yourself and to appreciate what you enjoy and are good at.  As well as capability and desire, you need a degree of self-discipline and focus and possess the skills of a juggler, to hold down multiple roles. 

Marc Chagall, The Juggler (1943)

If you are unsure as to the kind of environment that suits you best and what you should look for from your work environment, this simple quiz might aid your thinking.

In my career, I have been so fortunate to date, in that I have been able to cross successfully between different roles and sectors. I am a lawyer who has worked as a derivatives dealer within the financial markets, before deciding that I find people more interesting than numbers or contracts (although I can do both). I have worked in corporate psychology and founded and lead successful businesses, before moving into HR. Everything I have done has added to my knowledge and skills and I bring bits together to help me solve problems every day (both at work and in my broader life). My Twitter self-description of being a “creative connector” applies to how I work, as well as to the opportunities I am able to provide by connecting people I know.

Variety is the spice of life
Spices in the market in Marrakech, Morocco 

How fortunate I am. I thank you for being the people I interact with and with whom I have done and I am able to do interesting and varied things. If I can help you or if you need someone to bounce ideas off, I would be delighted to hear from you.

I'm Lucky - Live performance by Joan Armatrading

Three Men in a Boat having a Cracking Time

What an odd language English is - “career” can describe when a person has been in an occupation for a significant period, during which time they have had opportunities to develop and progress, focusing on a vocational direction and enjoying a sense of purpose at work; “career” can also refer to something that swerves in an uncontrolled manner.  I know various people in high profile roles, some of whom claim to have got there through focus and dedication, whilst others have confess to having simply accepted opportunities as/when they have arisen.  Of course, one could argue that favourable circumstances would not arise unless an individual deserved them and hence perhaps subconsciously our careers are more under control than we believe them to be.  I suspect that part of the trick is being able to spot an opportunity when it presents itself, as well as knowing the direction in which you wish to go.  This short clip sort of demonstrates what I mean...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdFZw1Q-SBg

Anther peculiar English phrase is “cracking up” - it can be used to signify an individual’s collapse under severe pressure,  

Extraordinary body painting by artist
Johannes Stoetter

but “cracking up” is also used to describe a person succumbing to humour by laughing, almost to the point of crying, and being unable to stop themselves from doing so.  

However, if the joke that is promised proves not to be all that it’s “cracked up to be”, it is unlikely that they will laugh at all.  Fragmented narratives and missing punch-lines (due to cracked delivery?) can quite ruin a good story.  Did you know that “crack” comes from the Middle English “crak” meaning an enthusiastic, loud conversation (that is often boastful) - hence the expression “What’s the Crack?”, meaning "what’s the news or gossip?".  Which brings me to the point of this post -  I want to spread the word about an extraordinary venture that is underway as I type...
 

An Englishman, a Dutchman and a Brazilian are in a boat with a hole in it, rowing the second longest river on Earth – sounds like the start to a bad joke, but this is a much more enthralling story.  I first met Dr Mark de Rond when he presented to some of my firm’s global top talent at a bespoke leadership development programme, run with the Judge Business School, at Cambridge.  Mark is a social anthropologist and performance specialist with expert knowledge in the fields of teamsmanship, high achievement, collaboration and inter-dependence.  He believes in physically living with his research subjects (groups of exceptional people including elite rowers and combat surgeons).  Mark teamed up with Anton Wright, Head Coach and Boatman for Clare College, Cambridge and Coach for the University Lightweights.  Initially both men thought that the simple venture of rowing together down the Amazon (which in itself would be a world record making first) would be a personally enlightening experience, teaching them both about how they respond to and interact with another human when there is nobody else on whom to depend for a number of weeks.  They also knew that the row would provide them each with a significant period for self-reflection.

However, the adventure to date has given them much more to contemplate and proved that they possess skills, hidden depths and personal reserves beyond those they were anticipating needing.  The record attempt has been fraught with frustrations:

• Peruvian customs impounded the boat for almost a month – thereby delaying the start of the row.  Mark and Anton are due back in Cambridge to resume their “day jobs” and hence delay is potentially a disaster;

• the shipping agent filed incorrect documentation, thus risking the food and medication for the trip being impounded;

• the boat was protected during its voyage from the UK by old car tyres (for which there was no import approval) this nearly resulted in the trip having to be cancelled;

• with time running out, Mark and Anton had to locate an additional crew member, without whom there would be no hope of achieving the record in the remaining time available.  The crew now includes Murilo Reis – whom Mark has described as mentally tough, unafraid and experienced.  Murilo is a warrior and a passionate environmentalist, owner of a jungle reserve, who loves and understands the Amazon region.  There are many benefits to having a local, Spanish-speaking member of the crew – Other than for the fact that Mark and Anton did not know him a month ago, I am mildly surprised that he wasn’t part of the initial plan;

• Mark and Anton had a 6 week timetable – 9 days to get to the border (now to be achieved in 5), 16 days to reach Manaus (now reduced to 10) and instead of 18 days only 15 to cover the final stretch – only time will tell if this is possible; and

• the boat was damaged whist in storage and, despite attempts to mend it, resulting in further delays, the men are now rowing a leaking vessel and they have many miles to go.

The manner in which they responded to each new challenge is a case study in resilience, endurance, prioritisation, dedication, the importance of remaining out-come focused and responsive planning.  At times each member of the team has supported and enabled the others to succeed and thrive.  They are very different men, but their strength lies in their diversity and united determination.  We in business would do well to learn from the manner in which they have coped, effectively overcoming the hurdles confronting them.  

They have made a great start.  The best site on which to follow the journey is Voyage Manager (who have provided the tracking equipment for the expedition): 

http://www.voyagemanager.com/Explorer/Row_The_Amazon_2013/Row_The_Amazon_2013.aspx

It is fascinating watching the progress of the little boat through the sinuous paths of the Amazon - you can tell how wet the region is as, at times, the craft seems to be ploughing through land towards its destination.  Some of the Twitter updates are magical - this morning (still darkest night for them) the boat was surrounded by a pod of pink dolphins, swimming in escort under a sky of uncountable stars. 

I urge you to follow the adventure.  There are fantastic tweets on Twitter via @RowtheAmazon and a great website with an entertaining blog. http://www.rowtheamazon.com/index.html#blog

I am learning much about myself simply through my reactions to their voyage and there is no doubt that all three men will gain a considerable amount from the adventure, as will Leonard Cheshire Disability (the charity for whom they are rowing).  It is seldom that members of the public can witness a unique piece of anthropological research and actually participate (if even only to a small extent) by providing support and contact from the rest of the world.  I know that the crew would appreciate hearing from you either through tweets or by comments on their blog.

It is an amazing story and all I can say to them is “crack on and not just for the sake of your careers”.