1) Touring as a backing singer for a band – probably something along the lines of the ‘Supremes’ – I am quite attracted to the ‘glamour of this and it would give me a chance to explore my inner Diva!

2) Writing a book, there are at least three ideas bubbling around in my head at the moment, but the current favourite is to research and write about my gran and how this mother of ten children somehow managed to make the move from Jamaica to Canada.

3) Performing a comedy routine – just to see what would happen, I quite like the idea of being heckled and being able to dish out as good as I got.

4) Learning to ‘Tango’, just because of the style and drama of it. I also quite fancy having a go at learning to ‘body pop, as part of a street dance ‘crew’, especially as my daughter does this so well.

5) Writing a hymn and hearing it sung, I have loved hymns since childhood and now that I am learning to play the piano, I am starting to think ‘’why not?’ – Although I will need some more music under my belt.

6) Feature in a film, just a small part, walk on, no speaking would be fine, but what an experience that would be, getting behind the scenes to look at what is involved in putting a ‘motion’ picture, together. Actually, I also quite fancy having a go at directing!

And finally,

7) Pitch a potential business to the ‘Dragons’, I am still rooting around for the ‘killer’ business, idea, but the thought of standing in front of the big ‘5’ and actually getting the figures right (not my strongest point), does strangely appeal.

So there you have it, I guess I better get busy!

Until next time
Pittabread

Three completely different films, that for different reasons are all still at the top of my leader board.

The Shawshank Redemption, Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman

This story is about the unlikely friendship between two completely different men, within a harsh and corrupt prison regime. What has always struck me about this film was the ability of the main character ‘Andy Defresne’ to plan and execute over an incredibly long period of time the perfect escape. He devises a deceptively simple plan, based on his interest and knowledge of geology and despite all the setbacks within the prison keeps focused on that plan. I especially love the way he finds a way, to leave a trail for his friend Ellis ‘Red’ Redding to follow, with the final scene showing a simple and understated reunion of the two friends.

This film also contains for me one of the most moving scenes I have ever seen, when ‘Andy’ discovers a box of records and picks out one to play through the prison loudspeaker system. So that for just a few minutes every prisoner can hear the music of Mozart’s ‘Marriage of Figaro’, and it seems that for that time every prisoner is set ‘free’, absolutely stunning!

Some like it hot, Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe

I love this film for it’s pace, humour and just sheer farce. Two grown men ’Joe and Jerry’, disguising themselves as women, so they can join a female touring band, to avoid being found and killed by the mob due to the fact that they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Then of course, Marilyn’s ‘Sugar Kane Kowalczyk’ comes along and all thoughts of lying low and just blending in are completely forgotten as Tony Curtis’s character ‘Joe’ starts to woo Marilyn whilst Jack Lemmon’s character ‘Jerry’ watches on with increasing dismay.

This film is as timeless and funny today as when it was first made and the final scene is still so memorable when Jack Lemmon’s character finally confesses to his fiancé, Osgood Fielding III, played by Joe E Brown ‘ Ohh …..I’m a man!’ and Osgood’s amazing reply, ‘Nobody’s perfect!’

The Terminator: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn

I was in Switzerland when I first saw this film and can still feel the unrelenting power and determination of the Cyborg that was Arnold Schwarzenegger as he {it} sets about finding and killing ‘Sarah Conner’. The Cyborg that was Arnold just seemed unstoppable and is for my money still the best of all the Terminator films. Despite the technology and effects of the later films, none of them seem to have quite the same shock and power of the very first film. It’s sheer pace kept me on the edge of my seat, all the way through, just wondering how ‘Kyle’ and ‘Sarah’ were ever going to escape.

So there you have it.

Until next time
Pittabread

So every now and again in a ‘fit of pique’, I start looking at jobs and even send off for a few job descriptions, person specifications and all the other bits of paper that go with making a job application. However every time I look at the mountain of information required and start reading about duties, responsibilities, competences, essential and non essential criteria – my heart sinks and I think “How much do I really want this job?”

And I have to be honest the answer is invariably “not enough”. Not enough to tie myself to an employer and as I see it, to the daily routine of having to be at a certain place at a certain time, accountable and responsible to a certain person/organisation, day in and day out.

