A Year In

The annual anniversary on LinkedIn is a funny old thing. It always comes round faster than it should and it’s always incredibly touching that people take time out to send congratulations and messages. My heartfelt thanks to you all.

Marcel Proust said ‘the real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes’. This has never resonated more strongly than it does now.

New job syndrome doesn’t necessarily get harder the older you get, although it does take longer to get roots down. Roots being the things that tie you into the beating heart of the organization and its people. These things can’t be rushed and if, as I do, you attach huge importance to emotional intelligence and coherence amongst a team, they need to go deep to work.

Perception and reality are rarely the same thing. I’ve joined every business thinking I’ve a pretty good handle on the business, and then realizing that is never quite the case. Nigel’s business has been a delight to discover. Great components in the strength of the senior team, the culture, a deep sincerity in service and approach to clients and highly motivated people in every discipline. All underwritten with a desire to do the right thing.

But in the same way as I’ve joined every business thinking I know myself, a new role tests us in ways which we can never imagine. Physically and mentally, adjusting to a new employer in turn shapes us in how we perform and who we continue to become. It’s a demanding phase that is played against a shifting backdrop of life’s many variables. Experience is a huge stabilizer – the knowledge and wisdom that comes with the ‘seen this before’. However stage of life is unpredictable and after 35 years in the workplace, mine is forcing me to question my purpose and make a lasting difference. 

At this stage of life, I’ve made a deal with myself. Of course, I’ll continue to deliver all of the usual stuff such as BD, client care, strategy, but it will be counterbalanced with an equal amount of time out to trial new approaches, use of greater creativity and continuing to take a sledgehammer to ‘the rules’ of real estate. Over the last year this has focused on social impact, new consulting service lines and a different mindset in how we interpret property management.

However, this has meant learning new skills along the way. Time is a fixed resource. Squeezing in more means finding a new way of working. And this has perhaps been the greatest test of all over the last year, and one in which as the school report always said so succinctly, I ‘could do better’. It’s meant focusing harder on developing balance and a sustainable pattern to work. I’ve been learning about the power of gratitude and to actively seek out those things that build energy whilst learning to recognize and step away from things that deplete precious energy. 

As I head into year 2, I’d like to thank Rob Stark, Jono Gill, David Clein, Rob Cook, Gig Connor, Nigel and many others for their kind and generous help in getting my roots down, and as importantly, enabling this next phase of growth. It looks to be an exciting year ahead.