After gaining a bursary from the Farmers’ Club Charitable Trust and The Frank Parkinson Trust, I attended the Emerging Strategic Leaders Programme. Attending the Windsor Programme was life changing and its lessons have been transformative and truly enabling.

One of the key things that have resonated with me during and after the Programme

After gaining a bursary from the Farmers’ Club Charitable Trust and The Frank Parkinson Trust, I attended the Emerging Strategic Leaders Programme. Attending the Windsor Programme was life changing and its lessons have been transformative and truly enabling.

One of the key things that have resonated with me during and after the Programme, and that have lasted a year on, is the importance of focusing my time as a leader on where I add most value. This sounds simple but it has given me a laser focus to my work, that and to recognise how I already operate along the strategic continuum from strategy to delivery and back again.

The calibre of people I met during the five days on the programme and what I learned from them, from within my syndicate in particular, was inspiring and was one of the principle drivers for me wanting to attend the programme; to learn from others in others sectors. From the armed forces, the NHS, police, government and the arts, I learned from each one and gained confidence in their reflections of me. 

It was during the many syndicate conversations that helped me to recognise the abilities that I already have as a leader, skills before now I have taken for granted. Having a mirror held up by my Windsor peer group was profound and truly enabling.

The impact of Windsor on my performance at work has been significant, and commented upon by senior leaders at work. I believe I now have ‘conscious competence’ a real self-awareness of skills, and areas for development. This was a massive step change for me.

My favourite one-liner from the experience: Remember IQ is set, emotional intelligence grows. I feel this is just the beginning.

Having completed my Windsor Leadership journey earlier this year, I am now taking some time to run through some of the key learnings from my time. Firstly, it must be said that a huge thank you to the Farmers Club Charitable Trust, for giving me the opportunity to get involved in this excellent experience. The learnings from the course 

Having completed my Windsor Leadership journey earlier this year, I am now taking some time to run through some of the key learnings from my time. Firstly, it must be said that a huge thank you to the Farmers Club Charitable Trust, for giving me the opportunity to get involved in this excellent experience. The learnings from the course will stay with me throughout my career, and hopefully will enable me to not only be the best I can be within my current employment but also within from a societal leadership perspective.

Windsor Leadership gives the opportunity to take time away from business, and the challenges of day-to-day life, to spend time “reflecting” (which is very much a key part of the Windsor programme and effective leadership), and to engage with people from a diverse range of backgrounds, areas of expertise, and with very different perspectives. My cohort ranged from members of the Armed Forces, Police, Fire and NHS services, along with others from the private sector.

Building Resilience was one of the key reflections I took was the important of looking after yourself – in a position where leadership can be a lonely place, it is essential to look out a peer support group (some of which I made whilst at Windsor) – to be the best leader – you have to be in good shape, mentally, physically and emotionally – and the course certainly made me reflect on this.

To have resilience you have to also empower others, to free up time, and enable others to grow their own resilience and also this in turn in the business environment strengthens the resilience of the organisation. 

Delegation and decision making – is it your decision to make? Do you need to make that decision, or whether actually – by controlling all decision making you risk disempowering others, which can in turn lead to demotivation and a sense of lack of ownership. 

Another key point – is to always push yourself outside of your comfort zone – this is where real personal and business development can come from – challenge the status quo.

Purpose – this was discussed a lot during the course – can you find/pinpoint your purpose? I am yet to put this in to a definitive set of words – but the Windsor Leadership journey has certainly helped me on my way to this.

Finally to societal leadership – and the position of giving back – in our role as leaders not just of businesses but in the wider society. What opportunities are there out there to fulfil this – previously I have given a lot back into my business sector, through board positions in various trade associations/organisations – and I now look to expand this where time allows, into the charitable sector, personal sectors of interest – as I look to offer my time for the benefit of others, outside of a business function.

Thanks to the generous Award from the Farmers Club Charitable Trust I was delighted and honoured to be given the opportunity to participate in the Windsor Leadership Emerging Strategic Leaders Programme in 2024. I can truly say it was one of the best experiences I have had.

There is no theory, lectures or powerpoints. The Windsor way is 

Thanks to the generous Award from the Farmers Club Charitable Trust I was delighted and honoured to be given the opportunity to participate in the Windsor Leadership Emerging Strategic Leaders Programme in 2024. I can truly say it was one of the best experiences I have had.

There is no theory, lectures or powerpoints. The Windsor way is to use individuals ‘Insights’ around leadership experiences to share with others and discuss. Syndicate groups of 7 people – that’s where the real value came as we shared not just professional but also personal challenges. There is no right or wrong but the value of different perspectives and ways of looking at challenges was great. Leadership can be lonely at times so the importance of a solid trustworthy support network was a key learning for me. 

I realises that lots of leaders face the same challenges and so much to learn from different experiences and perspectives. I was surrounded by people who have very different jobs in very different industries – civil services, armed forces, clergy, NHS, emergency services with very important roles. I soon realised that leaders have so much in common and it gave me a lot more confidence 

At the end of part one you are encouraged to complete a simple Personal Action Plan – to think about yourself, your team, your organisation and how you can impact on wider society. Again this isn’t formal and it’s only for you but I found it a really useful way of reflecting on what Windsor helped me to be clearer about and when I revisit it every 3 months or so it’s encouraging to see how it has helped me change and improve as a leader and as a person.  

The key lessons for me is that great leaders understand the importance of people relationships, admitting when you need help, learning to leave things behind and think more strategically, spending time watching what is going on, trusting people and delegating, finding your own purpose and making time for yourself to reflect and thinking about me, self challenging and not just the day to day issues at work.

Tips for others thinking about doing it

DO IT! Embrace the process, be prepared to be nervous but also to be honest, don’t worry about being vulnerable and you will learn a lot about yourself and come away with a network of friends who having been through the experience together can help and support in the future. 

Thank you FCCT!