If only more people were like this...
/I met someone recently who massively inspired me. Not someone in the public eye, not someone who had won something or who had done anything particularly momentous or noteworthy. Just an ordinary guy doing his job. Let me tell you why I warmed to him…
He manages a night shift team in a care home in north London. He lives in Croydon (just south of London) and travels in from here to north London every day by public transport - getting two buses and three trains each way. For anyone who knows the geography of London and the transport system, this journey can take marginally longer than getting to the moon and back some days! During the day he sleeps (obviously!) but he is also studying to get further qualifications – making the most of the education opportunities open to him in this country compared to the country of his birth.
On two of his days off he attended a leadership programme I was running that his organisation suggested he attended. He was a model student, lapping everything up and throwing himself into each exercise to get the most out of it. He was on time for every session and he arrived early every day just (so he said) he didn’t run the risk of missing anything. Not one complaint about how far he has to come to work or having to come in on his days off for this course. Not one reference to not having enough time to do everything he has on his plate.
Just an ordinary guy. A hard-working, diligent and committed employee who has worked his way up to a senior position, based purely on merit, with very little given to him in life, grateful for every opportunity his organisation and this country gives him, polite and respectful of the people he interacts with and setting a fantastic example to all around him. Great attitude, great work ethic, great example of making the most of what you have!