In 2020, I thought a lot about the importance of paying it forward

Published on 17 December 2020

A few days ago, I realised that 2020 marked my 20th year in the workplace. During those 20 years, I’ve had a really varied career and like many people, have gone in directions I would never have expected (at 42, I’m still not totally sure what I want to be when I grow up.) I also feel incredibly lucky because 2020 has brought me good news on the work front, and I’m now in a role I would never have dreamt of when I left university 2 decades ago.

It’s got me thinking about how on earth I’ve managed to get here, which in turn is making me think of all the people who’ve given me a leg up or believed in me when they really didn’t have to.

These are the individuals who:

• let me stalk them (badly) around a trade show and didn’t call security when I finally plucked up the courage to ask to do some work experience on their magazine (I became their first ever female staffer as a result)

• gave me a job I really wasn’t experienced enough to do, and then didn’t sack me when I made two pretty major and high-profile cock-ups in the first month (they involved a controversial hymn and a dog wedding)

• always made sure I was ok when I was having crippling confidence issues (my eldest daughter is named after this person)

• offered me a job despite me getting the name of the organisation consistently wrong throughout a presentation in my interview

• sat for hours with me in a cafe to work, re-work and re-work my content in detail, even though they were a figurehead in their discipline and had far more important work to be doing

• quietly engineered opportunities for me to take on more responsibility and lead teams of people, even though the obvious next step would be for me to leave their organisation

• finally got me to open up confidently to a room of people about the stresses and joys of being a working mum

• sent me an encouraging note or genuinely constructive feedback that helped me reflect on my actions and motivations and do a better job as a result (there are a ton of these individuals – I’ve been so lucky to work with so many brilliant people)

I would not be in the position I’m in today without those moments of trust – where people took a chance or thought they saw something in me that was worth encouraging. Some of these people are sadly no longer alive, and I wish I’d told them what an impact they’ve had on me. I hope others might recognise themselves in these words and will know how truly grateful I am for what they did for me.

So, in 2020, I’ve thought a lot about how vital it is to pay it forward. Other people have paved the way for me, so I want to pave the way for those who come next. This is particularly important right now, as work is just a lot harder than it used to be, especially for those who are early in their careers and have less opportunity to build their profile in a remote-first world.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what Emily Webber calls ‘assisted serendipity’* and wondering how to make this happen for people I know who don’t have the same chance encounters to build the relationships that lead to these moments of trust and the opportunities to develop new networks. I’ve also thought a lot about how women can find ways to elevate each other at work and push back against gender bias.

I’m wondering about how I can:

• elevate others so their voices are heard in the right conversations

• be a better mentor and sponsor – I have mentored people in the past but I’d like to be more intentional about how I do it

• celebrate other people’s achievements in a way that gives them more professional visibility

• create opportunities for people who might otherwise be overlooked

I don’t have the answers yet, but I’m committed to doing more about it in 2021.

*Assisted serendipity, Emily Webber