Working together with you

The programme gave me direct access to inspiring leaders and practical insights I could apply immediately. The small group setting made it personal and gave me space to reflect and grow – something every leader needs. It strengthened my confidence, helped me make better decisions, and reminded me how vital it is to step back and invest in myself.

I have a fantastic relationship with my mentor that has been built over an extended period, but which was established quickly at our initial retreat. The intensity and exploration of the retreat was a supercharged way of getting to know and trust each other from the start. My mentor has helped me adjust to new roles and new environments, navigate challenging stakeholder relations and stay focused on what is important to me. She regularly reminds me how to use my strengths and gives me perspective. I know I wouldn’t have had the success I’ve had without her help.

Being part of the year-long conversations prompted me to reflect more than I otherwise would have done, deepening my awareness of how key self-awareness is in a Chair. Paradoxically, it has also increased my confidence that I will be able to chair well – in the right context. The significance of context emerged as even more important than I had thought – and not over-committing.

There are very few places where a sitting CEO can speak openly, think clearly and be truly challenged in total confidence. Mentoring creates that place – and it does so with a level of integrity, insight and discretion that is unmatched. It is tailored directly to the realities of senior leadership – not in theory, but in practice. The mentoring is sharp, grounded and consistently focused on what really matters. For me, it has been a critical source of clarity during moments of pressure, complexity and change.

We held a two-day workshop with my Leadership Team as part of our development activities to create a high performing team. The way the workshop was developed really helped us grow as individuals and as a team and in two days we were clearer on who we were as a team, what we wanted to achieve and how we were going to behave to achieve it. What really stands the test of time is that as a team we revisited the outcomes many times to ensure we were on the right track and truly were able to hold ourselves accountable. That workshop created the foundations for us to become one of the highest performing teams in the business.