It’s been a while since I wrote my first LinkedIn newsletter. I managed to break my wrist shortly after, which made typing a bit of a challenge.
A big thank you to everyone who has already subscribed to this newsletter – over 500 of you, and that means a lot. I wasn’t sure anyone would subscribe, beyond my close friends and family who’re obliged to show their support (thanks Nigel Kerr IEng).
If you'd like to subscribe, you can find it here: Subscribe to Down a Rabbit Hole
Why Down a Rabbit Hole?
Maybe you were intrigued by the title of my newsletter – Down a Rabbit Hole. Why did I choose this?
Curiosity
It’s a depiction of the way my Neurodivergent brain works. I love to learn new things and my endless curiosity means I often go off down rabbit holes exploring ideas.
Possibility
It’s also a reference to Alice in Wonderland. This particular quote has always resonated with me:
“Would you tell me please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the cat.
The possibilities might be endless, but at some point we do need to exit the rabbit warren.
I use this quote at the start of business planning sessions to encourage leaders to think about the outcome they’re trying to achieve before starting to plan the journey to get there.
And at the start of coaching relationships, to help clients define their overarching goals for the coaching agreement.
Nice to meet you, I’m Lisa
As I’ve got a lot of new followers and subscribers, I thought I should introduce myself properly. For those who already know me and don’t need an introduction, stick around and let me know if you learn something new about me today?
Where shall I begin?
Well, staying with Alice in Wonderland, the King’s response to this question, when asked by the White Rabbit, was “Begin at the beginning”.
Seems obvious huh?
But it got me thinking and off I went down another rabbit hole.
In business situations, I’d usually introduce myself starting in 1998, when I trained as a Chartered Accountant at Deloitte as part of their Graduate scheme.
But that wasn’t my first job. I thought back and realised I’d actually had eight different jobs before I left Uni to start my ‘first’ job.
Jobs I did before I was a ‘grown up’
Dishwasher in a pub
I think I was about 13 at the time. I worked all day Sunday for the princely sum of £5 cash-in-hand and a lift home. I loved being part of the team, making sure all the plates were clean for the Sunday lunch customers.
Christmas cashier at Woolworths
My first legitimate job aged 16. There were no scanners at the checkout, each item had to have a code typed in and then the price. I challenged myself to be the fastest cashier by memorising all the codes for the items so I didn’t have to look at the label each time.
Shelf-stacking at Tesco
I worked at least 3 evenings a week from 5pm to 11pm throughout my A-Levels. I challenged myself to find the best way to stack the biscuits to get the greatest number on the shelf. I also did 5 A-levels, played 1st XI Hockey, coached Hockey and spent all day Sunday catching up on homework in time to get to the pub on Sunday evening.
Packing mugs in a factory
Summer holidays after A-levels. Tens of thousands of mugs, each packed into a plastic box with a cardboard insert. Each day I tried to find ways to improve the process, however small, so that we could pack more mugs the next day. Sometimes this related to physical changes to the packing line, sometimes bringing in chocolate biscuits for break times. There’s more than one way to approach a process.
Barmaid in Birmingham
First and second years at Uni. I needed the money to keep my car on the road. I learnt how to balance a pint glass in each hand so I could pour two drinks at once and keep the queues short. Anyone for a Lager Top?
MG Motor AE Rover placement
Summer holiday at Uni. My first experience of an office job. At the end of summer, all of the placement students had to give a presentation on what we’d learned and why we’d want to work for Rover after we graduated. My first experience of Powerpoint and it will be no surprise to anyone that I went all out on the slides – some things will never change.
Domestic help in Bordeaux
Still at Uni, third year of my degree in Accounting with French. I worked for a French lawyer. She taught me how to cook the best spaghetti carbonara (and yes, I know that’s not a French dish!). At the time I didn’t drink wine – what a waste!
Car aerial factory
Holidays during my fourth year at Uni. My hands were torn to shreds as the plastic clips had to be kept wet to achieve the right tension. This was the first time I worked through the night to achieve a deadline, and I remember it well as it was the night that Princess Diana died. I also experienced a Kanban system being installed and implemented. What a complete transformation of the factory. While it looked like the system would be way slower as each cell could only work at the pace of its slowest member, this ultimately leads to the greatest efficiency.
I’ve always had a drive to improve processes and find ways to help people.
I went into each role with a willingness to learn and a desire to maintain my interest levels by finding challenges each day.
What jobs aren’t on your LinkedIn profile?
None of these jobs is listed on my LinkedIn profile.
What jobs have you done that you don’t list on your profile?
Anything interesting or unusual?
Let me know in the comments.
🌻🧠🌻🧠🌻🧠🌻🧠🌻🧠🌻🧠🌻🧠🌻🧠🌻🧠🌻🧠🌻
I coach leaders who think differently.
ADHD coaching with Lisa has transformed my ability to get things done and feel in command of my business. Our course of coaching has boosted my confidence, creativity and resilience. I feel fired up to find solutions to my own problems, and I have a newfound belief in my ability to tackle complex situations and bounce back from challenges. I love Lisa's calm, reassuring manner, and her ability to be flexible and responsive, while following a structured approach. Working with Lisa has been the best investment I've ever made in my professional - and personal - development.
Ettie Bailey-King, Founder, Fighting Talk
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