It’s all about impact!

Our Research and Evaluation lead Llewelyn James recently collated feedback on 5 of our recent leadership programmes. In our latest blog, we share some of the findings.

At ION we run 2 targeted leadership programmes, tailored for people with different levels of leadership experience. The research covered 4 x ILM Level 3 New Leaders programmes and 1 x ILM Level 5 Leading Growth programme.

Enhancing skills

• 100% of respondents said that the programme enhanced their business leadership skills
• 82% of respondents said that the programme enhanced their problem-solving skills
• 75% of respondents said that the programme enhanced their innovation skills
• 85% of respondents said that the programme enhanced their ability to develop the skills of colleagues within their organisation

Our programmes have supported over 1600 managers, aspiring leaders and entrepreneurs in over 1000 businesses to develop high-quality skills. As you can see, delegates on these programmes feel they have developed their business leadership, problem-solving and innovation skills as well as the ability to develop the skills of colleagues. These are all hugely important skills that will help our delegates grow their businesses, as well as their people.

It's all about confidence

• 93% of respondents said that the programme enhanced their confidence

In uncertain times, the last 18 months have definitely been unprecedented,  employees want to be guided by a confident leader. As Steve Kerr, Head Coach of the Golden State Warriors (NBA Basketball team) stated: "As a leader, one of the things that's most important is to know your team needs to see you as confident".

A recurring theme in the feedback we have received from delegates over the last 11 years has been the impact on their confidence as a leader. As Amy Morgan of Carreg Construction put it, "Personally it was a big deal for me to go on this programme. It significantly increased my confidence and I'm now able to tackle a lot more. I would recommend to anyone looking to learn, grow and succeed".

Leaders that will change the face of Wales

• 75% of respondents said that the programme enhanced their ability to grow their business
• 85% of respondents said that the programme helped to introduce new processes or practices to the business
• 90% of respondents said that the programme has enhanced their business resilience.

At ION leadership we transform business owners and managers into extraordinary leaders. We support them to enhance their skills, enabling them to grow sustainable businesses that not only enrich the lives of the people who work for them but also have a positive impact on the Welsh economy. Our programmes are structured and delivered in such a way that delegates learn how best to implement the latest thinking, strategies, and best practice into their own business. As a project leader from a business in the scientific R&D sector recently stated after attending our programme, "ION benefited our organisation by introducing us to tools which when utilised helped during our recruitment process".

I think we all agree that the last 18 months have been difficult. That is why we were particularly happy to see the last stat, 90% of respondents said that the programme had enhanced their business resilience. As Forbes mentioned just this week in their article discussing Improving Business Resilience in challenging times, the Covid-19 pandemic 'marked the importance of business resilience management for mitigating risks threatening organizations. The ability to withstand them while maintaining core business workflows and employees' health became the focal point of a survival strategy for companies'.

The delegates have their say

Whilst gathering the delegates feedback they also gave us written feedback, sharing some more personal insights with us. Here's just a selection of some of their feedback:

If you like what you have read, and want to find out more about our upcoming leadership programmes, check out the courses page of our website.