Fine leadership worth celebrating amid the storm clouds

Much has changed since my February column, writes Deb Leary. As with life in general it is a game of two halves with a bit of grey in the middle.

The relentless news stories relating to Covid have blended into the background superseded by the devastating war in Ukraine which threatens to destabilise Europe while the world witnesses scenes we thought were consigned to history.

The importance of leadership and what that look likes has come through loud and clear. With the war in the Ukraine, we see two very different styles of leadership - autocratic and inclusive.

We have been in the presence of a leader with such traits and we know how each of these styles impacts on our own wellbeing and sense of worth.

Against the backdrop of Ukraine, it is hard to celebrate any of the positives, but celebrate we must. If we don 't, we lock ourselves into negativity which prevents us moving forward and we don 't honour those who are working so hard to protect the freedoms we all hold.

This month is always a time of celebration both internationally and regionally. We celebrate International Women 's Day, which recognises the importance of diversity and the achievements of women globally.

It is also a time to highlight inequalities that still exist and to hold to account those who have the power to change.

This week we celebrated Commonwealth Day. The theme centred around the theme for the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting - Delivering a Common Future - highlighting how the 54 countries of the Commonwealth family connect and innovate to help transform the world positively.

With 2022 being Her Majesty the Queen 's Jubilee Year, there is also a special focus on the role service plays in the life of people and their communities wherever they are within the Commonwealth.

March is also a key month for the Chamber to celebrate our fantastic businesses with our annual awards and dinner. This year was incredibly special as it had been so long since we could celebrate in person and the excitement of 1,300 people being in one room truly was breath-taking.

I was also delighted to present my President 's Award to Wendy Merricks, CEO and founder of Jumar Solutions, which provides technology and people services, specialising in the financial services and government sector.

Starting her business in 1999, it reached a turnover of £1.8million in its first year and £40million this year with a projection of £50million for next year, Wendy optimises the boldness, bravery and entrepreneurial spirit of Birmingham, as did all the winners and shortlisted businesses who stepped forward to highlight their achievements.

Special congratulations go to Tony Elvin and the team at Touchwood for winning the Business of the Year, an outstanding achievement.

It was also a night of firsts in that it was the only time since the beginning of the Chamber in 1813 that it was fronted by a female double act, namely CEO Henrietta Brearley and myself as president.

Whether it is International Women 's Day, Commonwealth Day, or our own Chamber Awards at the heart lies a celebration of leadership, duty and passion to do good, to make a positive social impact. We owe it to others to celebrate and invest in our people.

With this in mind Greater Birmingham Chamber has launched its Growth Through People conference. This is an opportunity to learn from our inspirational keynote speakers, expert panellists and interactive workshops.

The conference is a fantastic opportunity to explore exceptional perspectives on key leadership and people management challenges, take away new ideas to drive and inspire positive change within your business and network with other local leaders, managers and decision-makers from businesses of all sizes looking to grow through the adoption of new, best-practice ideas. The Conference takes place at the Eastside Rooms on 30 March.

Inclusive leadership, coupled with good governance and positive social impact is the heartbeat of good business. We should acknowledge that people may not remember what we do, but they will absolutely remember how we do it.

Deb Leary is president of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and chief executive of Forensic Pathways

This column first appeared in the Birmingham Post