The Steep Learning Curve & My First Mentor

In some ways as we all find out in life ‘getting a job’ can be the easy bit, the work really begins when you start it and I wasn’t anticipating the steep learning curve either.

Being young, I had little fear and the bigger picture of buying a house, having kids etc really didn’t come into it, I would have plenty of time to do that later. As I’ve said I fell into the licensed trade more by accident than plan, I had to give up my DJ career; watching my favourite football team on a regular basis and being within a stones throw of my immediate family. But hey, this is a brave new world and it was exciting, a challenge and certainly a step into the unknown.

Not too sure if it was an omen but my licensed career started on 1st April 1985, April Fool’s Day! I remember it well; it was a Monday, the week leading into Easter and quite different from being a pen pusher with the council. I was there to learn about cellar management, serving drinks, taking food orders, completing dray orders and of course seeing the dray in, yes a very different world.
Going back to the first day I distinctly remember my first morning serving in the bar, never pulled a pint before or really engaged with customers in the way I needed to, in fact my stomach was churning. Getting through that lunchtime session was an achievement. We had lunch with the licensees John & Kay Cook, John was about 10 years older than me and Kay about six years older. By that time John and Kay had been in the licensed trade for many years, in fact Kay was only 18 when she started, even younger than me. But with hard work, long hours and sticking to their principles they had carved out a very lucrative business and were perfect Mentors.

John (who has unfortunately passed on) was to say the least an odd character, he had many quirky ways but had a strong sense of doing things the right way and constantly reminded me about the ‘small things’ that really matter. He clearly lived, ate and breathed his life/profession, never settling for second best, always looking to improve and expecting his staff to follow in the same manner. Kay was a little different, much more approachable, the same strong principles but you knew where you were with Kay as opposed to John. These were great mentors and the wiser I have become the more I realise what a profound impact they have and still have on me to this very day.

John loved his cars, when I started working for them he had a Rolls Royce and a Scimitar and there was me with my Mark IV Ford Cortina. He also loved good food, good company and a decent bottle of wine.

In those early days I didn’t realise at first how much I needed to learn/take in and focus on to be successful. The learning curve was certainly steep but I had the ideal Mentors to guide me.