Our 10QUESTIONS feature asks members of the Freshfield community ten questions about their working life. Featuring client partners, colleagues and FF friends, our guests share some personal stories, views and fresh words of wisdom.
Our latest guest is Anne Williamson is the founder Customer Love, a consultancy specialising in helping clients to improve customer experience and engagement.
She is also the author of the book ‘Are you a one-night stand business?’ and has created dedicated workbooks for Customer Journey Mapping and Customer Voice.
How do you like to start your working day?
With a large mug of coffee and, so long as it’s not raining, I have it sat outside in garden enjoying the peace. I often do something creative before and during my working day, so will sometimes read a business book or do a few rows of knitting, depending on where my focus is that day.
Where and how do you come up with your best ideas?
I quite often step away from ‘work’ when trying to figure something out – a walk in woods or the beach. There’s something about the expanse of the sand, sea, horizon that opens the mind.
I also find working on something non-work-related that’s creative really helps switch my creative business thoughts on. In lockdown I made so many cushions and upcycled furniture and came up with a new business product – Marketing Footprint!
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Trying to attain perfection stifles growth – start, launch and amend based on feedback.
What does leadership mean to you?
Allowing others to shine, bring their skills to situations and something I’m keen on is asking someone to do something only if you have or are prepared to do it yourself. Also, leadership, to me, means you inspire others to take action.
What’s your top tip for achieving a work-life balance?
Working from home a lot of the time I have a few tips:
- Close the office door
- Book out time in your diary as a non-negotiable – to walk, exercise
- Switch your phone to silent when not working
- Schedule emails to send – rather than sending when you’re working, so someone else isn’t disturbed
Which current or historical business figure do you most admire and why?
Dame Stephanie Shirley – what a woman! She sadly passed away last year at age 91. When you look at her life, she truly was a pioneer. She arrived in England as an unaccompanied child refugee at the start of the Second World War, and in 1962 went on to found an all-woman software company as she was becoming frustrated with the low expectations, inequality and sexism that women faced in the workplace.
The company was called Freelance Programmers, and it was staffed by women working from home, blazing a trail for flexible working practices for women with caring responsibilities.
297 of the first 300 staff were women. At the time, when a woman couldn’t open a bank account without her husband’s permission, this idea was truly revolutionary. It started from her dining table and grew to employ 8,500 people.
It was ultimately valued at almost $3billion and made 70 of her staff millionaires as she had set them up as co-owners. This was all started back in the 1960s – hence why I feel she is revolutionary. There is so much more to her life, you can read more in her books or on her website.
What is your most trusted source of news?
As someone who doesn’t watch news or read a paper, because so much of it is negative, I tend to look at a mix of sites if something has come up that is of interest. I do have Google alerts set up for key phrases and will also then look at other sources.
What is your favourite brand and why?
Tough choice this, I am going to go with the Chocolate Smiths. They are a small business that makes fabulous chocolate. They collaborate with other small businesses and help promote their suppliers, such as graphic designers. They send great emails (that are not salesy). Their social media is ‘real’ and they take you along on their business journey.
What’s the most recent new skill you have learnt?
In my personal life it’s glass fusing. In my business life – as a Zoom devotee – I finally moved over to Teams and that’s definitely been a learning curve!
We all use them…what management jargon phrase do you use the most?
I didn’t think I used management jargon – then I Googled common jargon, and it looks like I do!
My most used would be ‘drill down’, although I was intrigued to see what ‘jump the shark’ was and found it is applicable to the work I do. I may have to find a way of introducing that into meetings and totally confusing people!
