Money, profile, setting the record straight. Possibly the three main reasons why someone would commit to the huge task of writing a book, and none of which are important to Paul Sewell.
The chair of one of the region’s most successful businesses, using any measurement you care to adopt, is donating all proceeds from 'Half a Lettuce' to charity.
He’s already very well known locally, regionally and nationally and he’s never been big on explaining – or apologising for – his actions.
But some people write books because they want to, it’s been suggested to them or they have the ability. All of those apply here although the author admits to having his doubts about that last point.
Anyone who knows anything about Paul knows that he views every day as a learning opportunity. That attribute shines through in a story which is part memoir, part business book - from learning how to seal a deal by watching his Dad squeeze the price of oranges at Hull Fruit Market to taking inspiration and insight from a speech by Rudolph Giuliani, then Mayor of New York, at the Yorkshire International Business Convention in Harrogate.
Paul is also an advocate of the policy of surrounding yourself with people who can do the things you can’t. He’s become close friends with Alan Johnson, the former MP for Hull West and Hessle who held many roles in Government and Opposition before becoming a best-selling author.
Alan has supported Paul with this project but is eager to emphasise the limits to his involvement. There is evidence that the author of 'Half a Lettuce' has been influenced by the style and attention to detail in four acclaimed memoirs by the man he calls “the master”, but the ideas, words and structure here are all Paul’s.
The politician-turned-author is sincere and correct in his message on the front cover: “Few people have lived a life as interesting and varied as Paul Sewell and even fewer would be able to write about it with such warmth and wit.”
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As someone who has been writing about business and many other subjects for more than 40 years I sense the authenticity of anecdotes and episodes which combine the language of the street, the Fruit Market, the football pitch and the various levels of the corporate world. They also display an honesty which might surprise many readers and a directness which shouldn’t surprise any.
There’s arrogance aplenty, but primarily in asserting a football talent which went unfulfilled. Perhaps perversely, there’s also acknowledgment of bouts of “imposter syndrome”, with Paul on occasions trying to persuade himself that he’s worth his place at the tables of high achievers.
Criticism, usually measured, is handed out – and also received and acknowledged – where it’s due, usually around mischief and a few misdeeds. A memoir wouldn’t be much of a read if it only ever patted people on the back.
Above all 'Half a Lettuce' is fun and it’s full of insight. There’s an abundance of human comedy and tragedy – the lettuce story from York Market, the student streak in Roundhay – with quirky social history and local interest bits in between to make it a thoroughly entertaining read. But it’s also a serious business book.
In his personal and professional life Paul has demonstrated a curiosity linked to razor sharp powers of observation, and a determination to develop business as a force for good which earns an endorsement here from former MP and Secretary of State for Education Justine Greening in her capacity as founder of the Social Mobility Pledge.
All the elements are brought to life by an approach to storytelling which displays a real deftness to go with occasional daftness. 'Half a Lettuce' is a compelling read, one which makes it easy to laugh and to learn.
Phil's highlights package:
The boy
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Born in the early 1950s with Britain still recovering from the Second World War, failed the 11-plus but – in his own words and at the risk of sounding like Monty Python’s Four Yorkshiremen – Paul Sewell was lucky. There is no suggestion of a childhood of poverty or neglect but there was clearly a disconnect between some members of the extended Sewell family and, as the youngest, Paul was the least likely to be seen or heard. But he had dogs, football and music and he treasured them all.
He also had a sharp sense of observation and the lack of engagement from his elders led him to place a high value on people, their lives and their stories. It also instilled a determination and independence which got him into scrapes, cost him dear at times but also stood him in good stead to identify injustice and tackle the challenges ahead.
“Tell me I can’t do something and I’ll pursue it vigorously!”
The man
Not that different from the boy, just older but with a cheeky disregard for some of the responsibilities of adulthood and an eagerness to learn every step of the way. The fondness for music and football evolved into an obsession – The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Hull City, Liverpool – which his business success enabled him to indulge to the full. The biggest thing became family.
Having witnessed first-hand as a child how not to do it, Paul put his own family first. Broader horizons brought more sophisticated tastes in food and drink. Any arrogance, self-satisfaction and tendencies towards jealousy were confined to the football pitch, where defeat was always harder to stomach than any business failing.
