Learning
What it was: A talk from a senior leader about setting the global context, followed by group discussion. This was part of the Deputy Director Leadership Programme held in London on 16 and 17 September 2019. What I learned: When people are stressed, as senior leaders we can rise up
Learning
What it was A CIPR Business Ethics Briefing, completed as part of my CIPR continuous professional development. What I learned GDPR can be seen as a gift - an opportunity for fresh thinking and a challenge to make sure we are being fair and open in our dealings with customers.
Learning
What it was: A two-day interactive course on the leadership aspects of agile, run by the Agile Centre in London on 6 and 7 December 2018. This course forms the Scrum alliance certified agile leadership (CAL) credential 1 What I learned: PRE-WORK "Conversational turn-taking" and "Ostentatious listening&
Learning
What it was Half-day session on health and well-being for senior leaders, delivered by Bailey & French at the BEIS conference centre, London on 21 November 2018. What I learned Mental health accounts for 25% of MOD civilian sickness absence Reflecting on three positive things from your work day at
Learning
What it was A half day's training in London on 20 November 2018, attended as part of the Future Leaders Scheme. What I learned * There are broadly three components of inclusive leadership: * Culture * Relationships * Decision making style Inclusive culture * Imagine a time you felt alone in a crowd.
Learning
What it was A day of talks on Data Protection, with speakers from across Government, hosted by my Information Rights Team at the MOD in London on 16 November 2018. What I learned * Enormous amount of work across organisations in past six months to get compliant with the new data
Learning
What it was: A day of talks and discussions followed by a written test, held in London on 30 October 2018. What I learned: H&S leadership: * A leader sets culture, directs activity. Leadership is more people focused than a manager. A leader thinks long term and strategically, is
Learning
What it was Talks and breakout sessions on social collaboration in defence, with various speakers including knowledge management consultant Chris Collison, held at MOD on 24 October 2018. What I learned * Knowledge is key to the defence enterprise * The need for additional logins is a barrier to adoption of social
Learning
What it was: A one-day course on commercial skills as part of the Future Leaders Scheme in Pimlico, London on 17 October 2018. Key outcomes for the course: * Build individual confidence in commercial work and decisions * To ensure that we are applying good commercial judgement (not falling into just commercial
Learning
What it was: Talk by a senior MOD leader to the ISS leadership cohort in Corsham on 9 October 2018. What I learned: Introduction: * You are a highly evolved ape! * Think about the psychological environment you create for your team * Systems of thinking, fast and slow * Self awareness is key
Learning
What it was: Various conversations on on how to deal with large volumes of emails this year. What I learned: Aim to deal with emails with 'one touch': * No more than two minutes on each one, ideally 5 seconds * Leave ones that will require substantive action for later
Learning
What it was: Short workshop on 'Reasonable challenge' in London on 26 September 2018. What I learned: * The Chilcot report, which examined Government decision-making in the run up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003, warned against the dangers of 'group-think'. * Challenge is a key way