Andy Dawson salutes the great teamwork of our emergency services
I’m writing this on my way down to London on Thursday 23 March, the day after the horrific incident on Westminster Bridge in London.
As I passed through New Street station there was a strong police presence on both the concourse and the platforms. The station was eerily quiet but, like myself, I saw many people acknowledging and in some cases thanking the police officers for just being there.
I watched some of the coverage from Sky News last night, and there was a viewer video that made me stop in my tracks with the commentary that followed.
At Curium, we talk about Teamship a lot. It is a key value of ours and it has been the topic of several blogs. We have each other’s backs and those of our customers.
I have huge respect for great teams, whether they are sports teams, businesses or communities. Great teams have a clear goal, understand their roles and responsibilities; they trust and back each other, executing their plans under pressure.
I don’t think I have ever thought of the various police and other emergency services across the country in the same way.
Do any of us?
In fact, on many occasions, I have witnessed members of the police force receive abuse at football matches and busy Saturday night high streets.
Most stories about the police have a negative slant or are about cost cuts. But, what I heard next from the Sky presenter changed that.
He said: “You can see members of the general public fleeing and running away from the scene. You can also see the police arriving, as they are the ones who always run towards an incident like this rather than away from it.”
Sadly, we now know that PC Keith Palmer died yesterday – a real tragedy and my thoughts go out to his family and everyone else affected yesterday.
When I think through the checklist of what makes a great team, the emergency services teams tick the list: well trained, clear roles and responsibilities, great planning, ability to act under pressure and deliver results etc.
I was going to focus on the retail sector today, especially as Next Plc has announced its first profit fall since 2008. However, as we do at every Curium team day, we give shout-outs to colleagues who merit special acknowledgement for something they have done that goes the extra mile.
Today I would like to give a shout to all the ladies and gentlemen who serve in our emergency services; for being the great teams that they are, the unsung heroes.
Their presence today was a reassurance for commuters and they saved lives by putting their own on the line. They display Teamship, uniting behind a common goal of keeping us all safe.
The emergency services take Teamship to a new level.
Thank you.