“The Driffield camp were saying that they only had half their good players out and the result would be a convincing win for them. Tensions rose. The long-awaited return at Harland Way saw a 6-0 massacre for Cottingham with me scoring all six goals.”
The businessman
Paul started early and tells the story about his first business lesson coming as he listened and learned while his Dad secured the best price for boxes of oranges from a trader in Humber Street.
Whether Paul had the nous for a future in fruit we’ll never know, because when a youth unemployment officer looked at his big book of university courses he stopped at B for building. It’s not widely known that the Sewell building firm which he joined in 1978 was owned by a different family altogether. Paul drove its transformation into a regional heavyweight in the construction sector and led diversification into development, facilities management and petrol retail, picking up countless awards along the way including, on several occasions, places at the top end of The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For.
He built robust and informal partnerships, studied how people worked, borrowed their best ideas, identified and invested in talent and became a tireless advocate for local business.
“The big boys provide the default options for risk-averse civil servants who fail to appreciate the regeneration effect of using local companies and keeping the public pound circulating round the local economy.”
The footballer
The prize was a contract with Blackpool FC, then a top flight club and forever associated with Sir Stanley Matthews, England World Cup winner Alan Ball and other luminaries of the game. When the manager changed and the new one never called, Paul’s focus switched to Aston Villa and a chat with an enthusiastic Tommy Docherty. He didn’t call back either, leaving Paul with the option of university and weekends off to play semi-professionally with Bridlington Town and keep alive his dream of a move to the big time.
He admits that although injuries limited his career, ultimately he “just wasn’t good enough”. But the way in which he analyses the ability of the squad of tradesmen which he inherited at Sewell demonstrates how he would apply his skills as a qualified FA coach in a business environment.
“Sport has much to teach business and always has been way ahead in talent management, recruitment, psychology, performance management etc.”
The mentor
It wasn’t until the mid-1990s that Paul Sewell really began to make his mark in the region’s business community, seizing the opportunities presented by Humberside Training and Enterprise Council, shining as a participant Common Purpose programme and progressing to become president of the Chamber of Commerce in 2002.
Along the way he became a pivotal figure in the Bondholder group and the Humber LEP and a co-founder of For Entrepreneurs Only. Paul brought the Yorkshire International Business Convention to East Yorkshire, also playing a part in its successor, the Business Day as the finale to Humber Business Week. And he was awarded the OBE. But there’s less in the book about the array of ‘A’ list speakers who have graced the stage at Bridlington Spa than about the need to support the many emerging, ambitious local entrepreneurs.
So many of them have a story to tell about Paul’s willingness to share his experience and advice, and the new Half a Lettuce Foundation will provide practical support.
“Replicating the kindness we received back then is something we try to do now. Giving something back creates as good a vibe personally as it does corporately.”
Imposter syndrome
Given that Paul has no need for money or profile and no major score to settle – other than possibly with a couple of football managers – maybe the book is about setting the record straight with himself. Whatever your business, your challenges and your achievements it always helps to take the time to write them down and to read back over what made some things work, why others went wrong and what was done differently to prevent future failure. Perhaps surprisingly, Paul cherishes reminders that he has succeeded on merit and he’ll advise others to back themselves and not to be intimidated. Around a big table don’t expect him to dominate the discussion. At a business event if he's not booked to speak you’ll find him keeping a low profile, letting others to the talking but no doubt listening and learning.
“During my career, when facing situations where my ‘imposter syndrome’ has had me feeling inadequate or inexperienced. I would just look around and try to find somebody who I honestly thought was better than me. Occasionally I did, but not that often.”
Laughs
Nothing highlights the irreverence of the young Paul Sewell quite like his passage about the “Suppressed Giggling European Championships” at a formal dinner hosted at the French Mission in Potsdam in the former East Germany. The half a lettuce story which inspired the title of the book comes from a comedy moment with an American tourist at the Sewell stall in York Market. And then there’s the attempt to buy fish and chips in Leeds. It failed because, naked after a student streak, Paul and his pal weren’t carrying any cash.
“Life must always have fun in it.”