The Retrospective Diary of a CEO/Recruiter/Bloke

I don’t expect many to be interested, but some have asked about my background and what led me to the path I found myself on, and some of those who have inspired me – I have done my best to pass on their wisdom en route. I thank them all, and, indeed,??if you are one of them. Thank you.

My Father and Mother – Peter & Lorna Rayner

Born in 1929 and 1934, respectively, which seems impossible now, they met when they were 20 and 25 when my mother was nursing my father’s Mum.

At the time, Dad was working as a courier taking wealthy women and couples around Europe on coach tours – shortly after WW2. Dad had been in the Army Intelligence Corps and had enjoyed being in Germany and Austria in those post-war years. He had become bilingual in German and virtually fluent in French and Italian – later learning Spanish when we spent 16 months living in Madrid when he was a leader there for Rank Xerox.

How did they inspire me? Love, caring, warmth – they managed to pass on their relaxed, comfortable, friendly, enthusiastic, open and friendly style and a sense of fun, making the most of life and all those they encountered. People tended to smile wherever they showed up.

My Dad was successful but lived for and in the moment – he died very young, leaving little but fabulous memories with just about everyone seeing his life and legacy through rose-tinted spectacles. Mum used to say that he was second to none when in “play mode”…??he wasn’t quite as good at the long-term strategy and less interesting “tasks”???

She seemed to me to ‘dance’ through life – being interested in everyone and everything – she would see the best in all people and things and be at home with paupers or kings. She saw ‘wonder’ in every tree, cloud, sunrise, sunset, moon – you name it.

I think what they gave me, in addition to never questioning unconditional love, was the built-in belief that if you wanted to win, you could – if you put in the work, you would receive the rewards, but that if you sat around and waited to be given things, you didn’t deserve whatever it was.

We were pretty poor. Holidays were piling into a (usually small and old) car and driving somewhere – it could be Wales, Scotland, Spain, Germany, Italy, but it would always be on a shoestring, AND it didn’t matter – we had great fun, and it didn’t matter what we did or where we went.

I recall getting into the original Mini one year, 5 of us and a German Shepherd on the kids laps in the back and driving to Scotland! – How? You may ask – I’ve no idea, but we did, and as a family, we have slept in barns (my Mum would jump out and ask the farmer if it was OK), once in an old pig stye, once in what had been a prison in Spain when there was simply nothing else available. She went into the police station to ask them where we could stay!!

The simple lessons that have helped me were:

• Go get it
• Be honest
• “If it’s not yours, it’s someone else’s.”
• “if you can’t sing “make a joyful noise” (that was Grandma)
• Earn your own way
• Don’t take sh*t from people
• Don’t settle for second best
• Help everyone, if you can, and if they deserve it
• Push back
• Do the right thing