After a crazy busy few weeks at Equiteam Confidence Camps, our Coach Liz chats about the importance of remembering the bigger picture.
At EquiTeam we base a huge amount of what we do around teamwork and supporting each other. This is an ethos which I think we are now proudly renowned for and it is one that we will continue to cherish and encourage.
Whilst I have always believed in teamwork, I think for many years I confused the support of a team, for a lack of independence.
Growing up I used to be someone who hated to ask anyone for help. I still have a little bit of this trait in that I like to be independent and I am proud to stand on my own two feet – but this shouldn’t be confused with team work.
Things started to change for me when I worked in an amazing bar called Elmos. It was a small but lively underground bar in Leek, run by Justin and Claire, two people who strongly believed in team work, fairness and having fun. Being paid to work, socialise and be part of an all encompassing friendly team was a real turning point for me and most of all – I knew they had my back – just as I had theirs.
I was truly gutted to leave my friends when I moved away, but their morals and ethos were engrained and coming with me.
In my next few jobs I wasn’t fortunate enough to have this team feel and although I enjoyed my jobs I realised little by little how damaging this was for my confidence. At Elmos we all believed that together we could achieve our dreams. In my new jobs no one truly had my back.
Nothing bad happened but it was different. I was second guessing myself and got to a point where I had no confidence in my ability. Overtime I removed myself from their environments and became self-employed. This was brilliant in so many ways and on paper I was flying, but I was missing something… it is only now when I look back that I realise that it was my team.
Fast forward another few years to 2014 – the founding of Equiteam Confidence Camps with Lou. We had no idea what a journey we were about to embark on – and in all honestly it probably would have scared the pants off us if we had realised!
We were a little naïve with no business plan, no foundations or real thought of the future – just two passionate horse-mad girls who wanted to create something fun for everyone to enjoy with their horses.
It was here that once again through our amazing campers I really found my team and I truly hope that so many people have found theirs. We have their back and they have ours.
I love nothing more than our campers setting up their own support groups to share pictures, chat and support each other. Many of our campers have become firm friends and many more have made their own life-long friends who all share the same passion and ethos.
There certainly is no I in team, and there are a huge amount of people who make camps happen. From the whole team at Lindores; to our small people and the people who help with the small people; to our other halves who have to pick up the slack at home; and most of all – the campers themselves who without camps simply wouldn’t happen or work.
EquiTeam Connected was born out of wanting to spread this ethos and take this online. To create a supportive fun community of people from all over the UK who have got each others backs. Who know it’s OK to ask for advice, that it’s normal to have a wobble and most of all, how to genuinely celebrate each others successes.
I’ve no idea how we have been so lucky – and it might have taken me a while to realise the difference between being independent and working as a team but as Howard Schultz famously said,
“Success is best when it is shared.”
Liz x
