Reflection time ....

It's been a pretty important week for us at Common Purpose in Birmingham - with the end of another Meridian (senior leaders) course and an office move. To be honest I'm not great at reflecting - I rarely stop long enough to do it.... but after 11+ years in one office and another great course finished, I did stop to reflect this weekend.

The Meridian course had over 30 participants, over 100 contributors, over 30 events - all over five months - phew! Then, when I was in office clear-out mode I realised that I've personally now worked with 1,000+ participants and almost as many contributors over the years.

As I threw away old badges and speaker tents, I started thinking about all the people I've met and worked with; some I know well - they've been course participants - some I meet just once or twice a year. It's a privilege to work with so many people, hear their honest insights and personal leadership journeys.

I was also struck by how many people we know, who still work with us, when they've moved on several times and seem to genuinely enjoy coming back to work with our groups.

Then I thought about the end of the Meridian course - the insights the participants shared, the support they gave each other and how much some people have taken from the course.

I realised that the participants that get the most from our courses - and the best of the leaders I have the pleasure of working with demonstrate many shared qualities. Two seem really important to me - Time and Clarity.

• Time - with our contributors they invest it - in sharing their perspective with others and being open to question, discussion and debate. They are all BUSY... but they give you their full attention when you're with them. The participants who make the most of the course also have to invest their time and headspace - if they turn up and are distracted, on their phones, never make the most of the connections, sadly they miss out on opportunities.
• Clarity - for our contributors - they are clear about so many things - who they are, their vision and how and what they communicate. This helps you understand where they are coming from, even if you don't agree with them. For our participants - they have clarity in knowing that they want to make the most of the opportunities and, in being open, honest in sharing their views and in their questions, they learn more - about themselves and their peers.

To me building relationships is a long-term thing, rather than a one-off and it helps if you're interested (or at least curious) about people. Now, it seems more than ever, people want partnerships or connections built on trust and mutual understanding. Sometimes that can happen quickly but in my opinion it always needs clarity - this is who I am, what we do and, importantly, this is what we don't do - to build credibility but often it takes time. Sadly there's no magic, quick-fix - if you want to make a difference and build long-term relationships, you've got to put the time and energy into it (like most things in life!)

Like many people, I imagine, I wake up some mornings and wonder how I got here, if I'm qualified to do this and how we manage to pull it off each year! All I can reflect on right now is that it's a great privilege and I'm very proud to be able to do it.

About me and Common Purpose

Louise Teboul is Operations Director at international leadership development organisation Common Purpose.

Find out more ... Common Purpose develops leaders who can cross boundaries. This enables them to solve complex problems both in organisations and in cities.