A very different St Patricks Day

Sitting at home with my family today taking in the quietness of St Patricks Day 2020 - no parade, no mass gatherings, etc and it has just dawned on me that the last time I had such a quiet St Patricks Day's was in 2014 and it was because the following day was to be my first working at Silver Hill Duck...

Back in 2014, my wife and I and our four children headed to Sligo for the day to take in the parade…The weather was the usual much like today – cold, wet and a little windy… The parade was much the same as most places – fleets of open trailer lorries with floats, agricultural machinery and local clubs and societies braving the elements for our entertainment…

While I took it all in, my mind was never far from drifting towards wonderment of the new position awaiting me at Emyvale Co. Monaghan the following day and I declined the offer of a pint to maintain a clear head and focus for that next day!

In the 6 years since, I have learnt an awful lot about teamwork, communication, self-awareness, emotional intelligence, motivation, initiative, problem solving, organising, behavioural management, change management and in general getting things done from a company who are industry leaders in producing the finest duck the world has tasted.

The learning’s I’ve made in those six years and continue to make are down to my peers, colleagues and our MD at Silver Hill Duck and their ability to influence my way of thinking and acting.

Watching, following and taking their lead has been a rewarding and grateful process and has given me the tools to lead myself when it is needed.

With the changes we are all undertaking across the world right now in light of Covid-19 coupled with this personal pause to reflect on my work anniversary, one very important thing which Silver Hill Duck has taught me springs to mind – Adaptability.

How to react & adapt to tricky, awkward, compromising and difficult situations, something which has never been more paramount than now.

Like everyone right now that bulb of uncertainty is flicking it’s light in my mind as we wonder what time, day, week it will be when we can send this virus packing and return to ‘normality’.

Those who have lost loved ones and who will do so, which is not exclusive to any of us, will wonder what ‘normality’ will look like after such loss but we will do what we always do and have to do, keep going.

In the meantime, being and becoming adaptable no matter how often the situation changes will be key for all of us professionally in our workplaces, at home with our families and in our thinking in general. 

Over the coming weeks I sincerely hope and pray that good health of family members, friends and that of colleagues remains so and I look forward to playing a part at Silver Hill Duck in keeping the supply chain moving, as many other food industry colleagues are, to ensure we have the fuel for people to fight through this.

So a change this year from my usual St Patricks Day routine of parades with the family, meeting friends, watching sport and enjoying a pint when permitted but it’s no harm today to pause, reflect and focus on being even more adaptable than before as we drive on.