A unique blend....

At work, our team have recently embarked on a journey together.  An exciting journey of High Performance Collaboration.  You see we’ve been through quite a journey already.  Since I joined just over a year and a half ago, we’ve had:

• A new direct sourcing team structure and whole new way of working
• 3 new roles introduced into our team – 2 Resourcers and a Future Talent Exec
• 2 people move within our team – well done on the promo Helen and so glad to have you as a fellow TAM Chris!
• 1 person move out on secondment – Jo, we miss you!
• 1 grad Sophie move from a 1^st year grad placement in our team out to Marketing – also miss you Sophie and thank you for getting our new process to where it is now!
• 1 new grad Greg start 1^st year placement in our team – welcome Gregory!!!
• 3 further new Associates – the amazing Rachel, Emily and Shereen – soooo glad all three of you are here!

Now, we’re a very lucky team.  We’re passionate.  We’re team players.  We exude positivity and fun.  We love being Ambassadors for our business to the external world and are passionate about offering an amazing service to our stakeholders and playing our part in contributing to top notch business performance.  We like trying new things and get really enthused to learn how we can attract those ‘needle-in-a-haystack-candidates’ or future proof our business by investing in and snazzily attracting the talent for the future.  Line Managers have told us that they deliberately swing by our desks as we’re always so welcoming, helpful, positive and smile A LOT!

     Sounds like we don’t need much more than that hey!  Well, we’ve decided we do.  You see, with our positivity, team ethos and passion for results comes a great opportunity.  An opportunity to harness the unique skills and talents that each of us bring to make an even bigger impact together than we would going it alone.  You see we’ve got our sights on making some real splashes and we’ve identified some great things we want to achieve to make us more efficient, more impactful and as a result make the business better.  And what’s more, we want it all!  We want to continue to do engage and attract the best talent, we want to continue to provide a top notch service, we want to land these projects AND we want to continue to have wellbeing objectives at the forefront of our agenda.  We want to make sure we leave work at a decent time most days, we want to make sure we have time to see our loved ones, cook healthy meals, go for runs, spend time on our self-development….the list goes on.  Basically, we want to have our cake and eat it too!

So, what are going to do?   Thanks to our amazing line manager aka ‘The Mizza’ who really believes we can have the cake and eat it (in moderation in line with our wellbeing of course!); we’re investing in finding out how we can harness the power of team.  We’re bringing in the big gun trainers, such as the 'energetic-and-ultimate-celebrator-of-each-and every-individual', Sara; and the 'selfless-and-ultimate-engagement-for-business-success champion' Liz.  And with their help, wisdom, passion and encouragement, we’re figuring out how we can become the slickest of slickest operations.  Where have we started?  We’ve started by understanding us and our strengths.  And boy, do we have some great ones.  We have strategic and futuristic skills, maximiser skills, communication and achiever skills, empathy and learners.  The list really does go on.

Our first steps on the journey?  To really embrace and learn to appreciate the skills we bring as an individual.  Only you bring what you bring – so we’re learning to love it and BRING it!

To start recognising that it is really very powerful when you enlist the help of the right people at the right places or time in a project.  We can use our strategists to help devise the direction in which we want to head.  We can use our communicators to engage people with our mission.  We can use our achievers to make sure we set ourselves milestones and don’t miss off a step.   We can use our empathisers to ensure we’re putting ourselves in people’s shoes and make sure we’re making the right impact.

So, we’ve started giving it a go.  We’ve now got 5 of us working on an Apprentice recruitment campaign where last year it was just 2.  And do you know what?  It feels good!  We’ve got people taking ownership for the parts that really play to their strengths and float their boats.  And it seems to be working.  We’ve been more creative as a result, it’s well planned, we’ve planned some amazing communication, we’re hoping for a good result, we’ve already planned to review, capture learnings and fine tune for next year.  But what’s more, it’s giving us a chance to work together on something great, work on our development and thanks to the number of us getting involved; it’s not a massive investment of time.  Wellbeing is still on the agenda!

And boy am I glad it is!  Because on Friday those of us who were in the office managed to leave at 4 and go have afternoon tea together in the wonderful and beautiful CowarthPark.  It was amazing!  I’m so glad we managed to have a go at trying the unique blend.

In reference to the amazing pianist who set the mood just right, please feel free to take a look at the pics below of our outing to the following feel good track: