Image: Gillian Taylor
Well 2020 has certainly been a unique year and one that will not be forgotten in the history books! Starting a new job during a pandemic has been challenging but also insightful. When I was appointed as the new CEO at the end of February the world seemed a very different place to the one we are living in now.
The handover that retiring CEO and I had carefully planned had to be amended as lockdown came into force and our day jobs became increasingly busy. However, we did manage to schedule some time together and I am so grateful to her for leaving me a big box of thorough and detailed handover notes!
My start date of the 1 June came around quickly, and it felt very strange to walk into an almost empty office (Andrew Carnegie House). Despite the empty building, I was made to feel very welcome and immediately felt at home in my new surroundings.
My induction plans remain on track but are just happening in a way that I couldn’t have predicted a couple of months ago. I have met all of my team and many of the trustees via video conferencing. It’s no replacement for interacting with real people but does allow me to connect with colleagues and there is something nice and informal about seeing people in their own homes and surroundings as we chat.
Zoom has also let me take part in the Association of Independent Museums’ virtual conference along with 700 other delegates – which blew me away and made me realise just how accessible learning can be!
So here are some of my early observations:
I realise that I have a resilient, talented and innovative team of colleagues. Prior to the pandemic no-one was set up to work from home and they had to quickly adapt to a very different way of working.
After such a successful year last year, closing the doors of the museum at the start of this season must have been a huge blow for the museum staff but they have been inventive and creative in devising a strong online presence and I am so proud of how they are supporting parents who are home-educating by providing fun activities online and in education resource boxes around the town. Lots of collective team problem solving is going into the plans for reopening the museum and ensuring that we can continue to offer a safe and welcoming experience for our visitors.
On the days that I have been in the office, I have looked out of my window and realised what an important thing Andrew Carnegie did when he bought Pittencrieff Park and gifted it to the people of Dunfermline. It is very obvious that the park has been a saviour for many during this pandemic and having a wonderful green space in the centre of the town certainly brought much ‘sweetness and light’ during these challenging times. I think that we are now much more aware of the benefits of parks and greenspaces to our health, wellbeing and environment.
Image: Gillian’s chairing a team meeting
So, my job over the first few weeks has very much been about learning, absorbing and listening, whilst at the same time looking to the future. It is still a very uncertain time and I don’t have all the answers to questions that I am being asked at the moment. It is my natural human instinct to try and solve problems and plan for the future but I realise that I am going to have to get comfortable with uncertainty for a little while longer. However, what I do know is that with optimism, courage and collaboration, the museum and the Carnegie Dunfermline and Hero Trusts will have an important part to play in the recovery of our society. This month has been rather surreal but has actually turned out to be one of the best inductions of my career. It has not been formal or official – quite the opposite, in fact, and it has filled me with a real sense of hope and excitement about the future.
By Gillian Taylor, CEO of the Carnegie Dunfermline and Hero Fund Trusts (the governing body of the museum)
