Alex's Advent Of Appreciation 2019

Long story short, not really a fan of Xmas, but I am a fan of many people, so instead of some pointless chocolate & counting down the days until “an introvert’s nightmare day” I’d like to spend these days shouting out, praising the good & generally just saying “cheers” to people over the advent period

So here are all 24 days in this one LinkedIn Article - ENJOY!

Day 1 - Anton Green

Anton is the promoter of United Kingdom Pro Wrestling , he has been working within Pro-Wrestling for over 15 years. Anton was the first promoter who saw me wrestle & must have thought “I like this guy” & we’ve been working closely ever since.

Anton used to be a very active wrestler & trainer, in fact half my move-set is down to Anton’s advice & training.

I think what I admire most about Anton is his ability to hold a conversation with anyone, what I mean by that is, as you can imagine, in the world of Pro-Wrestling there are a lot of egos to manage (hey, he decides who wins & loses!) and I’m always amazed by the techniques he applies, which I often use in my “real life job”.

Anton, thanks for (pretty much) letting me live out all of my 'Wrestling bucket list' – if no one else says it – Thank you for all the work you do its greatly appreciated!

Your a much loved member of the Wrestling Community

Day 2 - Richard Eggleston

I mean, obviously right? Not only is he handsome, intelligent, funny, charismatic (I’m writing this as he stands over me – I’m kidding) but not only is he those things, He’s probably the main reason why I’m even half decent at my job & I can't thank him enough.

To say I admire Richard might be a little extreme, but I think I do. I’ve never met someone with such work ethic & intelligence, a lethal combination. Richard spent many hours with me, discussing the nuances of recruitment which allows me to be effective in my job today (*cough* feel free to read my linkedin recommendations *cough*) and really I owe any success of mine to Richard.

So Richard, thanks for being you. I’ve never met someone who has so much on their plate, yet still has time to coach a rookie, discuss the next social event, sit inside a training session, crack jokes AND still run a successful business unit. Incredible.

Hero, Legend – thank you

Day 3 - Sasha Cooper

I have the privilege of working closely with ‘Scooper’ every day, I enjoy her almost Daily battles with commuting into the office I (my favourites are when it’s REALLY windy….I love seeing what state her hair is in – mean, but funny, especially as Sasha prides herself on being incredibly fashionable)

But in all seriousness, I think what I appreciate most is Sasha’s ability to be both fun, silly, approachable and yet also maintain a stern, no nonsense & most importantly commercial mindset with all of her work. I’m often caught aback with “wow, that’s good” moments.

To be harsh, I’m not sure people within Optimus truly understand just how much Sasha does each & everyday, So with the lack of the awareness, I’d like to publicly say “thank you for all the hard work & thank you for being one of the best reasons to come to work every day”

Also, WHAT A BAKER!

"For all intents & purposes - Thank You"

Day 4 - Niall Thomas Riordan

Long story short, not really a fan of Xmas, but I am a fan of many people, so instead of some pointless chocolate & counting down the days until “an introvert’s nightmare day” I’d like to spend these days shouting out, praising the good & generally just saying “cheers” to people like…Niall

I mean, where do I start on this incredible, loveable, charming, clever Irishman. I think I might need a dictionary to even attempt to describe Niall.

Firstly, I deliver a lot of training sessions, but thinking out loud, every single session I run has *something* Niall related in there, be it an example, story or just plain knowledge. I love discussing work with Niall, he ALWAYS without fail is able to either increase my knowledge on a particular subject, or give me an entirely different point of view – and I can’t thank Niall enough.

I’m really lucky, its people like Niall that make life worth living, his infectious smile you can't help but have a good day!

So Niall, LinkedIn have a character limit on these posts, I had at least 5 more paragraphs I wanted to write, so with that in mind – Thank you so much for everything & selfishly, thank you for always making my trips to Berlin something I look forward to!

Day 5 - Rafael Walton

Have you ever met someone that somehow drives you to be better? well that’s Raf in a nutshell.

