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There are many words to describe the year that past by, however the word that describes the experience is:

resilience

/rɪˈzɪlɪəns/

1. the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.
2. the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity.

We often remain immune to stories that don’t affect our immediate reality - war, famine, elections, global warming, economic crisis. They all seem to hum in the background of our daily lives especially if we don’t belong to the countries that are directly affected by it. This year however was different.

A viral epidemic in a land far far away turned to a pandemic at our shores in a matter of weeks, a true testament to the state of globalization today. Businesses had to reconsider how to operate, communicate & execute virtually overnight. Families questioned the need for any interaction outside of their immediate household while they contemplated what being infected really meant. 

A company is often personified when justifying a harsh business decision. This year saw every decision that could be taken to protect this entity we call an organization. From people being laid off in the heart of lockdown (with no way of getting back home) to contracts not being paid causing a cascading effect, an economic catastrophe. With no operating manual or past experience in this space the only thing that made sense was to be Human.

Our People moved seamlessly to a digital framework operating their teams with a level of trust and fluency that would seem natural to a consultancy firm, with daily stand-ups and weekly meetings, our partners and clients didn’t see us break stride right through. 

Being considered part of the essential services framework by the government our operations team had to deliver projects right through the lockdown period. It was awe inspiring to be around a group of individuals who compartmentalized their personal fear in order to deliver on a commitment. They were our troops on the front line who diligently showed up every day on work sites moving through their tasks regardless of the chatter and hearsay that can make even the toughest mind second guess their purpose. Thank you, we couldn’t have done it without you!

We returned to the office sooner than most companies (May 27th, 2020), with the usual sterilization processes you would expect to keep your team safe. The world wasn’t short of webinars that spoke of the “Death of the Office”, seemingly a tragic time to be in this industry. However with travel, events and hospitality all fairing worse, we were quite content to slip out of the top 5.

It became quite evident every week that we were better together and soon realized we needed to stay focused on what we did best, providing the right solutions for our right fit clients. 

After delivering University of Wollongong in Dubai earlier in the year, we had an opportunity at pitching for the educational institute across the road. A unique combination of teamwork and manufacturer partnerships along with a keen eye for detail helped us secure the largest educational contract in the history of the company. A tremendous feat in ordinary times, this however is a marquee moment in a near twenty five year history of the company & new additions to their families

The total office is a family business, every team & partner of the organization is a member of that wider family, every client and project we deliver an extension of its commitment by the family. We are grateful for the year we've had and in turn realize that it's equally important to give back to those communities that struggle the most during tough times.