By Michele Lewington, MD at Netutils

All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts…

During 20+ years in the industry I can recall a time when my company felt more like a stage with a revolving door than a business. You’d bring in new employees – nurture, mentor and train them and no sooner they’d become a useful member of society, they’d be headed through the revolving door and looking for a starring role on a West End stage. It’s the way of the world and over the years you get better at finding ways to mitigate the fall-out.

On the flip side, I can’t help but be touched by the loyalty and commitment of others. It’s not always easy to win trust, to secure that much needed longevity and to walk the road of fair but firm. When you manage to do so and get it right, you can find yourself surrounded by the most remarkable, talented people.

I am gratified to have several such team members today; they have the capacity to make me forget about those that came and went via the revolving door and I am staggered to be celebrating 20 years in September with one of the first of our employees who acts as a constant reminder of how important it is to get the balance right.

Can she be accused of lacking ambition? Absolutely… mostly by uninformed individuals who know little about the dance of responsibility that we have performed and perfected over the years. Does she feel as if she has been held back or had her potential stifled? I don’t believe so, but just to be sure, I asked her to write a blog. It’s her first (and quite possibly her last) but read Claire’s story here and judge for yourself.