C2S Leadership Month Will Help Sharpen Your ‘Saw’

During the month of March, we will tackle business critical conversations with?outstanding speakers from across the globe that will inspire and motivate you and your people. These thought leadership events will provide insights, top tips, and stimulate innovative ideas and thinking.

Please share this opportunity to join our?FREE?online and in-person events?with your business community. Continued learning, knowledge transfer and personal development are key for any successful organisation, please join us and be part of the conversation!

Have you read Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People? If yes you will know what we are talking about when we say that joining us during Leadership Month will help you to Sharpen Your Saw.

If you haven’t read the book or can’t remember, then we will give you a short refresher.

Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People aim to adjust your character, so you see the world in a positive paradigm. Having sold over 25million books worldwide they have stood the test of time and having lived through the last 24 months and current atrocities happening in the Ukraine we could all do with a dose of positivity!

Covey’s 7 Habits:

Be proactive
Begin with the end in mind
Put first things first
Think “win-win”
Seek first to understand, then to be understood
Synergise
Sharpen the saw if you want to keep sawing

These are all useful habits and can help us to achieve great results. We have summarised them below but to learn more head over to: https://www.franklincovey.com/the-7-habits/

1. Be proactive - in this chapter, Covey says that many people are reactive (they allow external circumstances to dictate their behaviour), instead of proactive (taking responsibility for their decisions and behaviour). Instead of blaming the world for your problems, or letting the actions of others, or even bad weather, dictate your mood, you can be a more effective person by focussing on the things that you can actually do something about (your Circle of Influence) and not concern yourself with things you can’t change or influence.

2. Begin with the end in mind - Covey says that when you take an action, you actually do it twice. The first time is when you imagine doing it, and then again when you actually do it in real life. The message here is that if you visualise an action and its desired consequences first, instead of just ploughing on, possibly in the wrong direction, the more likely you are to have success.

3. Put first things first - this habit is all about prioritisation. You need to figure out the things that are most important and always put them first. But how do you work out what’s most important? Covey categorises tasks into four quadrants. He says to focus on Quadrant Two first - these are things that will have long-term positive impacts and will help you towards your larger goals. The more you focus on these, the fewer tasks will eventually appear in Quadrant One, which most people mistakenly believe to be the most important. Of course, you should do the tasks in Quadrant One first, but Covey recommends always working on tasks in Quadrant Two on the side, a little each day.

4. Think “win-win” - life is a negotiation. When going into a situation with others, many people seek a “win-lose” outcome - every interaction they have whether at work or in their personal lives is seen as a competition. Effective people on the other hand see the benefit in giving everyone a fair share of the pie and fostering positive long-term relationships. Try to approach every situation willing to negotiate until both parties are satisfied - you’ll see greater returns in the end. The most important payment you can make into the emotional bank account is trying to truly understand someone and discover what’s important to them.

5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood - “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply,” says Covey. He explains that a lot of the time we don’t really listen to people, but instead project our own situation onto them and assume that what they’re thinking and feeling are the same. We then prescribe solutions to them that don’t really work. People rarely trust the advice of someone who they don’t feel really understands them or the situation.

6. Synergise - synergy basically means that if you put two things together, the outcome is greater than the combined total of the two separate components. 1+1 can actually equal 3 or more if you work together. When people work together to tackle a challenge, using everyone’s separate strengths, it’s always better than fighting each other and trying to go it alone. For this you need to understand, trust and respect each other.

7. Sharpen the saw if you want to keep sawing - the seventh habit is all about self-improvement. Your tools may be adequate for the job, but if you never stop to sharpen them, they will become less and less effective. Covey uses the analogy of a lumberjack sawing down trees - if he keeps sawing without stopping to sharpen his saw, eventually it will become blunt and he won’t be able to cut down trees anymore. Covey’s key message here is that you need to take care of yourself, stay physically fit, maintain your emotional wellbeing and your mental wellbeing through expanding your knowledge, as well as your social well-being by having good relationships with others.

C2S Leadership month will provide you and your team/s with impactful and inspiring experiences both on-line and in-person. They will not only sharpen your ‘saw’ but will help you to connect with others; be proactive, synergise and make the time to examine those things in Quadrant 2, that’s right the important ones that will help move your business forward. So, you’ve nothing to lose and a whole lot to gain by joining us during March and return to work with new ideas and approaches that will make you more effective, efficient, and enthusiastic.

All on-line events are FREE to attend, and everyone is welcome. Please share with colleagues and connections.

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Week 1 – Culture, Diversity, and Inclusion

Date: 7th?March 2022 | ?Time: 10:00 – 11:00 (Online Event)

Gemma Evans, Head of Merchandising, Superdry

Creating An Inclusive Culture at Superdry

Gemma is Head of Merchandising for both Menswear and Womenswear at Superdry, with a demonstrated history of working for the biggest retail groups from Value chain to Mid market to Brand. Driving all the key product areas from Womenswear to Accessories, Kidswear and Menswear.

?Book Now

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Date: 9th?March 2022 | Time: 10:00 – 11:30 (Online Event)

Nicola Bird and Natalie Bell Founders of AccXel, Ben Ramsey, MD Barnwood Group and Rachel Harper, Organised Consulting

Smashing the glass ceiling and perceived barriers of Culture, Diversity, and Inclusion in construction.

Nicola and Natalie will be discussing how they have smashed all perceived barriers of culture, diversity, and inclusion within the typically male-dominated environment of construction. Nicola and Natalie have founded, built, and led the UK’s first industry-led construction school.?They?will share their journey so far and tell us how they will achieve their mammoth goals at AccXel.

Ben Ramsay from Barnwood Group also joins us to discuss what Barnwood Group has been doing to support diversity and inclusion. Ben will talk about their work with the MEPC on D&I Programme, ‘Changing the Game’, inclusive leadership, company Code of Conduct, and developing and integrating a D&I plan.

Rachel Harber, Organised Consulting will open an honest conversation about how to address difficult conversations around D & I, understand unconscious bias, the correct language to use and how to create an authentic, diverse, inclusive environment. Practical tips, tools, and a step-by-step guide. Your guide to making a difference.

Week 1 – Culture, Diversity, and Inclusion

Gemma Evans, Head of Merchandising, Superdry

Creating An Inclusive Culture at Superdry

Nicola Bird and Natalie Bell Founders of AccXel, Ben Ramsey, MD Barnwood Group and Rachel Harper, Organised Consulting

Smashing the glass ceiling and perceived barriers of Culture, Diversity, and Inclusion in construction.

Rachel Geliamassi, Managing Director, Stagecoach West

The Benefits of Creating a Healthy Workplace

Sharon MacArthur, Founder, Miss Menopause

Rupert Walters, 4orty2

Week 2 – Sustainability

Gary Thomas, Head of Sustainability at Ecotricity

Janet Mui, CFA, is Investment Director at Brewin Dolphin

ESG The Impact Of Your Investment Choices

Sarah Jordan, Owner, Y.O.U Underwear

Y.O.U Underwea.r Becomes A B-Corp

Zoe Sear – Head of Marketing & Communications, Triodos Bank

Aren’t We All Bankers?

Week 3 – Leadership

Mark Porch, Omega/Staffline

Recruitment Trends & Recommendations for 2022

John Eades, CEO, LearnLoft

Paul Hargreaves, Founder, Cotswold Fayre

Week 4 – Brand and Marketing