10 Things I Discovered in 2020

1. External Optimism Can Prevent Decent Foresight

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I relied on eternal optimism and consistenly downplayed the potential effects of a global pandemic.

I thought that the pandemic would be halted at the border of Europe, with our 'superior' medicine and healthcare systems. I thought we were all tougher than first thought and it would only affect a few hundred people.

I was clearly wrong and I was on the back foot for the first 4 weeks of the national lockdown - I wasn't prepared and it was because of my eternal optimism.

I won't change my optimistic outlook on life but I will see things in a different way, our world is more connected than we first thought.

2. Teams need to be together to function properly

Once the pandemic had taken hold, lockdown initiated and the phone lines diverted, the company culture we had worked so hard on building just eroded.

Little niggles set in, divisions occurred and things just went from bad to worse. It was really hard to create a sense of togetherness without a brief chat around the kettle or a hand on the shoulder. It wasn't until everyone returned to the office (albeit briefly) did we start to find some cultural traction and generate some togetherness.

3. Instagram/Social Media can generate revenue.

I doubled down on my social media presence in 2020 (starting in April) and I discovered the amazing world of creating content which led to discovering a brand new and wonderful online community.

Through this community, I was able to grow my personal brand, introduce my own take on sales and slowly get better at Photoshop and content creation.

This improvement and work paid off towards the end of the year as I began to monetise my content creation and grow my own agency client base. Its the start of something exciting and I am looking forward to 2021.

You can check out my Instagram channel by clicking here

4. Content creation is FUN.

Through this monetisation, understanding what works (and doesn't) from a visual perspective, allowed me to begin expressing myself and Instagram became a brilliant space to experiment with different things.

It became a truly fun process to understand and test out different ideas and what could resonate with different users and to look at the content creation process as a way to bring people closer to my brand.

I began to understand the basics of text hierarchy, image editing and copy writing - I'm now comfortable in creating a message within a post which increases engagement and I have found everything to be such an enjoyable process.

5. Online spaces should be interactive. 

In 2020, I found a place to 'be' online - I joined a community in early 2020 called You Are The Media run by the effervescent Mark Masters - it was a real world community that met up in a real theatre (can you remember those?).

I managed to visit just one Lunch Club in person and witnessed crowd surfing whilst eating a lunch prepared by a local business - I was in awe and couldn't wait for the next one.

Unfortunately, as with all other events and businesses, the lunch club had to be cancelled so Mark moved it online - the interaction, entertainment and fun didn't end and Mark created an online space to be at. The interactive 'online' singing element (attempted over Zoom) was the best part as it will never work - but that's the point.

Mark's message which has stuck with me is that online 'webinars' should be events - not just a 'watch and learn' exercise. They should engage and entertain and bring people together.

6. You don't need to travel to hold sales conversations

I got on a plane 17 times in 2019 - I ended up just using air travel just 4 times in 2020.

Both of those times were in February 2020 (France and the US)

But as the lockdown persisted and the world began to close it's doors to outside travellers, we all migrated to Zoom - I was able to hold conversations with people without having to traverse multiple security gates and discussions were expedited.

Agreements were made virtually and we were able to discover more about our clients than we would have done if we hadn't made that effort 'in between' trips.

7. Everyone is in the same boat.

Running SAFI Valves in the UK is my first foray into general management and what a time to find my feet.

Although, my saving grace is that everyone is in the same boat, even the most hardened and experienced business leaders have never experienced this level of disruption or depression. I am beginning to find my feet in this pandemic, understanding there are workarounds to the frustrations we are all feeling and getting to know that not everything has stopped - I'm guessing that many other business leaders feel the same and that to bring your business out of this strange and difficult period, we will need to discover that ability to be adept and agile.

I have learnt so much this year - about how to deal with staff remotely, understanding the real needs of my team and the importance of setting a clear standard and direction and this is going to be a hugely important period to take into my future careers.

8. Minimalism clears the brain - it removes distractions.

This year, the book which has resonated with me the most was 'Getting Things Done' by David Allen - its a self help business book which helps boost productivity.

One of the key tasks of the process is to get everything out of your head and into a system, it clears the brain of everything it needs to 'store' and allows the creative part of your brain to flourish.

In order to remove everything from your head, you also need to remove the distractions and clutter from your space - this has been liberating, to remove the clutter and crap from my office, all the old paperwork has now been scanned and filed, my desk drawers don't have anything which isn't needed. It has allowed me to operate on another level.

9. Positive Energy and Taking Time to Listen can build bonds.

Throughout 2020, I have built some incredible bonds with people - the shared experiences of COVID-19 have meant that we all have a common enemy.

From people who were just a passing acquaintance at a fitness class to chaps who sat opposite the podcast studio, people came into my circle and I'm grateful they did. It's allowed me to have many different people to share things with, people to sound off too and experience new things with.

10. Sea Dips are Exhilarating.

One of the biggest and most fun activities I started in 2020 was 'sea dipping' - the art of getting into the sea at sunrise and experiencing the exhilarating high of being extremely cold whilst enjoying the incredible views of the Dorset coastline.

For anyone scared of the cold or feeling a sense of trepidation, for me - its become one thing that I can control in a year full of uncertainties and 'first' experiences.

I'm looking forward to what 2021 brings in both a personal and professional sense and I can't wait to share it with the people around me who have been supporting, hating and just watching from afar.

I turned 40 in 2020 and I can honestly say, despite the rollercoaster nature of the year - it was the best one I have experienced on this Earth.

Life really does begin at 40.