I bought a business two weeks before we went into lockdown.

I spent a lot of time, in fact too much time thinking about the “tone” and “voice” I wanted this summary to take and following a conversation with a long-standing client (whom I enjoy working with for many reasons but one of the standouts is his directness), he helped me realise that in order to add value for those of you that read this, I need to be honest, step away from the corporate jargon and try and give you a real insight into my year, warts and all.

On the 28th of February, 2020, my business partner Kate and I signed the papers for Pti Worldwide and on the 16th of March, the UK and a large part of the planet went into lockdown. The delivery schedule emptied and like many businesses, we scrambled to understand what to do next. The first thing I did was open a bottle of wine, sat at my dining room table, and had anybody been looking at me I would have perhaps resembled a man deep in thought, calmly and patiently plotting my next move. Total rubbish, my mind was completely blank, and I proceeded to finish the bottle. A decision well-made and executed I must say. What next?

Well, the first thing I decided was I would not spend any time feeling sorry for myself, there’s no point, it’s unhelpful and what did I have to moan about, my family was healthy, we had a roof over our heads, and I was lucky enough to have just purchased a business that I loved with opportunity everywhere – if I chose to look for it.

Although I am grateful for the intent behind them, I also received many calls and emails of commiseration, why? People had almost decided my fate less than a week into the lockdown and perhaps just maybe they helped my competitive spirit kick in because I was not going to be beaten and I wasn’t going to lay down and wait for this pandemic to destroy our business.

Right, this isn’t a fictional Novel and I’m no Author (yet), so let’s fast forward 12 months. My family is still healthy, we still have a roof over our heads and I’m still lucky enough to own a business that I love and there is still opportunity everywhere. What’s changed? Well, the world may have changed forever but that’s out of my control. What I can control and how I choose to think and be every day hasn’t changed in the slightest. I’ve said it repeatedly all year, control the controllable, influence what you can and anything outside of that is not for me to worry about. Easier said than done? I don’t think so, I think that is quite simple and it’s helped me focus my thoughts, time, and energy on the right things.

But here’s my first learn; if you want to make it easier surround yourself with the people that you trust to hold you to account for this type of thinking. Don’t seek out those people that will only: sympathise, empathise, or just agree with you. What you need is the proverbial mirror holding up when you’re having a “dip” and starting the type of self-talk that leads you down a path of self-deprivation and wallowing in self-pity. So, thank you, Kate, Noah, Danny, Suzy, Leanne, and Matty – my mirror holders.

Next up, be a human! Becoming a Managing Director required me to think and act differently but it did not require me to become less human. I’m an emotional person, have always worn my heart on my sleeve and I have a need to be liked by everyone – wow when I write that I should question my ability to be a “Managing Director” right?

I don’t think so, what’s the point in working as hard as I have and using all the natural characteristics and behaviours I have available to me, to drop them at the most important time. I have to be conscious of my brand and I have to adapt but I am also me and I’d like to think people, my team, and my customers like that. For those that don’t, that’s ok, that’s life but if people are going to “buy me” (to coin an old sales phrase) then surely, I need to BE ME. Again, this takes me back to those people around you, they are critical because as well as needing them to hold the mirror up, you also need them to remind you of what they like and love about you.

There is sometimes a false perception that in order to be successful you have to be driven, ruthless, and remove the emotion. Maybe that works for some but there are a lot of examples in the world that dispel that myth. Good people don’t have to finish last, and I’m determined to be on that side of the fence when I “hang my gloves up”. To my mirrors, please hold me to account for this.

And that also leads to my next learn: whilst I may be the Managing Director, that does not stop me from being able to roll my sleeves up and muck in, again these principles got me to where I am, why stop them now? In the last year, I’ve painted walls, taken my Client's car to the petrol station because they needed to leave on time but were live filming all day, and collected printed materials from the printers to drive them to the couriers to ensure we met the postal submission date. Should they be things that a Senior/Business Leader does? Maybe not all the time, I need to lead and deliver the business in its strategic growth but hey, it doesn’t hurt every now and again, does it?

And now onto the business stuff…

One of my hardest lessons of the last year came a week after signing for the business and right before the UK lockdown. I was on the phone with a client, and we were discussing the big topic of the time, Covid-19. My words to him were “it’s all been blown out of proportion, we’ll be back to normal in a few weeks”, and his response “I think you’re kidding yourself there mate”. I think we all know who was right and who was wrong. All the evidence was there, the world was preparing for a pandemic, and I was blindly optimistic and hoping it would all go away. I was left with little to no time to plan and left my business exposed and having to be reactive to the impact daily. Never again will I ignore a message or information presented to me without giving it my time and being curious.

And finally, before I let you get back to your lives if you haven’t already. Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate! In life we are taught from a young age not to fraternise with the enemy (in this example I’m talking about competitors), there are too many risks and ultimately this comes down to trust. I would encourage anybody to rethink this, there is so much opportunity out there in all industries and sectors to support, collaborate and be better. Instead of thinking that it could lose you the business or damage a project, think differently and explore ways in which it could potentially win you the business or make a project succeed. Our business has survived this pandemic through the power of collaboration, removing the paranoia, mistrust, and ego and focusing on the successful outcome. On the projects where we collaborated, our “enemy” made us better, as we did them.

Being a business leader is a lonely place, maybe just maybe you can learn from your competitors, create connections beyond the norm, and actually enjoy it.

And the final final, I proposed to the love of my life, she said yes!

Thanks, 2020/21, and thanks Covid.

Luke