My 45 years in the workplace has been split between two very diverse environments, the first half saw me serve Queen and country in the Army, whilst the last 20 years have been spent as an IT supplier to the Emergency Services (all ”Blue Lights”). I have been truly blessed in life, having the honour and privilege to serve in the Royal Corps of Signals, working, living and serving with some of the finest people I have ever met; in what other profession can you bump into somebody you haven’t seen in 40 years and you instantly reconnect, knowing you have got each other’s back. Well, I can’t think of any; service is so, so satisfying.
When I eventually left the Army it broke my heart, but the decision was taken by my head and has proven to be absolutely right for me and my family. I will always be a soldier and I am eternally grateful for everything the Corps taught me. Frankly, my time in the Army Apprentice College Harrogate is directly responsible for anything I have achieved in life. Similarly, finding a career within the Emergency Services when I left the military environment undoubtedly provided me the challenges and purpose that I needed in order to continue my professional development and growth. Again, I am grateful for that and to the many friends and colleagues I have worked alongside over the years. I am more convinced than ever of the power of openness, honesty, care for others and integrity, which are my guiding principles.
As I moved towards the latter stages of my career, I took a decision to leave a large corporate because it was flouting almost everything I hold dear in terms of leadership & management. Despite the potential impact on my career and, importantly, pre-retirement earning potential, I am proud of my decision, as anything less would have been a betrayal of my personal standards and beliefs. I have always been a pretty robust person, so despite the unfortunate timing of my departure which just happened to coincide with lockdown, I knew I must treat the situation as an opportunity. I proceeded to work harder than ever over the next 5 months; amazingly, I managed to write and-self publish three books, start my blog and set up an online shop to sell my books and related products. I also took the decision to fulfil a lifetimes ambition and set up a Management & IT consulting business which formally launched on the 3rd August. That business, getITright Ltd, has been the most satisfying achievement of my life and without doubt, the last 8 weeks have confirmed that it is the opportunity I was seeking. I have been able to recognise the benefits of many long standing relationships, enabling my business to kick-on at a truly amazing pace and across a significant geographical area (UK, US, Australia, ME) which is very heartening and immensely exciting. I have a superb business partner who shares my passion for our industry and commitment to our customer base, and we have actually created a potentially game changing application that has global reach. How good can it get?
The point of this story is to reinforce several key beliefs that I have taken from a long career; always give 100%, show integrity in everything you do, be respectful to and show care for people, do kind things. Life will throw challenges at us, but never give up, there is always a way to overcome even the most difficult problems. Stay positive and live life as an optimist, it will serve you well.
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