What it was:

An introductory session to the residential Future Leaders Scheme (FLS) residential module at Ashridge.

The objectives of the module:

• Build network and relationships
• Develop personal leadership development Goals
• Gain insight into your leadership strengths and styles
• Insight into how your behaviours impact others
• Aware of neurological and physiological responses to pressure
• Develop your own leadership brand

What I learned:

Watch out for crises – they can be addictive!

It’s lonely at the top and you can trust the feedback you get less and less. Have a small number of confidantes.

Leading change and transformation is the leadership required in the high uncertainty, high disagreement quadrant.

Management is doing things right – Leadership is doing the right thing.

An organisation can be thought of in different ways, as a Newtonian machine, as a natural system, or as a psychic prison of what you can and can’t do.

Peter Robertson:  all business efforts undergo an s-curve of success followed by decline. Successful organisations jump as their s-curve dies.

What I will aim to do differently as a result:

• Build relationships with a small number of senior confidantes.
• Try to write down my personal brand.
• Ask the team whether they are being stretched, being challenged, being developed.
• Think about whether I occupy the same role in leadership at work as I did or do in my family.