The importance of making good first impressions

For me, one of the most exciting parts about running a business is that you never stop learning. Learning from our team, from our clients, and from the people that we get to film with. A few years ago, we were working with the IAAF, the athletics federation, filming messages and training sessions with some of the world's top athletes. There were many inspirational stories that came from that project about how hard work and persistence really pays off, but, the one that really stood out for me was a series of interviews that we did with legendary marathon runner, Haile Gebrselassie.

Our team was one of about 10 media teams wanting to do interviews with him. He arrived at the filming location direct from the airport, after a long haul flight, and whilst initially he looked very tired, the moment he was engaging with the media, he looked energetic, happy and full of life. After the first interview, he had a quick sip of water, and then went straight onto the next, again, looking as fresh as a daisy. What really stood out to me was that his tenth interview, where people are asking the same questions as everyone else, was delivered as fresh and with the same energy as the first.

Even though Haile was, particularly at the time, one of the most famous athletes on the planet, and certainly, the press filming him knew everything about him, he still approached the interviews with the passion, charisma, and energy as someone brand new, wanting to break onto the scene. Now especially in the more stressful times at work, it's important that we keep delivering the same great, first impressions, that we did when we first ventured into business, when we probably all felt unstoppable and that no mountain was too high to climb. Like, Mr. Gebrselassie, no matter how long we've been in business or however challenging the landscape might be, we are all our own brand ambassadors, team motivators and we have the ability to inspire others.

There's an old saying that you're only as good as your last gig, and that's why our last impressions have to be as top notch as our first impressions. So, keep learning, keep inspiring us, but just for the record, I for one will not be doing lots of marathons.

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