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Friday Footnote # 87

Written by A.R.Fairbank@swansea.ac.uk / Friday 18th March 2022

Each week we share loads of content amongst Team ION and with our network. Content that inspires us, which we find helpful, or just makes us smile. We thought we would start sharing these insights every Friday. Welcome to Friday Footnote.

4theregion Swansea City Centre Conference

Yesterday was awesome. For the first time in nearly 2 years, after WFH and only really meeting people via Zoom, we went to a face-to-face conference, and saw people in real life. The 4theregion Swansea City Centre Conference took place at the brand new Swansea Arena, and what a great (but very long!) day it was.

It was fantastic to catch up with people again - old friends, meet new friends, hear about alumni success stories and catch up with colleagues from Swansea University, Swansea BID, AGOR IP, Chwarae Teg, FSB Cymru and the South West Wales Regional Engagement Team, amongst others.

Our feet ache, we've lost our voices, but we would do it all again tomorrow! Seeing peeople again, catching up with them over a coffee and copious amounts of chocolate reminded us exactly why we do what we do. It's all about the people we get to work with every day. It's all about people.

Our first-ever PAN Wales leadership programme

We were delighted to anounce recently that later this year we will be running our first-ever PAN Wales leadership programme. Our programmes have traditionally been run separately by our teams in Bangor and Swansea. However, for the first time in our 11-year history we are joining forces to unite businesses across Wales. The aim of the programme is to enable delegates to build networks with other fast-growth Welsh brands, and develop the skills and knowledge required to meet organisational goals and flourish in a post-pandemic marketplace.

Led by Nathan from our Swansea team, and Jacky from our Bangor team, the ILM Level 5 Leading Growth programme starts in June 2022. You can find out more about the programme here and if you are interested in having a chat about participating in the programme, please contact Kaye Harris-John on 07808 847332 or Nicola Sturrs on 01248 383024.

Growing your business means growing your people

Earlier this week Adam attended a Chambers Wales webinar discussing the importance of growing your people to grow your business. The hugely experienced panel, including Jessica Leigh-Jones of iungo Solutions and Louise Harris of Tramshed Tech discussed, amongst many other topics, the importance of building support infrastructures around teams to create a culture of empowerment where people feel that they can speak up and contribute ideas. There was also a really interesting discussion around letting people try things, if there is no risk attached to it, ensuring that key learnings are taken from the outcome - positive or negative.

Adam (a keen gardener!) particularly liked the quote from the book Team of Teams which was shared during the session; "Leadership is like gardening, because gardeners can't do anything. They can't make plants grow or flowers bloom, they can only create the conditions in which everything flourishes and achieves its best".

Starting your leadership journey?

Our ILM Level 3 New Leaders programme is designed to develop and enhance the leadership and management skills of those in the early stages of developing their leadership skills. Delegates will be encouraged to understand their own approach to leadership, and then consider their team roles and tasks required to create a strong business framework for the growth and sustainability of their organisation. Our next programme starts in May 2022, and you can find out more about the programme, including those all important dates, here.