Plain & simple, without Raf I don’t think I’d be in the position I’m in now & I want him to know I have not forgotten that. I look back to some of the early conversations I had with Raf, he muuuust have been rather frustrated, I was ‘brand new’ to recruitment (I asked dumb questions)

He really did ‘take me under his wing’ & to say I’m grateful is an UNDERstatement. I’ve been sitting near Raf the past 18 months & the things/skills/techniques I’ve learned just through osmosis is incredible #negotiationking

Another member of the Optimus crew who doesn’t get given the recognition they truly deserve.

Raf, cheers for all the conspiracy chats, marketing colouring jobs (I’m kidding), dropping recruitment bombs, witnessing negotiation mastery first hand AND still having time to drop the odd 80s/90s reference!

Even though you like Palace, you’re alright

Day 6 - Robert Marrett

Full Disclosure, I think you’re my absolute favourite reason coming into work, with the thinking of “I can’t wait to hear what ‘hot nonsense’ will be coming out of his mouth” I joke, although not fully off the mark, as every time we speak I feel my recruitment IQ goes up a few points & I always (secretly) look forward to any meeting we have.

Maz doesn’t know this, But Maz/Rob was the 1st name my wife learned of my ‘new work friends’ when I first started working at Optimus. (apparently) EVERYDAY I’m usually saying “Then Maz did this” or “Maz said that….then I laughed for 5 minutes solid” (that’s not an exaggeration, Maz once said something that made me laugh so much, it was the closest I’ve ever come to dying )

Rob, Cheers for literally everything. You & your team specifically really helped get to learn all the technical aspects of the job & to say ‘you are a hero of mine’ isn’t much of a stretch to say.

There’s no other way to say it: I’d have been lost without you, I couldn’t imagine working without you – *Insert more ways to say ‘thanks for being awesome’

And for no reason – WUBALUBADUBDUB!!!

P.S. its our Xmas party tonight, I’m desperate to get a photo of the two of us

Day 7 - Gary Cloke

I mean, where do I even start – lets address the elephant in the room, Gary was my previous ‘Super Boss’ (well, that’s how I used to describe Gary), so let me be clear, the following comments are not coming from a place of ‘Oh, I better shout-out my employer’ they are 1000% genuine.

Gary is my (working) hero! (I don’t know if I ever said that) but he is, If I could be anyone in the world, I want to be Gary Cloke – The man has it all, legitimately the cleverest man I know & I pretty much owe my whole working life to Gary (plus some other peeps at Vanquis).

‘The Developer Of People’ – Gary inspired me & made me realise that in the L&D function, you still need to be commercially minded, manage stakeholders, do the admin….but still have fun doing it. “you’ve got to find the fun in things” & I’ve stuck with that logic ever since.

So Gary, continue spreading your L&D expertise, To be harsh for a second, Vanquis owe a lot of their success to you

Day 8 – Jason Richardson

“A Ghost of Christmas past” some would say, another ex-colleague I’d like to publicly appreciate. Even when Jason left, he made an effort to keep in contact & is a regular commenter on my LinkedIn Posts.

However, Jason is someone who I really looked up to in my time at Vanquis, he was an L&D manager (basically the role I have now at Optimus) who openly discussed his Dyslexia, how his brain functioned differently to others and was the only person who came up to me & said “Alex, I know you don’t really like the big social events, but its great that you’ve found your photography hobby to still find a way to still get involved – Awesome job, I appreciate it”

Jason is incredibly artistic, a great storyteller & never lost his passion for learning. He understood his limitations & ensured that his learners never felt held back….or stupid – which went a long way with me.

Stakeholders may not have liked his strategies, but his delegates definitely did…and that’s the philosophy I’m sticking with too. “its about the learner, not the manager”

So with that in mind, Jason, thanks for all the countless coaching hours &continuous comments.

