Tuesday 9th December 2008, 01:14The lesson of the dummiesI have the pleasure of being the chair of governors at the school my children attend. It is a great privilege to be able to support the staff and leadership team as they ensure these children get the very best start in life. This weekend was the school Christmas Fair and Father Christmas was our most important guest. We were thrilled he was able to spare a few hours to meet the children and learn what they would like for Christmas and whether they had been good boys and girls for the last year. I had the honour to help Father Christmas in some of his tasks as he had so many children to meet.
As each child waited in line to meet Father Christmas I was able to hear some of the requests and questions the children had for this important guest. It was simply enchanting to listen to the innocence of each child’s moment of truth. “We don’t have a chimney – how will you get into our house” “how do you know where I live” “last year my football boots were too big, so I thought I would let you know I am a size 12 this year”.
However, my heart was stolen on the day by one small girl who was clutching a plastic bag tightly in both hands. I noticed her slightly worried look and the constant reassurance from Mum and Dad as she got closer and closer to Santa. Eventually this little girl’s turn came. Once she was stood in front of Father Christmas all my questions were answered. This little girl confirmed she had been good, she asked for baby doll that cries and speaks and then said she had brought something very special for Santa.
As she passed the bag over to Santa he looked inside and pulled out a handful dummies. The little girl explained that now she was four years old she wanted Santa to take the dummies for the other little girls who may need them, as she was a big girl now. I stood there with a big lump in my throat and a tear in my eye. Father Christmas knew exactly what to do and thanked the little girl and congratulated her for passing on these prize dummies to him for redistribution to other younger girls.
I had witnessed a real step change in this child’s life. A moment of maturity; a rite of passage, moving on from one stage to another. Gone was the need for the comforter and as she left Father Christmas' grotto on Saturday she was starting another important stage in her life.
It made me think about A4e. We keep growing and pushing the boundaries of our business. Today I am I Szczecin to open our new office in Poland. I first visited Szczecin in July 2006. At that time Poland was a new challenge to A4e. I needed my dummies and soothers to cope with the many different challenges we faced in Poland, language, currency, and political landscape, cultural and religious differences. But today I am very proud we no longer need this support. We have learnt and grown with the local community and we now feel very much apart of the developing Polish employment market. We have listened and responded to the needs and aspirations of local people and we have designed a programme which is unique to Szczecin but builds on our 21 years experience.
In A4e we are also undergoing a huge transition and it will not be without pain. Any change is unsettling, any period of transition from one to the other can be destabilising. Our success and our growth and the constant demand for our services in different countries mean that we have to push forward the boundaries and mature as a business. That means change but it is change driven by our success not by our failure. The new organisational structures, people, frameworks and plans will help us to grasp the opportunities ahead and ensure we can fulfil our promise to Improve Peoples Lives anywhere in the world where we are called to serve. It will mean more investment, IT, stronger leadership teams, clearer plans and an increased ability to stay true to our vision of “Improving Peoples Lives”.
So in a strange way, like the child standing in front of Father Christmas, we too must hand over some of our comforters as we make that next maturing step towards being a company with the capacity to reach for the next goal. It will feel uncomfortable at times as we take on new roles and new tasks but the strength and confidence we gain means many more people can look forward to being part of A4e’s success story.
Thanks
Roy
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