Tuesday the 20th of October, 2026
All About You
During my time at parkrun there were a remarkable number of challenging moments, some expected, some not, and some that you’d never have dreamed of in a million years.
The importance of looking after something so precious, and so important to so many people, was something we never took lightly, and at times we really felt under immense levels of pressure. And the most pressurised moment of all, of course, was sitting in the Leeds office one evening in March 2020, knowing that we had no choice but to turn parkrun off for hundreds of thousands of people, all around the world, right when they needed it most. More on that in future Playbooks, but I’m using it to highlight the incredible UK & Global Operations Team I was so fortunate to be part of that day and for so many years before and after.
We successfully navigated those challenges because we were unified around a common goal, and there was mutual respect across the team. We created a culture where everyone could comment on everything, no one would ever take offence (at least not for more than a couple of hours 😂), and everyone’s opinion mattered.
This photo was taken on one of many multi-day working sessions where we’d spend two or three days out of the office and away from home, with a big list of topics (one long one, in a Google Doc, that anyone could add to at any time for any reason). Starting at the top, in no particular order, we’d work our way through each item one by one, with everyone involved in everything.
The parkrun UK & Global Operations Team, 2018. From left to right: Debbie Norris, Helen Hood, Clare Fowler, Jo Sinton-Hewitt, me, Ian Rutson, Cathy Martin, James Kemp, Jake Lodge, Jane Niven, Neil Marshall.
Now, you may be rolling your eyes reading that, and thinking how ridiculous it would be to take your entire team away for three days to work through everyone’s issues together one after the other. But as time-consuming as that was (and we did it a few times a year), we always came out the other side with a greater understanding of, and empathy for, each other. And as a result we made better decisions and were significantly more effective moving forward.
And during my time leading the Global Operations Team pretty much no one left. In fact, even now, of the ten people alongside me in that 2018 photo, all but two are still there, and the two that have left (Jo and James) both recently retired.
Reflecting on those times, and wondering why we managed to pull together so well for so long, it feels clear to me that this was because the foundation to everything we did was the belief that we were all equal in value as individuals. There may have been both a hierarchy and delegation of decision-making and responsibility, which we all understood, but there was no hierarchy of value as people. No role was beneath anyone, no suggestion was protected from challenge, and we did our best to include everyone in everything.
From a professional perspective, being part of that team is my proudest accomplishment.
Comment
Being able to replicate that team culture would be amazing, and I’d very much like to do it again myself as Chris and I grow Participate World. It’s great coming to work every day with a group of brilliant people, and looking forward to whatever challenges life throws at you. Knowing that you’re in it together.
If you’re reading this and thinking how much you’d love to be part of a team like that, your thoughts may well quickly move to how other people could change their behaviour in order for that to happen. How other people could be less sensitive to suggestions, or more collaborative, or invite more input into the challenges they’re facing. Or maybe they could share some of their victories a little wider, or take a bit more ownership over the stuff that goes wrong.
But it’s not about them. It’s about you. Wherever you are on your org chart, you are already a leader.
Tom Williams
Co-Founder, Participate World
participateworld.org
The Participate Playbook newsletter reflects Tom Williams' personal experience and recollections from his time at parkrun. It is not an official parkrun position or record, and any errors are unintentional. Tom writes as an independent consultant through Participate World Limited, and neither he nor the company are affiliated with, employed by, or representatives of parkrun Global or any of its group companies.
