Reflections on 12 months with 50 Degrees

“If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking” – U.S. General George S. Patton

Starting a post like this with a quote might be a cliché, perhaps even unoriginal, but when the quote fits so well (and you’re desperately trying to find a way to continue your streak of fitting in a War Studies reference again), sometimes I think it can be forgiven. Myself and Lucy are quickly approaching our first anniversary at 50 Degrees, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to reflect on those first twelve months and provide a few thoughts looking forward to the next twelve.

I think that one of the main experiences at 50 Degrees that I would want to highlight can be summed up nicely by the meaning behind Patton’s quote. From the outset, all the people at 50 Degrees made it obvious that my opinions and my skills were genuinely valued, even if I didn’t have anywhere near the experience of those around me. In the early months, when experienced colleagues were asking for my thoughts on something, it was sometimes difficult to grasp that this was a genuine desire to see if I had a different angle or a fresh idea, and not just a courtesy. Realising that my answers and ideas would be treated like this encouraged me to go that extra step in trying to find new, best practice ideas to bring back to the team. This trust in my capability to add value from day one on the job has been one of the things that I have loved the most about working with 50 Degrees.

Even more important than the fact that I have greatly enjoyed my first year with 50 Degrees is that I am excited about what will come next. There are new faces, new projects and new responsibilities. The two new graduate recruits in the London office (Charlotte and Kesiah, the authors of two of the latest blog posts) have been incredibly nice to work with and, for now at least, they seem to be putting up with me (and my apparently controversial insistence that Jammie Dodgers are a premium biscuit).

There is a long list of work to be done, covering a variety of sectors and a variety of international settings, meaning that there is plenty more interesting research and writing to be getting stuck into, and plenty more new ideas to try and bring to the team.

Now I just have to think about how I can continue to ham fistedly drop more War Studies references into the next year’s worth of blog posts.

William Freer
Consultant