I worry and wonder if at some level I am unemployable, because somehow I can’t quite bring myself to give up working for myself – with all the pitfalls, problems and issues that it brings. So what is it, that keeps me going, even when the order book is looking a ‘little light’ and the pattern of work is often like waiting for buses, nothing for ages then three turn up at once?

The one thing I can come up with is when I think back to the initial euphoria I felt when I handed in my resignation to my then employer. I remember coming out onto the steps of their building and looking upwards to a clear blue sky and feeling that the ‘world was my oyster’.

So that I think is what keeps me going now, that picture and very clear sense that there are a whole range of opportunities out there, I just need to find them.

So there you have it.

Until next time
Pittabread

However our choir director does like to encourage solo singers and with each performance that we work towards there are always a few solo parts up for grabs. Until this moment I had not thought it remotely possible that I would try for one of these. So I have always admired those brave souls that step up and have a go and to be fair the rest of us are always very encouraging and supportive of whoever ‘has a go’.

So when our director gave us her rendition of Amazing Grace and then asked for some solo singers, I think she was pretty surprised when twelve people including myself jumped up to audition.

I still don’t fully understand why I volunteered, but Amazing Grace is one of my all time favourite songs and in a way it was easier to join the growing queue and ‘have a go’.

Being 9th or 10th in the queue, I had plenty of time for the nerves to build as each person before me belted out their rendition. There were some really strong singers amongst the twelve and each person delivered their own take on the song and it was a real privilege to listen to some truly wonderful singing.

Then of course my turn came, heart pounding, eyes tight shut I managed to get through my verse. Things went a bit wrong in the middle, but I kept going anyway. There was no ‘bolt of lightening’, ‘the earth didn’t open and swallow me up’, I wasn’t booed off. Mine clearly wasn’t the strongest voice there, but it really was okay to still ‘have a go’.

So I have decided that at times it really is worth singing out of your comfort zone, I will try again, although maybe not for a little while yet.

So there you have it.

Until next time
Pittabread

I found myself captured by the good natured crowd and their obvious delight and joy at being present at such an ‘occasion’. I was fascinated by the whole pomp and ceremony that went with the armed forces being present, the protocols the ritual. It reminded me that as a nation this is what we do so well, in some ways it was heartening to see that despite the difficulties we face we can still put on a ‘good show’, when required.

And of course I was completely ‘hooked’ by the different outfits that were brought out for the occasion. Some I guess worked better than others and I suppose money cannot always buy good taste and style. Although for others, it so obviously did.

However, for me the bride looked absolutely stunning, not so much because of the dress but because she looked so genuinely happy and relaxed. Of course I have no idea how she really felt knowing that her every expression and move was being watched my millions, but both the bride and groom certainly managed to look as though they were enjoying the day and why not? It was their wedding day after all.

Let’s hope that they can continue on with a long and happy marriage.

Until next time
Pittabread

Consequently, I was with them for just over four years and they were in some ways quite a tough company to work for, long hours, high levels of expectation, short deadlines – but I think my experience there has played a pivotal role in where I am today. Although I really didn’t appreciate it at the time and would have really struggled had they decided to let me go.

However, my very first appraisal was less than auspicious, not helped by me (and I’ll put this down to a bit of youthful arrogance) leaving before the Director could see me. We had arranged to meet at a certain time after normal working hours and because he was pretty busy, I had to wait, admittedly a fair while and I guess after (my memory is a bit hazy here) 45 minutes or so, at the end of an already long day, I decided to leave.

Hmmm, not great and I wasn’t too well received the following morning, my appraisal still went ahead and I wasn’t given the full pay increase I might have had. But all these years later, I can recognise and appreciate the kindness and care that was extended to me by that company and things did get a lot better for me, especially once I’d moved to another part of the organisation.

I met some real characters during my four years there and have never worked anywhere since, that has inspired quite the same levels of loyalty, fear and energy.

So there you have it.

Until next time
Pittabread

So far so good, at 9am sharp an engineer appears (engineer one) –‘great’ I think ‘this will be sorted quickly and I will be able to get on with the rest of my day’.

