My first pagan wedding!

Leadership, holidays, and a Viking ceremony on the Isle of Wight…

Getting back to my desk this week, I’m questioning if the holiday was worth it.

My inbox is overflowing!

However, deep down, I know it always is…

Holidays are essential, and time spent with family always outweighs the stressful first few days back.

At ASEL, we foster a culture that puts people first.

Our organisation thrives because of our people.

To maintain a competitive advantage, we must be the employer of choice. A good leader encourages their team to reset and recharge by taking holidays – so much so, I don’t let my teams carry holidays over.

Turning off emails and stepping away is so important. It also aids delegation and empowerment; the true test of leadership is a team that runs smoothly in your absence.

And I must lead by example…

My family and I spent the week on the Isle of Wight – my wife, our three children, and myself. We camped at Appuldurcombe outside Ventnor. Primarily there to attend a family wedding, we also got to explore the island thoroughly.

We caught the ferry from Portsmouth on Wednesday.

When choosing our pitch, I asked about breakfast. They informed me they offered a full English breakfast but without beans. But with all the best will in the world, it isn’t a full English without beans, is it. Remarkably, the next morning, beans had appeared just for us. Enough to last us the week. And the campsite café’s margins soared, as all five of us ate breakfast there every day!

Thursday was a trip to Alum Bay, famous for its coloured sands from erosion and abundant fossils. The kids loved hunting for them. So much so that my car is now weighed down by a bucket full of stones! Not good for the fuel economy! Friday featured a visit to a model village and enjoying cream tea. I only discovered scones this year – I couldn’t believe what I’d missed all these years. Naturally, cream goes on first.

The wedding itself was quite the event: a pagan ceremony. My now-brother-in-law looks the Viking part and fully embraced it, dressed head-to-toe as a Norseman. The pagan officiant referenced throughout the ceremony Thor and Odin, and for a moment, I felt like
an extra in an Avengers film. Watching my sister-in-law and brother-in-law leap over a broom with bound hands was certainly memorable…

Later, Morris dancers arrived at the ruins where the wedding was held and I happily joined in. The evening replaced DJs with communal circle dancing, led by a caller instructing us all. A few characters emerged, including someone who casually enjoyed their own Tesco meal deal and another nursing a bottle of JD-spiked cola.

It was a great night – engaging, entertaining, and everyone hit the dance floor.

Returning from such breaks reminds me why holidays matter. They’re essential for our wellbeing, our productivity, and our teams – both at work and at home. And though the inbox pile might loom large, it’s always worth the reset.

Peter Fisher

Director of Risk & Intelligence