Welcome to Birthday Season

This week my family officially entered “birthday season”, as we call it. Always an exciting time in our household, it coincides with coming into the summer months which we long for all winter, and this year will be no different. It was my mum’s birthday on Monday and it was exciting to stand in her driveway with her cards and gifts; even the teen and pre-teen were happy to take down their hoods, pull out their earphones and sing happy birthday in the street with no embarrassment, holding a banner and balloons at a distance. We left a cake on my mum’s doorstep with candles and sparklers to surprise her. It was a memory to cherish and really lifted us all; it was noticeable how much she appreciated it. It’s my husband’s birthday tomorrow. As I’ve mentioned before, I liken him to a third child and he’s a big kid at heart. It’s also no secret that we all love a celebration in our house. The kids and I have spent time planning and creating all week in preparation for the day – full details to be shared with you next week since I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprises! The saying, “it’s the thought that counts” has never been truer. We have had to be more creative, we have had to think that little bit harder and I know the effort will pay off, my third child will have a birthday to remember! This week, it also felt like the right time to take a look at my business Core Values; I felt they needed a refresh at a time where we have all had more capacity to reflect. What I didn’t realise is the extent to which our work and personal lives are interwoven, therefore, our values are mirrored. I thought this would be a good place to share our new and improved Core Values:

“Providing an extension of you” Understanding your requirements to a deeper level and providing tailored support and advice based on this specific knowledge.

“Appreciating people” Our customers are at the heart of our business. We care about and respect the people we support; everyone is different, and it’s about getting to know and understand these differences, however niche or specialist.

“Creating simplicity” Your journey with us should feel uncomplicated. We are here to help find clarity and offer guidance to find the right outcome for all.

“Creativity” Bringing fresh ideas and innovative to ensure we bring the very best candidates and companies together, no matter how niche, we thrive on challenges.

“Advisory” We listen and advise based on individual needs and truly care about the outcome. We nurture our relationships long term as well as offering ongoing advice and encouragement. Like organising a birthday this year, aspects of work take more thought and effort, and the rewards feel greater. The projects I am currently completing are aimed to advise and support businesses and employees in the long term, the conversations I am having are creating deeper relationships, we are really getting to know each other more personally. This week, myself and my kids have worked as a real team; we divided jobs, we worked together, we celebrated the results and appreciated each other’s skills, and there was no teenage moodiness in sight! Due to reduced choices, there’s a greater simplicity and we’ve all had to be more creative, through cooking at home or adapting our businesses remotely. Warrington Hospital is one of many organisations who has highlighted this by modifying a black box, normally used for sleep apnoea, to treat patients with Coronavirus, showing a real creativity and a relatively simple adaptation of something that they already had available. I am really looking forward to our celebrations this weekend and whatever you are doing, appreciate whoever you are with or speak to and be creative in some way, it will offer you a different kind of freedom. I’ll let you know next week if the birthday celebrations were a success!