The Walk: Day 3
Essentially human – apple pie and trust
Thinking: the importance of building capacity and how making things seem effortless takes work
Doing: walking the Portuguese coastal route to Santiago de Compostela
Sunshine, showers and some steep hills today but brain and legs seemed to be getting the hang of walking!
The morning routine of up early and straight out of the door after breakfast was becoming familiar, each of us with a specific role to play to get on the road. We stayed in a different hotel every night and over the week we saw many different approaches to serving breakfast buffets – from chaotic free-for-alls with croissants served in cellophane packs and long queues at the coffee machine, to a wonderful, personalised at-table breakfast on our final morning. Breakfast each morning usually reflected our overall experience at the hotel – all were clean and comfortable, some were big and others small – but the real difference was in the approach of the staff – how focused and interested they appeared to be in looking after us and how they worked as a team. Some made it look effortless, others didn’t.
We left the city and our mid-morning stop was another example of what appeared to be effortless, but great, customer service. After our first two hours of walking there was a sign for a coffee shop – up a very steep hill, so it needed to be worth it. It was. The café was friendly and welcoming. A team of just two people, making it look easy. (The apple pie was wonderful.) In contrast, at the end of a long day of walking, our hotel for the night, described as tranquil and restful, was far from relaxing. It was a lovely spot but the small, overworked team were at times comically rude and disorganised – and everything seemed too much trouble.
Before I start to sound as though I am attempting to be a travel writer – I will get to my point. I was reflecting on the capacity needed to make a business work – the energy, the people, the training and resources required to make organisations work, ensure happy staff and customers, and be financially viable. Essentially-human skills such as collaboration are important – working towards a shared vision and goal and knowing what needs to be done every day to get there.
During the day, I made a quick call to the office. We had a deadline to meet. Everything was under control. I’d had an idea and sent a photo of a hand-drawn image for others to interpret and make into something meaningful for a client. I ended the day feeling very fortunate that I have a team I trust, who contribute and work with me to put our ideas into action – even when inspiration is captured on a napkin with what looked suspiciously like apple pie crumbs 😊
Buen Camino