Day 9 – Anna-Lena Poschmann

I literally don't know where to start!? AL has so many wonderful traits...(here's a story)

Before we moved offices overlooking the Thames, Anna-Lena’s seat was the first seat you would see when you walked through the door. Now everyone was friendly in the office, but Anna-Lena (intentional or not) would always, without fail say “hi/hello, how are you you today?” (& even the odd “Guten Morgen”) with a big smile & as insignificant as that may sound, it really made a difference everyday.

Anna-Lena is one of the many reasons why working at Optimus is so good & to speak selfishly for a second, AL is a reminder why I love my job so much. AL has been working at Optimus for over 3 years, she’s been ready to step into management for a while & seeing her develop & flourish in those Andrew Sillitoe Leadership training sessions – and now be in a position where she is an excellent manager while still maintaining her client relationship – just fills me with joy.

So Anna-Lena, Having you on the team makes a huge difference, your smile is infectious, I always enjoyed gate-crashing your lunches with Maz.

P.S. stop hitting Maz in his ‘special area’

Day 10 – Thomas Dobbie

I love Tom, in the manly kind of way – weirdly I first met tom on the Optimus (infamous) Company Wide Summerset trip. I was really excited & nervous to meet tom, When I first joined I kept hearing “Yeah, Tom does that really well” or “Tom, amazing at that” almost every day.

I’m sure Tom does know this, but I think he’s the ‘most respected’ member of the team at Optimus & for good reason, in everyday, on time & pretty much guaranteed to exceed any target or expectation.

One of my many highlights is when I get the privilege of going home with Tom on the 1 hour train journey (we live incredibly close to each other) I spend all that time talking his head off (which I’m sure he hates) however he still gives me the time of day & often challenges my thinking – which I’m eternally grateful for.

So Tom, cheers for being a daily inspiration to not only myself but many other members of Optimus

Your efforts are not unnoticed!

Day 11 – Veselin Hlebarov

Ah Ves, Where to begin on this charming, fashionable, enthusiastic, lovable, hard-working, compassionate, diligent, persistent & passionate person.

I’ve created many memories with Ves, but a personal favourite of mine was, Ves had asked for some help on a particular boring subject, anyways as a joke during the meeting I said “you owe me a McDonalds” – anyway, long story short, Friday, a Deliveroo arrived into the office with an unbelievable amount of McDonalds…I couldn’t believe my luck.

Another one, We went Go-Karting after work (with 14 others), anyways, we did one qualifying session, I see Ves smiling so much afterwards “That was great, Alex, I loved it, thank you” I then realise Ves thinks the session is over (it had been 15 minutes) “that’s great Ves, we’ve still got 2 more races to go”…I will NEVER forget just how happy & excited Ves was in that very moment & I aspire to be that positive every single day.

Anyways, character limit n’all, Ves I love working with you, You always send out loving vibes, it was a pleasure to see you in the management training & I can’t wait to see you & your team do great things in 2020

Day 12 – Sailajan Shritharan

Lets clarify something, although I train recruiters, I’ve never actually done the job, however if I did do the job, I like to think I’d be Sai (or at least aspire to be Sai).

Fun story, I was actually quite intimidated by Sai when I first met him, he just seemed so…”sorted”, why would he want to speak to me, he looked the part, he sounded the part, he was the part…and for the record still is.

I really love & admire Sai’s work ethic, I love how Sai is able to maximise his time at all times, In any training session I thoroughly enjoy his insights and valuable advice (its not just the Rookies learning, i'm desperately scribbling down what Sai says)

“Your work never ceases to amaze me” and still able to instantly make me laugh with his dry (arguably sarcastic) humour.

Sai, (as weird as this sounds) thanks for making my job easy, awesome & worth doing

p.s. you're so photogenic!

Day 13 – Ardian Gradica BSc(Hons)MSc

I’ve had a high opinion of Ardian, pretty much when I first joined Optimus, I vividly remember thinking to myself ““I’m definitely taking notes from ‘That Guy!’ I want my work to be that good.”

So actually Ardian, maybe I owe you my whole career!

