Our software division Inisoft creating a fantastic new automated recruitment management system for HR – the time saving from this product is immense and has provided a possible future product for Inisoft to sell to other companies in need of similar technology. The desire of the team to take the leap and take some risk to create new opportunity reminded me of blind jazz pianist George Shearing – he was waiting a while at a busy road for someone to offer to guide him across , when he felt a tap on his shoulder “Excuse me “said the tapper “I’m blind – would you mind guiding me across the road?” George (remember he is blind too) took the arm of the second man, and they both crossed the road. George’s explanation was simple “What could I do? I took him across the road and it was the biggest thrill of my life”

There are times when we think we cannot do something and so do not stretch or take the risk. Being forced to stretch and take a risk can often help us to reduce our dependencies and to discover new excitement and capabilities. It is not however about the blind leading the blind (I can hear you now….)
The continued great success of synTelate our contact centre desk top application – it’s amazing to think that Inisoft a small Scottish company has secured a global deal with Avaya the largest telecoms equipment provider in the world to sell synTelate as part of its product portfolio.  The development team have been outstanding and a special thanks too to the consultants who travel far and wide supporting and implementing the product.

Now sticking with the blindness theme. An old blind man was sitting on a busy street corner in the rush-hour begging for money. On a cardboard sign, next to an empty tin cup, he had written: 'Blind - Please help'. No-one was giving him any money. A young advertising writer walked past and saw the blind man with his sign and empty cup, and also saw the many people passing by completely unmoved, let alone stopping to give money. The advertising writer took a thick marker-pen from her pocket, turned the cardboard sheet back-to-front, and re-wrote the sign, then went on her way. Immediately, people began putting money into the tin cup. After a while, when the cup was overflowing, the blind man asked a stranger to tell him what the sign now said. "It says," said the stranger, “‘it’s a beautiful day. You can see it. I cannot.' "

So what does that have to do with RESPONSE I hear you say well for those marketing and selling synTelate it has always been about crafting the compelling story to convince Avaya that synTelate is the product of choice.

Now onto my Bear story.  A committed atheist was on a trekking holiday when he became lost in some dense woods. A large angry bear, with ten starving cubs back home and claws like kitchen knives, suddenly emerged from the undergrowth. The atheist screamed in terror, turned and ran. The bear was quicker however, and after a long and desperate chase eventually cornered the atheist in a gully. The exhausted atheist sank to his knees, shaking. The bear, seeing that its prey was trapped, moved slowly towards the petrified man, drooling. The bear was drooling too. The atheist lifted his head, with tears in his eyes, and uttered the words he thought he would never say in all his life: "God help me..." With these simple three words, a blinding flash of lightning lit up the sky. There was a deafening crash of thunder. The clouds parted. A brilliant light shone down. The forest fell silent. The bear froze still, in a trance. The atheist stood gaping, transfixed.

A voice came loud from above. Louder than twenty AC/DC concerts all happening at the same time. We can safely assume this voice to have been the voice of a god of some sort. "You atheists make me seriously mad," boomed the god, "You deny me all your life. You tell others to deny me too. You put your faith in all that bloody Darwinian airy-fairy scientific nonsense, and then what a surprise - you get lost because you can't read your stupid map, and now you're about to get eaten by an angry bear all of a sudden you're on your knees snivelling and begging for my help?......... I’m disinclined to acquiesce ..." The atheist looked down, realising that he was not arguing from a position of strength. "Okay, I take your point," said the atheist, thinking on his feet, while he still had them, "I can see it's a bit late for me to convert, but what about the bear?... Maybe you could convert the bear instead?"  "Hmmm... interesting idea..." said the god, thinking hard, "...Okay. It shall be done." At which the brilliant light dimmed and vanished; the clouds closed; and the noises of the forest resumed.  The bear awoke and shook its head, a completely different expression on its face. Calm, at peace. The bear closed its eyes, bowed its head, and said, "For what we are about to receive, may the Lord make us truly thankful, Amen.."

The guys within Ops in RESPONSE, unlike the atheist, have shown the courage of their convictions and incredible loyalty to RESPONSE and the success of the company and its clients. So well done and despite my navigation woes they have never felt the need to eat me…..
Finally a special thanks to those technology bods who have worked tirelessly to improve their capability and transform the teams into highly knowledgeable experienced experts in their fields.  It was a significant commitment and I am very proud of the desire to stick at it and ensure the company benefits from such current and valuable knowledge.

And so finally…A mother repeatedly called upstairs for her son to get up, get dressed and get ready for school. It was a familiar routine, especially at exam time.
"I feel sick," said the voice from the bedroom. "You are not sick. Get up and get ready," called the mother, walking up the stairs and hovering outside the bedroom door. "I hate school and I'm not going," said the voice from the bedroom, "I'm always getting things wrong, making mistakes and getting told off. Nobody likes me, and I've got no friends. And we have too many tests and they are too confusing. It's all just pointless, and I'm not going to school ever again." "I'm sorry, but you are going to school," said the mother through the door, continuing encouragingly, "Really, mistakes are how we learn and develop. And please try not to take criticism so personally. And I can't believe that nobody likes you - you have lots of friends at school. And yes, all those tests can be confusing, but we are all tested in many ways throughout our lives, so all of this experience at school is useful for life in general.  Besides, you have to go, you are the headteacher."

Thanks to all the guys for sticking at it.