Confident Manager

As Matt cycled to the office down the streets of Cambridge, the birds were chirping as if it was the first day of spring.

For some reason, Matt felt exactly the same way. He couldn't seem to wipe the smile off his face. Life was good. He mulled over in his mind the tasks he needed to do that day - plan for the pitch to a new client, Spartus Ltd, and brief the team about Joss, who would be joining them on Monday.

He wanted to get everything done so he could leave the office by 5.30 p.m. to meet Vicki. That morning he'd woken up surrounded by moving boxes, packed to the brim.

Tomorrow, he'd be moving into a new house with Vicki.

They'd only known each other for six months, but already he felt as if she was his oldest friend.

It was hard to believe that, in the early days of their email correspondence, he'd considered her to be nothing more than his Boston pen pal!

Now, he was thinking about spending the rest of his life with her.

It hadn't always been so rosy. This time last year, Matt had been a workaholic, putting in long hours at work, while he ignored the gap in his social life.

It was hard to believe how much had changed! Now, he had not only met Vicki, but he was making real progress in his new position as project manager.

Things had not looked so good at first. To get this far, he'd had to climb a steep learning curve.

But the first thing he'd learned was something he hoped never to forget: there's no need to figure it all out on your own.

Every step of the way he had turned to friends and experts for support and guidance.

Although it had been inconceivable to him at first, he'd gradually discovered that it was okay to ask his mentor for advice and it was even okay to fail - providing he learned something from it!The experience had brought him a completely new perspective.

As he approached the office reflecting back over the last six months, he realised it could all have gone very differently if he hadn't kept an open mind and been willing to change . . .