Leadership events to help businesses grow
An Olympic athlete, a professional jazz musician, a voice coach and leading figures from the world of business have been invited by Teesside University to help Tees Valley business leaders improve their skills.
As part of its Leadership Forge Alumni programme, the University has organised a series of inspirational workshops, presentations and motivational talks from leaders from the worlds of business, entertainment, sport and music.
The leadership learning events are part of a drive by the University to improve leadership and management skills amongst Tees Valley SMEs to enable them to grow and reach their potential.
They will draw upon many leadership themes including motivation, self-awareness and communication to inspire managers and leaders to think about ways of doing things differently in their business.
The Leadership Forge was launched at a recent event at the University’s new business hub, The Forge in Darlington.
Simon Raine, founder of Weardale Cheese, shared the story of how he followed his dream of becoming an artisan cheese maker.
Author, comedian and media presenter Kate Hull Rodgers also spoke about the strategic use of humour in the workplace.
Future speakers at Leadership Forge events include: • Sally Gunnell OBE, the only woman to have held the Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth titles concurrently. • Noel Dennis, the Associate Dean of York St John University Business School and a professional jazz musician who will use his musical experience to offer a creative approach to business education. • Louise Kerr, a television voice expert, who will share ways in which people can improve their personal impact in a business. • Dr Peter Caine, the Director of Quality for Europe, Australia and New Zealand at Stanley Black and Decker.
Teesside University recently launched a new Leadership, Management and Growth team specifically to help businesses across the region train and develop their leaders.
The Leadership Forge Alumni programme is being run in partnership with the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES).
Laura Woods, Director of The Forge, said: 'These programmes will work with SMEs to find the best ways to engage with them, and design and deliver events to support their leadership development.
'Our findings will then be fed back to UKCES and will become a part of future Government policy.'
