My life has changed quite considerably in the past 8 months. Not only have I started a fantastic new job, I have also moved out of home into my first ever property.
Moving & changing jobs came within just a few months of each other and I was aware that I was taking a lot on simultaneously. As exciting as this new chapter of my life was, I was fully expecting to feel the strain of suddenly being very self-responsible. As a very family oriented person, I was also nervous about living alone.
SK Chase as a business has also experienced a lot of change over the past 8 months. With the expansion and introduction of new members of the team, as well as the exit of some very established ones. We have completed key projects, in particular the introduction of the ‘new look’ voucher sites. We have also increased our capacity and brought service back in-house.
So why has SK Chase made these changes? Thanks to the clarity and visibility of our vision, I know that we have done this to add value. And why have I made these changes in my personal life? To build towards my future and increase my own personal happiness. So I suppose you could say I have done this in order to add value as well.
I sometimes find change difficult. As much as I might recognise that it is required, it can still be in my instincts to resist it and stick with the status quo. Most of us prefer what we are used to and what we are comfortable with. It takes courage to implement and commit to change.
During my renovation project I found I could continually think up reasons to delay moving house. “The bathroom stills needs to be painted”, “I can’t move till I have a dining table”. The more I resisted the harder it became to make the decision to go. Finding the courage was half the battle.
The team at SK Chase have certainly found the courage. Decisions have been made to step up into different roles over the past year and some of us have also taken on new responsibilities. We have gone through a rapid period of development, recruitment & learning and it’s great to have the perspective now to reflect back on what we have experienced and put the knowledge and learnings to good use. Having embraced and moved through the changes I can honestly say I have never felt more energised and enthusiastic about the future. The faces at SK Chase have changed slightly and while our values are as steady & consistent as ever, our culture continues to develop with new personalities and observations.
The culture at SK Chase advocates our model of functionality, where we are each responsible for our different functions and manage work through the team with effective communication. Functionality guides us and keep us aligned. As a small team we rely on different capabilities and different personalities to make our organisation rounded and balanced. We also recognise that functionality does not stand still, it changes and progresses naturally and we in turn are responsible to document and communicate this. Following the business changes we have undergone, our functionality workshop last week was a fantastic platform for reviewing, re-iterating and implementing our functionality structure.
My next door neighbour asked me just the other day if I was settling into my new home well and I answered that “it’s starting to feel like home”. When I apply this question to SK Chase it’s a very similar feeling. Our new team and structure are really beginning to take shape. We have the right people in the right roles with the right responsibilities. As a result of all the hard work and courage of our team, I feel very ‘at home’ at SK Chase.