Why everyone deserves a ‘Second Look’

I’m not going to get into politics but, like many, I’ve been reading with interest that our new PM is actively promoting discussions about our academic system and questioning its value to our wider economy.

I left formal education at 16 and I have a single GCE in Mathematics to my name (a proper old style one 😊).

I grew up in a family of academics and for much of my early life felt like I was a complete failure because I didn’t measure up in a linear scoring system. I felt useless and if I had a CV at the time it would have told a simple story – I wasn’t good enough for this modern world.

Then someone gave me a ‘Second Look.’

They didn’t give me a job title, they didn’t point me to a course or try to change me. It just started with ‘Let’s see what you can actually do’.

Since then I’ve grown and sold 2 companies, mentored a number of highly successful people and written 3 books as well as put teams together to swim the Channel and row the Atlantic.

Whilst the teenage years were tough, I’ve spent the next 40 years proving people were right to give me a chance. Its not because I became smarter or got more qualifications, its just that I proved that the person who saw my potential was right, even when my paperwork didn’t say it.

I’m a firm believer that we are squandering huge amounts of talent and potential in society and business due to our failure to clesrly identify potential.

A ‘Second Look’ could the lives of the people you work with and make a radical change to the overall health of your organisation too.

DM if you’d like me to share the benefits of the ‘Second Look’ with your team

#SecondLook