In August that year, I was spending time deciding what to call my business. Having left my in-house role in May that year, I’d spent the summer doing some freelance work, thinking that I would continue that until I found a ‘proper’ job. But, having enjoyed the work I did so much, I made the leap. And in August 2004, Twist Consultants was born.
So… nineteen summers on, I’ve been taking time to reflect on what’s changed – and what hasn’t - since I started that journey. Here are just a few of the things that have come up:
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The importance of really understanding how human beings behave has become foundational in so many things, from organisational change to how we respond to things like climate. It’s key for us all.
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The way we connect and form and navigate relationships may have changed with the avalanche of social media (Facebook was launched in 2004, too). Fundamentally though, we are human beings who crave social connection with others and that hasn’t changed one iota.
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I’ve gained and lost clients and friends along the way. Others have remained constant, and we’ve worked through the ups and downs of life and work. I know those relationships have been invaluable to all of us.
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Knowing your values is essential. Understanding what really matters to you gives you clarity about who you hang out with, how you find joy and where you focus your attention.
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At points, my life has been way out of kilter and work has been way too much of a priority. I’ve learned how important looking after ourselves really is if we want to enjoy life and have the space to support others. That’s why it’s part of the work I do now.
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Steering your own path, swimming in your own lane… whatever term you want to use, I’ve had to learn not to compare myself with others. We’re all working to our own plan. Being curious and open to whatever comes up, has led to all sorts of interesting things.
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I’ve worked with some fab people and leaders and others who have not been quite ‘there’. I’ve got enough experience to spot the ones I don’t want to work with and now choose people who lead with a people and society first approach. Not coming from a profit or process perspective.
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Every day is a school day. You never know everything. Every conversation is an opportunity learn something new and even if things don’t turn out the way you thought, it’s still an opportunity for nugget-finding
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I started out in 2004, offering services based on my experience from public relations and communications before moving into organisational change. My work has developed from offering pure consultancy and supporting with large-scale change projects and programmes into other areas like coaching, training and facilitation. But communications and its importance in how we work and live, has remained a foundational constant in my work.
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I met my now husband in the summer of 2004 too, and my life and work has developed in parallel. There’s so much to be grateful for.
A massive thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey with me so far.
I’m plotting some exciting things to help celebrate 20 years of Twist in 2024 and I’ll share more soon. If you have your own reflections on life since 2004, let me know!
In the meantime, if you’d like to find out more about how I can help you based on these 19 years of learning (and a few years before that too!), I’d love to chat.
