Your friendly Projects Co-ordinator

Being as bright and shiny as a new button in my new role with East Sussex Fire & rescue I was delighted to have been nominated for every course on the planet. The one that caught my eye was the “ future leaders” course at a place called Ashridge. Having first “googled” the venue my first response was….……are you sure its me you want to attend?

Having got over the pleasant shock I suddenly realised from the insistent e-mails that I would be under scrutiny not only by myself and tutors, but those people I had worked with in the recent past including my teams!!

I decide that there were two options, the “bribery and coercion route in order to paint the desire picture of the perfect manager.…..or take the honest option which was to “TELL THE TRUTH” and learn something. In fact I deliberately chose several people with whom I had conflict or issue, which, as it turned out was the right thing to do giving me from the outset a clear “to do” list.

Having packed my dinner suit and smoking jacket, my colleague Dave and I set off and parked on the M25 for a couple of hours which gave us plenty of time to discuss our aims, visions and general people watching skills. A quick two and a half hours later Dave and I arrived having first nearly written my car off on the ramps on the drive (future attendees beware).

And so to business, check in and the realisation that the dinner suit would not be needed and that relaxed attire would suffice which was a relief as the temperature in the beautiful grounds was approaching 28C. First and honest thoughts were; I could get used to this.

With Dave being an ex paratrooper an extensive recce was called for which found me following Dave (at standard marching pace) around the grounds looking for vantage points and rest and recuperation areas. The Wyatt Room sufficed where Dave and I settled into our people watching. Our course was about to begin.

Three fire service staff (fire-fighters at heart), local authority employees, social work managers and a lawyer made up just some of the broad spectrum of attendees and first thoughts were “what do I have in common with these people”? As it turned out……a great deal. The tutor lead us through the timetable with something of a twinkle in his eye, and rightly so, as he clearly knew that we were all headed for something of an epiphany over the next few days.

And that’s how it was, a journey of discovery about ourselves and our experiences both inside and outside of our organisations. My own personal realisations were a confirmation of values and a utopian vision that I have had since some significant shifts in ideals a few years ago, however, with those realisations came the reality that in order to achieve these goals there was a great deal of work to be done.

The course so far has given me an insight into how I interact with those around me, and the skills I will need to carry the process further and move the organisation with me. It has given me a clear set of challenges to face over the coming months and a great set of tools with which to set about the job. I am fortunate that my organisation, unlike some, has seen the path to the future of its managers and I only hope that all those that have attended the course or do so in the future are able to exercise those skills within their spheres of influence. It has also helped me recognise where I am fallible. Those who know me will understand that too many “happy tablets” and my ever optimistic outlook will need to be tempered with a mixture of tact and discretion as well as a good sprinkling of “reality dust”.

I am looking forward now to my next module at Ashridge or “The Health Spa” as my better half now calls it and in particular to meeting up with my fellow students and sharing our stories of how we are using our new found skills.

I must end by saying that the food and facilities were truly excellent and ask the question………..are four puddings really too many?

Ashridge

Wow! What a beautiful place – of course it helps that it was bathed in sunshine for the whole 4 days, but it is truly impressive and a wonderful place to reflect.  We did much of our group work outside and in our freetime were free to explore the grounds and the house – the well is definitely worth a visit.  The bedrooms were too hot, but the benefit of this was that I strolled round the stunning gardens at 6.30am with hardly another soul around.  

Module 1

Enlightening sums up the first module – I learnt so much about myself, not all of it easy to take, but all incredibly useful from both a personal and work perspective.  I was so glad to have the tutors and other participants to talk things over with, as this really is a journey of discovery.   

The Group

The group was small in number, only 9, which contributed to an atmosphere of trust and camaraderie.  They were an amazing bunch and I enjoyed their company and learnt a great deal from discussions about their differing organisations.  I hope they will be people I will keep in touch with for years to come. 

The time/duration

There is a lot to cover in the first module and the time spent on some aspects was a bit short, especially the coaching topic.  Participants should expect to do significant research and work outside the module if they wish to get the best out of the programme.

All the feedback is positive and with a 95% evlauation feedback rate it is making our jobs easier. If the group has an questions at this time give us a call – 020 7239 7828 and we will help. Otherwise I will be speaking to you all soon.

Dont forget to start your projects in preparation for your next module on organisational and change leadership.

Your friendly project co-ordinator
Kimberley

Future Leadership interviews 1 from OPM on Vimeo.

Future Leadership interview 2 from OPM on Vimeo.