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PART TWO: LEADING TOMORROW
We now have a thriving Women’s Network that is running events that fuse fun (actually
fun was important, I forgot to mention that) and learning. Women from all areas of the
business come together, learn about each other’s work; and leave knowing who they
need to contact to get the job done! We invite Board Members and senior women and
provide the opportunity to network that many junior staff would not otherwise come
across. This is a spin off from the main event which is a variety of learning seminars
designed to help women fill the gap that the formal learning and development
programmes do not touch upon. We have learnt why our personal brand is important
and how we develop it and use it to help us promote ourselves in the workplace; but
also to access the people and information that we need to improve our performance –
and improving performance, of course, is the ultimate aim of any organisation’s learning
and development programmes.
What we have are learning programmes, networking opportunities (oh and fun), that
women through the network identify, organise and deliver – creating a different kind of
learning environment and providing opportunities for women to evidence their
leadership and organisational skills. This is about individuals taking responsibility and
leading on their own learning needs.
The future for learning at Genesis
An individual has a responsibility to be strategic about their own career opportunities,
be active in networking, be able to identify and approach who can support them, be
able to discern who has social capital; and identify gaps in their social network and
work to fill them.
Formal programmes such as coaching and mentoring are important but not enough on
their own. Opportunities to learn about yourself and develop your relationships will be
critical particularly in a world where more and more of us work remotely; if we go into
the office we are hot-desking, perhaps not even in the same office. Our traditional
office relationships are definitely being challenged. How we develop our learning
through networks and formal learning are the keys to success.
And if you are a leader ask yourself how inclusive you are in your own networks and
how do you provide opportunities for people to link with you? Who you know is
important to the future of your organisation: don’t miss the talent.
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