Passion and the squaring of circles.

Long, long ago in some distant galaxy.....I won a place to study at Oxford. This surprised many people, not least myself, but not my mother. I had long ceased wondering how it happened. Instead I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and retain fond memories and some good friends.

That is until a thread started on Linkedin - the professionals' facebook. This was in the Oxford Alumini Group which I joined sometime ago and was from a general contemporary of mine, but not someone I knew, asking for advice about how to maximise his daughter's entrance chances, in particular her choice of A-Levels.

I and a number of others responded, giving further evidence of the value of Linkedin and the strength of the Oxford community. There were many similar, but different pieces of advice however a single theme resonated deeply with me, in ways that surprised me.

That theme was that no matter what the subject sought, the interviewers would place a heavy value on passion for the subject, intelligent inquiry and interesting thinking. Now I know I have always been curious and happy to think outside the box, as they say, but passion has been an interesting subject between my wife and I - she did not know me until I had left Oxford.

Frequently I have been chastised for not being passionate or showing passion, well not for anything except rugby when sitting beside me during an England match is something of a personal physical risk. I have always resented the accusation of a lack of passion as I know it is in me, it just takes a level of engagement with the subject for it to manifest.

Looking back I was passionate about my subject which was Physics and maybe that is what shone through and earned me an Exhibition, a minor academic award for an undergraduate.

This may seem trivial to many and strange to others but it feels like a piece of knowledge has "come home" and I will remember it as I face the challenges that life, work and home, throws at me. I guess I am richer for compeleting that particular circle.


In the spirit of completing pictures or squaring circles, I was also recently able to close an open element of my past in a way and at a time I least expected. To cut a long story short and not give too much away, while I have been very happy with almost all of my work experiences there was one that ended too abruptly to give me any satisfactory closure.

This was a period when I led a particularly difficult team in an organisation that was not used to facing up to constraints. Leaving was the right thing to do, we both agreed to that, but I was left with little subsequent contact and thus was unable to monitor a) if what I put in place was effective and b) if my predictions (and related recommendations) had been correct.

Well the other day in the lft at work my name was called out by a vaguely familiar face. We agreed to have lunch as soon as it could be ararnged, but it took a few hours for me to recall that this was a contractor I had interviewed just before I left that particular role. He remembered me better that I did him.

Well we had lunch and it turned out that had stuck it out (his term) for another 2 1/2 years before he was released. He is still not sure how or indeed why he stayed that length of time, but by doing so he was able to fill in the jigsaw for me.

I won't divulge the details, but suffice it to say that his recounting of events has given me closure (and a little personal satisfaction) on that particular chapter of my life. I am not sure I realised I needed that closure, but in retrospect I can see that is indeed what I have looked for on and off for the last few years.

It reminded me that no matter how much you think you take change in your stride there are common and simple themes that flow through for us all such that, unless you are a sociopath, we all need appropriate closure at certain points.

Passion and closure are now two things I will endeavour to keep close to top of mind. Both have taken years to be so apparent, at least to me, but it just goes to show the value of giving things "time".