The things I’ve learnt in 2020…

To say it’s been a rollercoaster of a year is an understatement and so many have been impacted both personally and professionally but, we’re here, and everyone has a story to tell.  As the year draws to an end, it is more important than ever to reflect, learn and take a long hard look at the choices that were made and how we will positively move forward into 2021.

The most important thing I have learnt is that my colleagues really are f*&king brilliant and have pushed through and helped to keep our retail show on the road, whether behind the scenes, in our warehouses, online and particularly in store.  Communication has been more important than ever, and we have listened to our colleagues every step of the way to make sure we know how the business is feeling, and importantly what they need to be able to do their jobs.  It is the leadership team’s role to make those all-important decisions, but we can’t do this without hearing from our colleagues. 

For many nights since March, I have also had a regular call with my Exec team, making sure that all of my businesses and key decision-making people know what is happening, when and why, and that is how we have learnt.  There have, of course, been mistakes along the way, and I think anyone who says they’ve not made mistakes is either lying to themselves or has been extremely lucky!  The important thing is that you learn from those mistakes.  

Virtually sitting in the homes of my Exec team, often daily, has also enabled us to pull together as a cross-business team and work in a way that I never thought possible virtually.   I’m someone who likes to do things in person, but necessity has created different ways of working and we have made them work.  I don’t believe we’ll ever go back to how we used to work, but ensuring productivity is key going forward to ensure colleagues are positively engaged, as much for them as the business.

2020 has further shown me that a quick decision in a crisis has to be the right decision, dithering and inactivity is never ok when you have 4,000 colleagues and customers relying on you for their services and products.  You work with the information you’ve been given as a business, which in some cases has been minimal guidelines, and go from there.  Keep your finger on the pulse of information and react accordingly.  There is always the chance to review things, as the playing field changes, and clarity of doing the right thing is front and centre.

Businesses have been incredibly robust, under the circumstances, and in the face of possibly the toughest year they’ve ever had. But, we all have everything to play for, and we must question everything.  This year has left its mark, but we must recognise that it's not all bad. It has opened our eyes on how we can go forward into 2021 using the bruises, the knocks, the wins, the spirit of our colleagues and the opportunities out there to be better.  It’s there for the taking, but you must use what you have learnt.  

Theo