Everyday we grow

Robert F Kennedy once said;

"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly!" This weekend we excelled in our goal of raising over ￡6,000 for Oxfam. On behalf of the team, we thank every family member, friend, supporter & ServiceNow for their contribution. We are immensely proud to have made a small dent in the Oxfam purpose to create lasting solutions to the injustice of poverty. 

The objective was to walk as a team of four, 100km over the South Downs and we didn't do that!

Failure hurts, it’s something we'll never get used to or readily accept, even when at times its necessary to grow and, wow, as a team did we grow!

What did this growth show us?

1. Be brutally honest with your own capabilities
2. Get used to being uncomfortable
3. Hold true to your core values, regardless the situation
4. It’s a small world

Brutal honesty

As a team, we were inexperienced & lacked the knowledge to achieve the objective set. We let the excitement of obtaining the goal overcome us. There are 1,000 excuses, none of which hide the fact we were underprepared. The good news is we learnt experiences that a 100 books could never teach you. We know where the action plan needs improving, we understand and have the knowledge to address the gaps in our contingency plan, we recognise the personal and financial costs involved and we know how to play everyone to their strengths. When we do it again, the goal will likely be to walk with a team of 4 for 100km with an objective to raise money for children in poverty!:- )

Uncomfortable

It was only at 04.50 in a car park did I realise just how comfortable we had become in being uncomfortable. It also made me reflect on how people have different levels of discomfort. I was reminded of this earlier in the night when a colleague showed me the video of her walking in pitch black through a dark field, with only my light in the distance to guide her. We changed our walking positions after that and it frustrated me that just through sheer exhaustion, we were no longer thinking as critically as we once would. This was one of the deciding factors as a team, in bringing proceedings to a halt. Having seen the morning after photos of the team’s feet and their ability to physically walk, we know it was the right decision. I was comfortable in making an uncomfortable decision with the team. I was comfortable knowing we had the support team on hand. That night they weren't just our colleagues, they were our friends and they weren't thinking about the objective, they were thinking about our safety. 

Core Values

Pushing people to be their best has to be controlled. Every time I find myself in a difficult situation I refer back to my inner core value map. Each time it guides me home, it has never failed me. The respect I have for the team has grown two-fold, the integrity shown in the face of defeat is more rewarding than completing the objective and the experience we shared, breaking a personal team record by a factor of x3 will be something we will never forget. I also learnt how even the best people can sometimes go off course and need a little help to be encouraged with their achievements.

It’s a small world

After 50km one of our team on medical advice, stopped the challenge. The other two continued with the Troop Commander and then we joined forces with another team of 3 girls. One of these girls (Honor) happened to work in HR in the music Industry and was using ServiceNow to drive talent and development. It's a small world. I didn’t expect to meet a customer during a 220m ascent in pitch black with the rain and wind hitting us hard. I have a message for team 99 & Honor - you kept us going, you made us walk another 15km, you motivated us and we have a challenge for you. The tracking tool doesn't reflect the time we stopped, nor the distance we went, regardless of direction. When you’re ready, set aside 1 day and together come and do the final 35km with us. The course owes it to us. To the Fujitsu team we noticed out the corner of our eye, you have our upmost respect. Well done on crossing the finish line!

Lastly, we thought this experience would develop our resilience. It did more than that, it tested our entire character. Now then, theres an thought for future talent attraction!:- )