When we worked with Burton's Foods, then CEO Ben Clarke told us, “In order to achieve what we want we need strong and effective leadership. This means investing in development.”
However Ben didn’t want any ordinary leadership development. He had very specific requirements. It needed to be inspirational. It needed to be challenging. An exciting launch to Burton's leadership aspirations. When the strategy is "to be faster and better than the competition," you must inspire outstanding performance in your people. The leadership intervention needed to reinforce the central idea that "if you deliver on your promises, you create opportunity for all."
The programme began with a two-day offsite for the board. held at our Hoxton venue. These days concentrated on aligning the board - subsequently known as the Hoxton Nine.
The second module in the programme brought together the rest of the senior management team, bringing the number to thirty. This workshop took place in the Lilian Baylis Theatre, Sadler's Wells. The theatre analogy of inspiration, transformation and outstanding performance was useful, as these were all requirements of the journey that Burton's was undertaking.
Maynard Leigh designed a bespoke workshop that combined aspects of a large event with the individual tuition of a small course. There were plenary sessions in which the full team could work together and build relationships. Then in a unique design feature, there was a carousel of four different stations featuring different aspects of leadership which the participants would visit in smaller teams of eight, thereby allowing personal attention.
One station explored the root of leadership: insight and individuality. Another station challenged the participants to inspire their colleagues by literally taking centre stage and connecting with their own source of inspiration. Station three discussed what it takes as a leader to fully engage the people around you and to develop ownership in your teams. The final station examined the importance of creativity and improvisation in the job of implementing any plan.
Feedback was excellent - hear from the participants of the course below:
