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Hey Reader 👋🏻

I had planned to round off the 3 part Performance Metrics for People Product Teams mini-series today (if you want to revisit, here are Part 1 and Part 2). I sat down nice and early with the best intentions to do so. But I hit a wall, so it's not gonna happen today.

Sometimes that's the way it goes, best intentions mean nothing if things happening around you get in the way - you will know that feeling all to well I am sure - when I was a Head of People, external and emergent factors disrupted most of my well intended plans... most days! 😅

I will finish that series off and I will deliver the useable performance tracker template I promised, but it won't be today, so apologies for that 🙏🏻

Instead, I will use today's newsletter as a short reflective piece, which I hope brings value in a different way - the "I see you and I appreciate you" kind of value - which we all need from time to time. Especially those of us who have committed ourselves to the (often thankless) task of leading People teams in start-ups!

Of Mice and Men.

I don't know if it is still on the curriculum in schools these days, or if this is a universally understood reference, but the John Steinbeck classic "Of Mice and Men" was a mandatory book of study in English at my UK school in the early 000's - whenever I hear or say the phrase Of Mice and Men I get instant nostalgic flashbacks to the classroom.

I can feel the rough paper of the pages on my fingers - the smell of the pages too - the smell which is unique to a book which lives year round on a dusty library shelf and which has been touched by many hands before your own. I hear raindrops hitting against the classroom window - it always seemed to be raining at school, but that may be a UK specific ☔ it rains all year round! 😆 - the gentle tip-tap of the rain acting as the underscore for the indifferent chatter around the classroom. I wasn't always known for good behaviour in school 🙈 but in English class, I was in my happy place. I was always happy with book or pen in hand.

It feels nice to sit in that nostalgia. Those were simple times. less complicated times.

Although, try telling that to an angsty teenager ha! 😆 I would not have believed you that those would be the most free and uncomplicated years of my life.

I often say "writing was my first love" but truthfully, it was probably reading. Reading lead me to writing. Both offer me escape. Both offer me comfort. Both offer me growth.

Why am I sharing this with you?

Partly because it feels really nice to escape into those memories during a week that feels tough, I hope you forgive me the indulgence 🙏🏻 But, the main reason is to call back to the phase itself; "Of Mice and Men".

For anyone less familiar, the full phrase is: "the best made plans of mice and men often go awry" - essentially means; it doesn't matter how carefully you plan, or what your best intentions are, often times, things come up which derail even the most rigorously thought out plans.

As a Head of People I felt this pain constantly. I would be so enthusiastic (perhaps even naïve) about when I could achieve, what we could achieve, what the business could achieve. 90% of what I had hoped and expected probably didn't happen. I usually blamed myself. Some of that blame was fair - not least for being over ambitious with my plans - but mostly it was the unpredictable nature of day-to-day life of HR in a start-up. There are always fires to put out. There are always new, urgent, and changing priorities. There are always things outside of your control which knock your well intended plans for six.

Personally, that all weighed on me more than it probably should have. Which is why I wanted to use todays newsletter to talk about this.

I know many of my readers will be feeling this pressure and taking on the load of unmet goals, undelivered projects, and disappointing outcomes - despite your best intentions and well made plans.

Of Mice and Men isn't a shrug your shoulders and deflect responsibility phrase. Sometimes things aren't executed and we can honestly say, that's on me - we should own those and take action to resolve. However, often times leading People functions in start-ups and scale-ups means many of our well intended plans will be hijacked or derailed by forces beyond our control, and that is OK.

When that happens, it isn't a reflection on you and your capability to do the role - it's just life in a start-up - it's messy, unpredictable and chaotic. Which means the best made plans of mice and men often go awry, so give yourself a break. Don't be too hard on yourself. Affect what's in your control, accept what isn't. This job is hard enough without becoming your own worst critic 💜

I am no longer a Head of People, so Of Mice and Men now has relevance applied to building my business, and believe me when I say, it comes up A LOT.

This week in particular has felt tough - truthfully, the last few months have been really difficult - I have had to confront several parts of my business which aren't working how I had planned. I am having to execute as best I can, whilst trying to make new plans to get back on a track to predictable and sustainable profitability. Some of the decisions I have made coupled with unforeseen external factors have meant I have put my business into a short term cashflow amber alert.

In my case, that doesn't just threaten the business, it threatens my family. Since my wife joined me fulltime, the business is our only family income - the mortgage needs to be paid, children need to be fed, life needs to happen - I feel tremendous personal responsibility for that. I left work to start a business, I encouraged my wife to leave her job and join me, I am leading my family into uncertainty. It's a lot to carry.

So, I have a choice to make...

I can let that pressure mount. I can feel guilt for the decisions made and plans that haven't worked out which have led us to a hard time ahead. I can allow a sense of personal failure to defeat me.

OR... Of Mice and Men.

I tried my best to execute well thought-out and well intended plans which didn't work out. Big f*cking deal 🤷🏻‍♂️

At least I made the plans, at least I tried to execute, at least I took a shot. Better to try and fail, than to know I could have, but didn't.

So, we dust off and we go again. New plans will be made, new intentions set. Maybe this time I get it right, maybe I don't. But better believe I will do all I can to make this work. For me, for my business, for my family.

Of Mice and Men.

OK, that’s a wrap for this week.

Grab your coffee and open up your inbox same time next week for more insights, tips, and resource flags on how to smash HR silos, add strategic value and turn your People function into a growth driver 🚀

With love,

Luke ✌🏻

PS, when you are ready you might like...

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