A Chance to Change!

We say things happen for a reason, to take a chance as you don’t know where it may lead. A mantra that I have lived by my whole life, to evaluate the option and if it doesn’t present an unnecessary level of risk, then go for it. Yes, it is scary, puts me out of my comfort zone, but isn’t that how you grow?
‘Working’ life has seen me serve in the Royal Naval Reserves; work in retail, hospitality, manufacturing, finance, and travel to name just a few. Learning new skills which I have been able to be transfer between many roles I have undertaken and in hindsight given me the core skills for an opportunity I didn’t know was ultimately going to change my life.
Early in 2014 while working for Lloyds Banking Group I was presented an opportunity to represent my department in a project to transform the way our workflow was both managed and handed between us and other departments in the business. I had undertaken many roles within the team, trained other colleagues and worked closely with other departments while, as I saw it, ‘just doing my job’. I initially thought this sounded both daunting and exciting but had no idea what to expect as project work was something I hadn’t been involved before. A new opportunity, new skills, of course I was up for it 😊
Over the next six months (ish), I was presented the chance to try my hand at many project elements from documenting how the teams processes were currently being undertaken, engaging with developers to understand what the new technology was capable of to take a very paper based process and make it digital, testing the new system worked, training with colleagues on use of the new system and leading calls with all key individuals on the project team to ensure we were on track and any risks to the project were captured, assessed and acted upon. A whirlwind of personal development for me, but every opportunity presented made me realise this is exactly where I should be. I truly fell in love with what I was doing and knew it is what I wanted to do going forward, but I was only on a secondment, the day job was edging closer to my return.
At that exact moment a permanent role was advertised on the internal job board for a Business Analyst (doing more of what I’d just spent six months doing plus even new skills still to learn). Dreaded imposter syndrome set in and I doubted if I was ready, could I really do it? Would I be setting myself up for failure? The project team around me couldn’t have been more supportive, encouraging and simply put ‘kicking my ass’ to apply for it. They knew I was ready, and it was only me doubting my ability. I applied and got the role, so instead of wrapping up for Christmas leave in my team it was suddenly my leaving do, as from January 2015 my new world began!
Over the coming years I gained more and more experience with business change in both a technical and non-technical capacity in a variety of sized projects, feeling very happy with all aspects of my life until in 2018, the dreaded news, I was being made redundant with an exit date March 2019. How could that be? What was I to do now? Did I really know how to be a change specialist or did I only know the Lloyds way of doing it?
After joining a conveyancing company, I soon realised that I really did know what I was doing, but also that the skills I’d developed were applicable to all businesses whether that be from the direction/strategy of the company to ‘how’ the company performed its tasks to meet the needs of their clients. I loved not only what I was doing, but the difference I was making, the value that I was adding. Yes, there are times when it doesn’t all go to plan, or that you uncover things you don’t expect to find, but it’s about how you overcome them.
Things not going to plan was very much my fortune as in July 2019 I was once again made redundant, two days before heading out on my honeymoon.
That’s when it hit me, instead of working for others, why not set up my own company, giving me the chance to help so many more businesses with their change?
So, on Bank Holiday Monday 26th August 2019 Angel Analysis Ltd was born and the rest, as they say, is history.