Now, Ardian is too humble to say this (at least publicly), but Ardian is one of the (many) reasons why Optimus are having the most successful period of time. I love any meeting or training session I’m in with Ardian, with his dry wit & also infectious smile you can’t help but laugh.

Recently I’ve really noticed Ardian really stepping up into a management role & with his recent management training with Andrew Sillitoe – 2020 is shaping up to be better yet.

So cheers for everything, thanks for being a brilliant reason to come to work every day.

P.S. I really want to be schooled in basketball – maybe a 2020 Optimus Day Out?

Day 14 – Ian Whybrow

Another Ex-Colleague I want to shout from the rooftops of how great he is

Before joining Vanquis, I just assumed that boring jobs had boring people in them (you know “logic”) oh how wrong I was, when I had the privilege of meeting Ian

Its funny how things just happen (fate?) through the…weird seating plan, the Vanquis training team were sitting near the audit team (because you know…logic!?) anyways, what a brilliant mistake to happen

Ian won’t admit it, but I know he had a “low opinion’ of training (well, the trainers), I mean, we’re loud, usually talking nonsense AND often thrown under the bus with any audit that happens, however relatively quickly I feel Ian warmed up to my (and I quote) “Angry Logic” I would spout.

Anyways, Ian has been a HUUUGE influence on my working career & I can’t thank him enough, I’ve not seen Ian in over a year & if this is the only way to communicate it, I will

“Cheers for being an awesome colleague, mentor & hero, a day doesn’t go by where I’m doing something that isn’t influenced by you in some way – and please, if/when you’re in London…we NEED a Subway”

P.S in an alternative reality, I'd be working for you

Day 15 – Jake Monk

My favourite…but most importantly the best Uni-Tutor I had while studying at Canterbury Christ Church University.

Now, I’m really lucky….no really!, I get lots of compliments on my training style, sometimes compliments on my intelligence & every so often my ‘business acumen’ – well, that’s LITERALLY all thanks to Mr Jake Monk.

I always thought it was possible to have fun while learning, but I hadn’t really had that experience…until I walked into a Jake lecture. Jake had this ability to make slides come to life through jokes or storytelling (hey, anyone who attended my training, sound familiar?)

I naturally received my highest marks in the “Jake Sessions” vs other tutors. It was a much more relaxed, effective & fun way to learn.

I wouldn’t say I struggled at Uni, however I did find the whole experience overwhelming (especially for a non-drinking, comedy obsessed, natural introvert) – which might be the basis of why I hold Jake in such high regard.

So long story short, Jake, thinking out loud, any success in my professional career can all be traced back to the ‘Cheeky People’ & ‘Mighty Hero’ sessions.

Thank you so much!

Day 16 – Lisa Krueger

I know this is a cliché, but I don’t think I’ve ever met someone so determined to succeed, Lisa does not let geography get in the way of learning new skills or techniques, I must receive some form of communication from Lisa asking “How can I do this in ‘x’” or “any advice on ‘y”.

I’ll always remember Lisa on her first day joining Optimus in Berlin, (she’ll hate me for saying this) she said openly “oh no, my English is not so good, I’m not sure I can do this!” & now here we are pretty much 1 year later & Lisa broke into the top 5 at Optimus, smashing various records – AMAZING - & I couldn’t be happier for her.

So many things to admire about Lisa, but I think my favourite is how open minded she is, (even if she secretly already had her mind made up) she will always listen & give time to an alternative thought, open to suggestion & shows a great "open mindset"

So Lisa, thank you for all the hospitality when I visit Berlin (& checking I’m not too annoyed when I’m forced to do something social/Christmasy) - that means the world.

Thanks for being a great reason to come to work everyday.

P.S I hope these photos don’t annoy you (they will)

Day 17 – Franziska Moll

Firstly, I can’t write down the VERY first thing that comes to mind, as we both know the swear word you say so often would get this post banned, lets just say whenever I hear “*rhyming word for duck* you” in your American accent (despite being native German – which still blows my mind) I get great joy.

