Growth Through People Campaign – Week 2 Roundup
Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce
Following on from the busy opening week of our Growth Through People campaign there’s been plenty to keep us busy during Week 2.
Events
On Valentine’s Day we joined forces with the CIPD to deliver an appropriately-themed event entitled Tricky Conversations. The extremely well-attended workshop focussed on helping business leaders to understand how to most effectively approach and conduct difficult conversations with their employees. It was extremely interesting to learn about the importance of linguistics in difficult conversations and invaluable to receive so much practical guidance. The event included fantastic presentations from Fiona Anderson, Marian Hubbell, and Birmingham Chamber council member, Diane Rance.
We finished the week with the second event in our two-part series, delivered by Engage for Success in partnership with GBCC Patron Squire Patton Boggs, focussing on the important topic of Employee Engagement. This week we were exploring engagement from the perspective of senior business leaders to help delegates develop an understanding of the importance of increasing engagement with their workforce and discuss the metrics that can support this. There was a lively debate following engaging presentations from Cathy Brown (Engage for Success), Ramez Moussa (Squire Patton Boggs), and Amrit Sandhar (The Engagement Coach.
Yesterday morning GBCC Patron Pinsent Masons delivered a campaign fringe event on the important topic of Employment Law. By better understanding the legal parameters of employment and the key issues that business leaders often run into, delegates were able to better understand the framework within which they manage their people. The session was expertly delivered by Jonathan Coley, Employment Partner, and Amy Hextell, Employment Solicitor.
Throughout the Growth Through People campaign we will be publishing a series of blog posts written by partners, business leaders, and local experts on a variety of topics related to effective people management. This week we heard from:
Mark Tonks, Director, LMI UK, considers the definition of productivity and discusses how best to measure it in different areas of your business.
Katie Buckingham, Founder & Director, Altruist Enterprises, outlines some of the key mental health problems that can impact on the workplace and provides invaluable guidance to help business leaders spot when their workers might be encountering them.
To read my roundup of Growth Through People Week 1, click here.
Coming Up
Although it’s half term in Birmingham, we’ve got another busy campaign week coming up:
On Thursday, we’re working with GBCC Patron The Leadership Trust to deliver a session focussing on the linkages between productivity and different styles of leadership. The event will be hosted by Birmingham City University and delegates will have the opportunity to discover their natural leadership style and understand how this effects the way they react to different workplace scenarios.
Next Monday, the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce is working with the Behavioural Insights Group at Aston University Business School on a session looking at the unconscious bias and social influences that can impact upon our decision making process in the workplace. Delegates will have the opportunity to learn about how these issues can affect a range of business areas and have a tangible impact upon an organisation’s bottom line.
You’ll want to keep an eye on the GBCC’s e-news, blogs page, and social media accounts to stay up to date with the latest Growth Through People activity.