I have just experienced my first Glastonbury Festival. Woohoo! A Glasto virgin no longer. A box ticked. One less item on the bucket list.

It was amazing. Under the wing of a 28-time veteran (thanks Al), two other novices and I took our supervised baby steps on Thursday evening and Friday. On Saturday we were allowed to explore with strict ground rules. By Sunday we were romping around unchecked.

The idea being a one and only visit to Worthy Farm, I hurled myself into the challenge of seeing as many acts, on as many stages as possible. I managed 27 performances. Thank you. I think so too. The site covers 900 acres BTW. Yes, by Monday I was both exhilarated and exhausted.

The annals will confirm 2023 as a record year, with Elton John’s finale becoming the most-watched set in the event’s history. Being there, crammed into my silhouette, in a field, at sunset, one of 120,000 (the population of Bath is 109,000), singing my heart out, will remain with me for ever. My advice. If you haven’t done it, do it.

To business, though. As a relationship consultant and executive coach, I was struck by what a peaceful and polite crowd I encountered throughout. Consider these facts. It was very hot and sunny. Alcohol and other substances were readily available. Not much quality sleep was on offer. Personal space, forget it. And while it is hard to imagine a Cat Stevens-inspired rumble, there was plenty of loud, aggressive music to stir more than the soul.

Ok, no significant tribal influences a la football but, in this country, baked, tired and drunk in extremely close quarters inevitably lead to violence, regardless of occasion or demographics.

And yet, I saw no threatening behaviour. None. Any pushing and shoving were met with disarming joshing and then it was over. Trouble averted.

While reflecting on this phenomenon, I happened to read co-organiser Emily Eavis’ programme note. She asked us to respect the environment, to recycle and specifically not to pee in the streams. Emily also urged that we “look after each other”, a theme enthusiastically adopted by many of the performers.

What a wonderful expression it is – proactive, caring, reciprocal. And applied to business relationships, at a time of commercial uncertainty, this nurturing call to action provides a powerful reminder that the relational qualities of business alliances, not the transactional exchanges, create the foundation of effective partnerships.

For four days in rural Somerset, around 210,000 revellers succeeded in honouring this cultural masterplan, established by an enlightened farmer and his family over 50 years ago.

In the spirit of Glastonbury, now more than ever, let’s please look after each other.