Is silence really golden?

Silence is golden, but is it? Does anybody really like sitting in the background, trying to be a shadow of their former self? You should never have to change your personality; it’s what makes us all unique. We all can change ourselves to be better people, better managers, better communicators, whatever it may be, but not everybody chooses to do so. That is up to them. I have surrounded myself with people who can make me better as a person and the best thing is, I have their support.

I am not going to lie, it has been an awful eleven months of trying to keep a low profile. It is very difficult when this is not your personality. In addition, I am the lead spokesperson for the business, in an industry that I am passionate about and thus making this quiet stance even more painful.

Here and now...

We are now at an important stage of the company’s growth stage. We have recently appointed an experienced financial services professional, Bret Jackson, whom many of you are familiar with. In addition, we have hired a leading banking figurehead, Mike Ellwood as Non-Executive Director. We are to announce no less than three further appointments in May, one of which is a well-respected individual in the specialist property finance sector. In many regards, I still consider it an employee’s market but these people, and another two to follow, have all chosen this business.

Cancel culture...

There are three sides to every story, theirs, yours, and the truth. Cancel culture is the horrible side of social media and being on the end of it, I have experienced the consequences not felt by the perpetrators. I understand people have their opinions, that’s fine and they have every right, but it is the ones voiced by individuals who do not know me that I find frustrating.

Mental health affects everyone in some capacity. Its existence has always been known but the related conditions and its severity has been polarised due to the worldwide events of recent years. The link between social media and the impact it has on mental health is well documented, and I have experienced this first-hand. All too often, people do not think of the consequences when writing a post. Again, this is more painful when these people do not know who they are hurting. I’m big and ugly enough to handle this, others less so.

The future...

I want and am entitled to a future as much as anyone. I want to continue to play my part in the evolution of the specialist finance sector, driving transparency and standards further. I am passionate about doing my bit for charity. We are in the process of creating our foundation, that will support children who endured difficult upbringings as they transition into adulthood and the workplace, this means a lot to me personally as that is my backstory. On top of this, I’m always open to supporting other charities and raising awareness and funds, it’s what I do, have always done and will continue to do so.

Ultimately, I guess what I am trying to say is twofold really. The first is don’t always believe what you read in the press or other written forms. The other is about the future. Let’s try and look forward and not back, things happen that you can’t change, but you can learn from it and that’s what I do. I learn from yesterday for a better tomorrow…

Have an eggcellent Easter!?