Another member of the Berlin team I’m always excited to see when I visit, although people assume Niall is the ‘funny one’ I would argue that crown goes to Franzi

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I think what I love about working with Franziska is her great mind for detail, I often find myself after discussing something thinking “wow, that’s a great idea” or "I never thought of it that way!"

Then there is her amazing ability with people - best way to describe it, Even I "The Mega Introvert" feel compelled to join her & the team for various nights out (I can tell i'm going to get some backlash with the photo evidence)

So Franzi, Having you on the team makes a huge difference, thank you for all your questions, comments & excellent hospitality.

Thank you for being one of the reasons my 2019 was totally worth it.

P.S STOP HATING MY AWESOME PHOTOS!

Day 18 – Gordon A. Handke

“The Extroverted Enigma” that is know as Gordon (or as he is affectionately named in Berlin “Shut Up Gordon” but that’s only because this man is a workhorse when he’s on the phone talking to candidates & clients alike. Arguably one of the best at building relationships quickly.

Why? Because you can’t help but be sucked into Gordon's whirlwind of energy, joy & happiness (its contagious) I can be complimented on my “energy” or “sense of fun” – pales in comparison to Gordon. (I’d better up my game)

To be serious for a minute, something that is quite frustrating, people that get given these monikers of “fun” or “smiley” sometimes can be branded ‘not serious’ or ‘not focussed’ – Again, I don’t think I’ve met anyone so resourceful, enterprising & generally driven to succeed.

So if no one else see’s it – Gordon – that’s my favourite thing about you, your ability to…well get through any challenge.

So thanks for being one of the many highlights of my Berlin trips & I will still continue to compete with when being the “loudest” or “happiest” #challengeaccepted

Day 19 – Paul Franzke

Where to start with this motivated, driven, diligent, passionate, persistent, resourceful & surprisingly witty person.

I think what I love most about Paul is his “bluntness” (some would say that’s a ‘German thing’), but Paul will often challenge me saying things like “Alex, what is it I need to do to be better at ‘x’” I might give him an answer & again “But Alex, what about ‘x’ ‘y’ & ‘z’”? & internally I scream (joking) – actually I love Paul more, he REALLY wants to be successful.

Quick one, my first encounter with Paul was on our company wide trip to Summerset, everyone is swimming, partying…Paul is asking me questions about Recruitment (& then hours later with a huuuuge hangover *as pictured - I like to think the hangover was not Alcohol related, just pure brain function overloading)

Paul, great work, keep rockin' & rollin' - looking forward to see your continued success in 2020.

Day 20 – Saulge

Firstly, I think its no secret in the Optimus Search office that Saulge is…*Full Disclosure* basically my favourite person. I’m panicking, as I have limited characters, where to start!?

Maybe I’m bias, When I first joined Optimus…I was so incredibly lucky, not only did I sit in front of Rafael I was sat directly behind Saulge, so when I was brand new to recruitment, with very little idea ‘what good sounded like’ Saulge (through eves-dropping) was giving me a daily education – and I’ll be forever grateful!

I fell in love with his enthusiasm & general office vibes (Saulge was one of the reasons I knew I’d made the right career choice)

I’ve always been an ‘early bird’ & turns out Saulge is too, so every morning & to this day I really enjoy our ridiculous greetings “Woooo Saulge”, “Top of the mornin’ to ya” or my personal favourite “You’re a Towel!”

Saulge is my ‘Go To Guy’ anything work related, I often abuse Saulge, asking Saulge to show ‘the new guy’ something or even just picking his brain in general.

Saulge is ‘Pound-For-Pound’ (Or for Saulge and you weirdos that use the metric system ‘Gram-For-Gram’) one of the best!

