March madness gone and into Q2, so a good opportunity to have a look at the quarter past and see what we have achieved. Julian is keeping the momentum of a good quarter going and has some exciting developments on the sales side, including a campaign around Creo 6. Before I get into all the company stuff, it is only right that we take a moment to remember Lee’s partner Mel.
I don’t know how many of you met Mel, but I had the good fortune to do so, some time back. She and Lee were a great couple and spent a good number of years sharing their lives together. Her passing is tragically sad for all involved, Mel, Lee and their extended families. We shouldn’t need such a harsh reminder on how precious life is and how important it is, in relative terms to what we do on a daily basis. Lee’s dedication and love for Mel throughout her illness was admirable. I know they say we all deal with things when they are put in front of us, but it also takes some human spirit and strength to have taken the journey Lee has. I am sure all will provide help and support to Lee in the coming weeks and months. May Mel, rest in peace.
Anything that will follow in this letter can only be of less relevance, but life goes on for all of us, so looking forward and staying positive gives hope and enthusiasm. Laura did a first-rate job on the recent social event and I was delighted with my own performance in the golf! The Italian for eating out was great and it was good to get a chance for us all to mingle. I think the quarterly evenings out are proving popular and hopefully the weather will oblige for the next one. If there are any ideas or suggestions, please shout up.
Congratulations to Karen on bagging the inaugural companywide MVP for the first quarter.
On the business side the numbers for Q1 have been good and pretty much on target. 
We had many new customer wins in the shape of Rubberatkins, Mettis Aerospace for PLM and Tufting Machinery. We also had a significant Mathcad deal with Subsea Seven. The renewal business also had a positive contribution to the numbers despite the loss of a key account in the shape of Denso. Retaining Denso would have given us a big lift in the numbers but that is business to some extent, so we move on. We will have a review on the Denso account to see what / if anything we can learn from the engagement.
We are continuing our process improvement work and have had some focus on the handover process in the past month. The handover process has been somewhat of a fluid entity over the past while with levels of details, who owns what when and what we ultimately deliver, being somewhat dependent on who was involved. We can get more consistent on this and get greater alignment internally before we engage with customers. Nick has collated the input from all involved and will share some slides on that in the coming weeks.
I hope that all the annual reviews have delivered plans and some vision to what we are all aspiring for in the coming months and year ahead. If there is any feedback on the updated process it would be good to hear it at the next management meeting. It is important that the review delivers for each and every one of us and not be seen as a thing the company has to do. We are missing an opportunity if we don’t see it as an opportunity for progression and development, so please provide feedback to your managers if you have any.
Finally, a farewell to Heather and best wishes for the next stage in her life. Her contribution to the company over the past number of years is there in the history of the company forever. A big thank you for all your input over the years.
A look into creating an active, healthy and positive lifestyle
They say the 20s is the most important decade of your life. Where the habits made will essentially shape your future and where endless opportunities await to allow you to develop as a person. Knowing this, I wanted to ensure that my 20s are driven with ambitious goals both mentally and physically in all aspects of my life. But of course, it’s never too late to get stuck into a new activity and develop yourself further.
With that in mind keeping active and exercising became a big part of my life. Hitting the gym after work is so refreshing for the mind and body, a wake-up from the technology driven world we are in. Going for a run around the block is just as amazing and stimulating.
For a person that never used to run, didn’t really like running, and if made to; could barely reach 10 minutes a session. When a challenging opportunity came, I took it on board and somehow broke through psychological barriers that I put on myself. Every additional kilometre per run fuelled my motivation further and only proved that I was capable of doing something that wasn’t my cup of tea. That can translate across many different scenarios; With the right mindset and consistency anything can be done!
The latest activity that I have found myself doing is Bouldering. Essentially a form of rock climbing, but with fairly low walls and no safety gear.
When climbing, you first pick a colour, start seated on the ground and can only use the pegs from that colour to navigate yourself up and across the wall. I’ve found this really satisfying as it requires thought and planning around how you are going to manoeuvre yourself along the wall, gives great exercise, and requires you to learn body control. The combination of all that and the company of friends shouting ‘the floor is lava’ is always good fun.
Outside of fitness, one thing that is present in my day to day life is positivity and the conscious thoughts of being mindful and grateful for everything around us.
Being mindful throughout the day, learning to stay fully present, aware of where we are and what we are doing and not being overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us or what might be. Combined with a focus on breathing, puts you in a very peaceful state of mind and allows a person to feel centralised in their way.
In addition, recognising what you have and being grateful for it is very valuable. Whether it’s being grateful for coffee, being grateful for having glasses to correct eyesight or being grateful for failure as a means of progression. Being conscious of this has numerous benefits in psychological health, physical health, calmness, sleep, productivity, happiness and much much more!
Acknowledging all of that and bringing it to life by writing it down is a powerful method of living a positive lifestyle, and this is something I do as part of a WhatsApp group I’m in, called ‘Daily Positivity’.
In this group, daily, I write at least 3 things I am grateful for during that day. Any form of achievements or goals that I have, and anything that I feel will help in my progression to become a better version of myself.
When the whole WhatsApp group collectively does this, it amplifies the positivity and productivity immensely and lets people bounce of other people’s comments.
I’d recommend everyone to give this a go, consciously acknowledge what you are grateful for and for a short period of the day, try to be mindful of your current activity rather than letting your brain run ahead of the day.
Today I am grateful for:
What are you grateful for today?
A Very Happy Birthday in April to:
