Following the first instalment of our new event series, ‘Brewing Connections’, Rutherford Cross Consultant, Christopher Sole, shares some key takeaways from the session, the origin of the event series, and insights into the next event.
Throughout an individual’s professional career, they are often encouraged to take courses, complete qualifications and attend seminars designed to help them develop technical skillsets and competencies to excel in their chosen field. These courses and qualifications can help launch individuals up the career ladder – all the way into leadership positions; and whilst they serve their purpose, they do leave one glaringly obvious gap: the development of true leadership skills. Individuals can then find themselves in these leadership positions with a “figure it out on the fly” or “fake it ‘till you make it” mentality.
This was the topic of conversation that Chris Dean (Evelyn Partners), Gavin Main (Evelyn Partners), Fraser Burnett (Rutherford Cross) and I had as we shared a coffee and some common thoughts. Queue the birth of the new event series, “Brewing Connections – Stepping Up”. The purpose: to connect new leaders across the central belt, where shared challenges are explored, experiences are exchanged and confidence is built. Plus, the bonus of a good coffee and pastry! The casual format welcomes those in the early stages of their leadership journeys to listen to a speaker and explore the knowledge of others who have been in their position.
For the first instalment of the networking series, we welcomed 30 individuals to the Evelyn Partners Edinburgh offices to enjoy a coffee from Damien Hoyland’s Counter Coffee and listened to Stuart McInally, former Scotland rugby captain turned commercial pilot, talk about his leadership journey and the peaks and troughs along the way.
The key takeaways – well, there were many – but the ones that resonated with me most were:
- Even the best leaders can’t do it all themselves (and they don’t try to). Use the skillsets that are in your team, and lean on their strengths
- Be authentic. Every leader will have a different style, and whilst you can fall into the trap of impersonating others, remain true to your character that got you to that position in the first place
- Know your team. Understand the personalities in your team, and how communication should be with each of them. It’s not one-size-fits-all
Following the presentation, it was great to see groups immediately breaking off and conversations starting to bubble away on the topics raised during the Q&A. Whilst we know this event series isn’t the full solution to the common issue; we hope that it can help nudge the dial in the right direction and curate a network of knowledge that can be leveraged by its connections.
Given the positive feedback across the board, the second event has been booked in for Tuesday 9th of June at Bonnie & Wild (St James Quarter). For the second edition, we have the pleasure of welcoming Louise Finlayson, Leadership and Performance Psychologist, who will be speaking about leadership, dealing with the pressure when stepping up, and building a toolkit to cope with the demand. As always, there will be brews on offer!
If you would like to get involved in the Brewing Connections series, as an attendee or a speaker, please don’t hesitate to contact Chris Sole: [email protected] | 07494 280 151