Saulge, what I’m trying to say is thank you for all & everything you do on a daily basis - "PERFECT" *reference*

Day 21 – Andy McDonald

Andy probably won’t remember this, but Andy conducted my telephone interview for Vanquis when I applied for a ‘Phone based sales role’ back in 2010 – my ‘professional career’ started with that phone call. (I won’t dwell too much on the significance of it, but lets just summarise with “it was huge”….that is also what she said *office reference*)

Andy was the first “cool team leader” I had, I’d worked in retail previously & never really saw or clicked with anyone like “Wow, that’s who I’d like to be” – Andy was that guy.

Andy has a wonderful way with people, he was able to balance (in my opinion) perfectly the balance between ‘yeah, he’s my mate’ & ‘Oh jezzz, better get this work done’

I find myself mirroring some of Andy’s techniques in my training & my job roles

Through the power of social media Andy has always been in touch/contact & even witnessed that legendary Dow Jones fella live in action with his child – Side note, that was one of the coolest moments of my Wrestling career

Anyways, Andy, you were the best team leader, anyone who has been managed by you doesn’t realise how good they had it until it was gone, you’re a working world hero & I hope our paths will cross again soon!

Dow Jones!

p.s. bring back the long hair

Day 22 – Rob Escott

Another Ex-Super Boss I’d like to shout out, basically “The Head Of Everything” (I forget his exact job title, but it was essentially that) Rob was the first ‘Senior leader’ who I absolutely admired “how is this guy so good at being a serious ‘business dude’ and still crack jokes – wow”

I said before with Mr Ian Whybrow, I just assumed “boring jobs, had boring people” – how wrong I was.

When we first met, In the grand scheme of things I was a ‘nobody’ however Rob with his ever ‘Optimization mind’ on, was curious what exactly I was doing (I was scanning cheques, long story short, it was a huge waste of time) – I must have explained it well, as ever since that exchange, Mr Escott would always go out of his way to ‘check-in’ with me.

I then hosted the company wide Quiz Night, Rob was a….regular heckler – after the quiz Rob (maybe drunkenly) came up to me and said “that’s one of, if not the best company event I’ve been to, well done sir, you’ll make an excellent addition to the training team” – I’ve NEVER forgotten this moment

Anyways, thanks for everything, letting me bend your ear, picking your brain & generally learning so much from you – Cheers!

Day 23 – Matthew Rees & Pavan Panesar

Ok, kind of cheating here having two people on one day however in my world these two are a killer pairing & I don’t think I’ve ever really said to either of them how much I value their input & also how instrumental they were in my success at Optimus.

Matt literally welcomed me into Optimus with open arms (no really, my first day the guy gave me a hug “Welcome to Optimus my man”)

In comparison, with Pav, we organised a formal meeting to formally introduce each other, I think we both tried to set the best first impression (I like to think within 5 minutes we both realised “nah, this guy is cool, we can #banter now”)

I can’t help but love working with these two men :

Matt – Charisma, Enthusiasm, Optimism while still being Driven & Motivated to succeed

Pav – Literally every single conversation I feel my IQ go up at least 3 points! (also Pav’s sarcasm level is over 9,000!)

Cheers for everything gents!

Day 24 - Nigel Livingston & Neil Livingston

To say I consider myself lucky is a huge understatement, I personally had the best (working) year of my life & it all traces back to the owner of Optimus Search.

If i'm ever an owner of a business, or owners of businesses are reading this, then you NEED to organise a meeting with these two.

Ying & Yang come to mind, they compliment each other so well & (if i can be so bold as to say) I think its the 'secret recipe' to Optimus Search's success.

Neil - My favourite thing is Neil wants action, if he can't see value in something, then you better have an explanation as to why - I think Neil is the reason why I've personally delivered over 1,000 hours of training in 2019!

Nigel - I love the fact that Nigel, he'll have an opinion, he'll be strong to that opinion, but Nigel is open to be challenged & willing to (at least) listen to the objection.

They both really do display our company values everyday!

I could ramble, however 'The Livingstons' - I can't thank you enough for all you've done for me & all that you've done for each person at Optimus (even if they don't see it)

looking forward to spending 2020 with you both!