Your articles - October 2010

Michael Williams (EMBA 1997) 

My commute today is very different than it was in 1995, when I started my MBA. Back then I took the train from Basingstoke to Waterloo, down through the crush of ‘The Drain’ and on up to my desk in Fenchurch Street. Today, the sun is shining so I can drop the hood on my vintage MG for the 10-minute drive across the island to my workshop. There’s usually something to be seen in the country lanes of the Isle of Wight to lift my spirits en route; an owl in flight, a fox in the hedgerow or even a string of ducklings crossing the road!

I moved to the island in 2003, shortly after I was made redundant from my job in the City. The redundancy came as quite a shock, especially as the previous seven years hadn’t been that good to me. My father had died shortly before I moved to the City and started the MBA. Trying to hold down a new job and rise to the challenge of doing the MBA whilst getting over his death put quite a strain on my marriage. A separation was followed by reconciliation, a house move and then finally a divorce. So, I guess I saw the redundancy as a kind of break point from what had been a destructive phase of my life.

Having just bought an old wooden sailing boat, three months of paid ‘gardening leave’ was very welcome as it gave me time to work on the boat and think about the future. It felt good to be working out in the sunshine and fresh air, learning new skills, doing something very tangible, exercising the body as well as the mind. I knew that I wanted to have more of this in my life and I was concerned that going back into a full time employment wouldn’t give me that opportunity.

I decided to launch myself as a freelance consultant working in change management and business improvement. But work was scarce so I changed direction and took on interim project management assignments. In the downtime between assignments I pursued other interests such as setting up on-line businesses trading antiques and electronic musical instruments. I also improved my carpentry and boatbuilding skills so that I could continue maintenance and restoration work on the boat. As my confidence increased I was able to take on projects around the home and for friends.

Today, at 51, I’ve turned my back on the prospect of finding employment in the world of business. There does seem to be ageism in recruitment and the job market is saturated. I guess an island address doesn’t help much either! Anyone reviewing a CV assumes that commuting will involve a car ferry (which isn’t the case, actually) and be impossible!

So, that‘s why I’m heading to my workshop today, to work on my latest project - a rare Sonny Levi designed Settimo Velo powerboat. My wife Jo has set up a Facebook Group where you can follow my progress if you like: http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=179427293999