However, after two hours of flapping huffing and puffing, engineer one has achieved precisely nothing, well not quite because the sink is running even slower than it was and he is refusing to even touch the toilet because he is not a plumber!

To be fair, after two hours of largely useless ‘flapping’ and cleaning with an industrial sized machine, engineer one concedes defeat and calls in a plumber to sort out the loo and the sink. As soon as he’s made the call, he leaves just as fast as he can calling out that the loo will need to be dismantled and the sink an even bigger machine.

Anyway, an hour or so later engineer two appears, takes one look at the loo and says ” I can sort that” and does so in less than twenty minutes. He then fixes his attention on the sink – all I see in terms of equipment is a ‘Henry Hoover’ or something very similar and again the sink is sorted in thirty minutes, water flowing through as good as new. At which point, the engineer turns to me and asks “What has he been doing?” Referring of course to engineer one, my reply is simply “trying to unblock the sink”

“Hmmm” says engineer number two without rancour or emotion “I think he probably needs some retraining…….”

So there you have it, a very diplomatic and professional response, I think.

Until next time
Pittabread

Some of my more memorable moments both professional and personal include:

Working with one particular coaching client, I really am curious to see what this individual will achieve. I have a very strong feeling that this individual will really start to ‘fly’ as I see so much potential in the way they approach their work.

Supporting a group of senior managers through an Assessment Centre process, a tough and challenging assignment but ultimately very rewarding in terms of the positive feedback I received from the delegates.

Seeing my daughter, become more comfortable and confident in water, to the point where she can now swim some distance underwater. I now want to see if we can get her swimming more lengths!

Singing at the Brighton Dome in December as part of the Brighton Gospel Choir, what an amazing experience! I have already signed up for the next term.

Being fortunate enough to find such an outstanding piano teacher for myself and my daughter, I am looking forward to seeing how far we both progress this year!

And finally, just getting on with this blog.
Until next time
Pittabread

“Stacey Solomon, an individual who when placed in an extraordinary situation was completely herself and allowed the rest of us to see what an extraordinary individual she really is.”

This whole episode has got me thinking about what does happen when ‘ordinary’ people are put into extraordinary situations. In the ‘jungle’ Stacey showed herself to be tough, resilient, funny, smart and incredibly generous of spirit.

For me, this is part of the joy of working as a coach, when you see, literally before your eyes, an individual starting to ‘fly’ and show what they can really do. In the work I do it is often a privilege to work with ‘talented’ and ‘extraordinary’ people, who don’t always appreciate what they themselves have to offer.

I must admit, I along with I suspect many others didn’t see Stacey emerging as such a ‘star’, to be honest I was preparing to be completely ‘underwhelmed’. It took me a little while to recognise her ‘star’ potential and it was really heartening to watch as this individual won over her group and the rest of us.

You may not be a fan of the current plethora of ‘reality’ TV shows, but they do sometimes allow ordinary people to shine and sparkle and emerge into the sunlight, so on that basis I say all power to them.

Until next time
Pittabread

‘Name four people real or fictional that you admire and explain why.’

I was so intrigued by this that once I had set my delegates going I started to ponder this for myself and came up with the following:

Elizabeth I – I have long been fascinated by this monarch, impressed by her intellect and bravery, especially in the early part of her reign. Elizabeth managed to keep her wits about her when accused by her sister Mary of plotting to overthrow her. What must it have been like growing up knowing that your father was responsible for the death of your mother, and having to constantly adapt to an ever changing political reality?

Scarlet O’Hara – Maybe not a politically correct choice, but as the exercise allows for fictional characters, I decided to include her because when the ‘chips were down’ with regard to food shortages and other deprivations this spoiled, pampered girl, rolled up her sleeves and simply did what was needed to keep food on the table. “Tomorrow is another day” is still one of my all time favourite quotes.

Winston Churchill – In my view, the right man for the right job at exactly the right time. He clearly had to make some very tough decisions, in some very tough times. Whilst also rallying a nation behind him with some truly inspiring speeches. For me it is enough to say “cometh the hour, cometh the man”.

And last but not least my Gran – simply because she lived her life to the beat of her own drum and was truly her own woman. Fun, mischievous, incredibly beautiful and a little bit of a Diva, I think.

So there you have it.

Until next time
Pittabread