Developing skills and talent in a recession

Maggie Shannon

Director of Performance and Innovation

Great Places Housing Group

Overview

Why developing your people is an organisational imperative

Finding new approaches

What’s the benefit

Doing it differently – the Change Network

North West are looking to the leaders of tomorrow, to design

the organisations of 2020

We ran a series of workshops to help a group of up and

coming people reflect on leadership, structures, commercial

opportunities, and new financial models.

How we went about it

Sent out invites asking for nominations

Shortlisted candidates

Support from mentors

Search for the stars

The task – create the housing organisation of 2020

Four facilitated sessions

Themes of leadership, finance, organisational structure

Working in teams – research, discussion, theory and

innovation

20 participants

The workshops

Getting to know each other

Understanding different models

Researching options

New experiences, new team members

New technology

We’ve loved it!

Innovative, demanding, fun

Learning new skills and sharing experiences

Highly competitive

Sometimes stressful!

Final presentation

Judging panel

Invited mentors

Participants

Presentations and Q and A

Working in a team

Shared ideas and experience

Challenged held beliefs and views

Identified team strengths and weaknesses

Negotiation skills

Task focus

Personal development

Build confidence

Presentation skills

Working across boundaries

Project management skills

Research skills

Competitive approach!

On the day

What they said…

“I have learnt that even though the team initially were a group of

strangers the experience was a fantastic one.

It showed me that you have to let everyone have their

say/opinion, some of which you may not agree with but its about

respecting and learning from other peoples view points, which

was actually very interesting and gave me a new perspective on

things.”

And also said…

“I feel a really important part of the whole process has been

networking and learning about other registered providers, and

the services they provide.”

Experiential learning

valuing different kinds of knowledge and learning styles

creating a learning environment

encouraging dialogue and the exploration of different

perspectives and experiences

generate creative thinking and innovation

Be different!

Champion your people

Find innovative approaches

Share costs, learn from others

Maximise technology and digital media

Reflect on learning

Celebrate success

The benefits

Working collectively

Breaking down traditional barriers

Releasing creative potential

Encouraging leadership potential

CIH Change Network NW

“Experience is not what happens to you. Its what you do with what happens

to you”

Aldous Huxley