Friday Footnote # 89

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.

Leadership alumni celebrate industry success 

Earlier this week, more than 35 learners on our Bangor Leading Growth and New Leaders programmes celebrated at a graduation dinner. 

Honorary Fellows and celebrity well-wishers including singer Beverley Knight, former Wales rugby international Rupert Moon and TV farmer Gareth Wyn Jones joined the successful cohorts– who met in person – for a ceremony which also featured drone footage of participating organisations from across north and mid-Wales. Bangor University Vice Chancellor Professor Iwan Davies, Anglesey MP Virginia Crosbie and Anglesey MS Rhun ap Iorweth were also in attendance.

You can find out more about the ceremony, and hear from some of the delegates themselves, in our news section. Congratulations to everyone who graduated. 

ION on Tour

It is fantastic that face-to-face events are starting again, and we are loving getting out and about chatting to people about our leadership prgrammes, their businesses and how we can support them to develop themselves and their team, and grow their businesses. On Wednesday Adam attended a Swansea University employability and enterprise event at the Taliesin Arts Centre and on Thursday this week, Kaye had a tour of the new Swansea Arena with the Swansea Bay Business Club. On Thursday night, Nicola from or Bangor team attended the Daily Post Business Awards at Bangor University.    

Next week (Thursday 7th April) both Adam and Kaye will be at the Introbiz Swansea & West Wales Expo at Brangwyn Hall. It would be great to see you there so why not come along and have a chat with them, and also make the most of the great speakers, seminars, exhibitors on offer throughout the day. Tickets to attend are free, and you can sign up on the Introbiz Eventbrite page.  

Not all events are face-to-face quite yet and this week Adam joined NPT Business and 4theregion for the latest of their NPT Innovation Exchange sessions. It was great to see so many different NPT based businesses on the session, and there were some great discussions. We are currently planning a session which we will be involved in as part of the Innovation Exchange, discussing how to develop the next leaders in your business. Keep an eye out for details of the session.   

Clare, our finance manager, attended an ACCA Cymru webinar on Thursday this week discussing the servant leadership model. Today (Friday 1 April), Adam and Suzanne are also attending an Engage4Success webinar discussing Enaging leadership - The Human Connection.  

Make an impact in 60 seconds - 'The art of pitching' virtual event

We are delighted to be joined at our next #IONOpenDoors learning event by Julia Perry, Local Enterprise Manager at NatWest, who will be leading a session on how to make an impact with your 60 second pitch. The session takes place on Thursday 5th May at 11am. 

What does your 60 second pitch say about you? Your pitch needs to do more than just explain what your business does - is it memorable, does it show your personality, do you have a clear call to action?

As we all start to get back out to physical networking and events, NOW is the time to give your pitch a makeover and make some real impact with new connections.

During this session we will explore the key principles of a great 60 second pitch, you will take away some top tips, have some fun, and make lasting changes to how you introduce yourself and your business.

This free session is open to all, and you can sign up to join us on our events pages. 

What's caught our eye this week?

• How can packaging keep things fresh without lasting a lifetime? (EY)
• The 3 things employees really want: Career, Community and Cause (Harvard Business Review)
• How to make diversity, equity and inclusion a reality at work - not just a mission statement (TED)
• How building a culture of creative collaboration can supercharge your teams (Fast Company)

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.

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.

Friday Footnote will be taking a bit of a break for a few weeks as Adam, who pulls it together every week, is off on holiday. See you in a few weeks.  

Missed previous #FridayFootnotes?