Ragnar Speicher
“Oh, and don’t mention the war!” I said, quoting the immortal words of Basil Fawlty (aka John Cleese in “Fawlty Towers”) that have penetrated the English zeitgeist as an expression of a friendly-ironic conspiracy against folks like me: Germans. They laughed, I laughed; big sigh. The ice was broken. There are only a few things more powerful than laughing together.
Since my interview at Impact a lot of time has passed. I don’t know how much Fawlty Towers or my ramblings on evolutionary psychology and comfort zones contributed to the final decision. Whatever it was, during my interview I felt unusually comfortable at this quirky place called Impact. It lacks the cool sterility of modern office complexes. Being a little bit chaotic, unpretentious and friendly the office overlooks Lake Windermere and a landscape that once inspired poets like Wordsworth. This could be paradise – if it didn’t rain quite so much.
“Life is a journey” is not only an Impact slogan - a journey it has been, since I joined in December 2006. Having been in the coaching business for a short time before working for Impact, the training and facilitation of groups comes with new challenges. One of the most fascinating things that never ceases to perplex me is the social dynamics that unfold in the course of training programmes. As a trainer you never really know what is going to happen. Sometimes people or incidences can change everything within seconds.
After a while of working with different groups new patterns emerge right in front of your eyes and it is almost like you begin to see patches of an ever-changing “Matrix”. Of course this social matrix has always been there in the first place, as we are all a part of it, but now, as your perception changes it starts to take clearer shapes and becomes visible in a new way.
This is what I love about this job – it teaches you about yourself and life itself, pushing your personal development to new levels.
Whoever you ask here at Impact, most will tell you that it is the people who make working here such a special experience. Although we are not immune to conflicts, politics and gossiping, there is a strong respect for the diversity of cultures, personalities and characters as well as a shared sense of taking responsibility for one’s action. Most importantly people here enjoy having fun besides doing work that is worthwhile and rewarding. I am sure Basil Fawlty would love it. Thanks for reading. It’s time for some lunch by the lake.
