On 21st May, the 2014 troop of Marketing Academy Scholars ambushed the quaint village of Cookham for a 3 day boot camp including life-changing leadership sessions, mind-blowing speakers and the Cookham 7s pub crawl (which sadly remains unconquered).
Getting to know fellow scholars has been amazing; an outstanding collection of people from start-ups, agency and corporate backgrounds, all united by their tenacity, energy and passion for what they do.
Kick-starting with the Living Leader course, we were able to really get to know each other personally, building friendships which I believe many of us will have for years to come. The Living Leader has been a phenomenal course, which challenged us to think differently about work and everyday life. For many of us the course has been a journey of realisation; recognising the importance of authenticity, listening, responsibility, appreciation and balance in the best leaders. A huge thankyou to Emma, Christine and Tasha for the most thought-provoking couple of days, we’ve all left with exciting visions for our future and a practical toolkit of ideas make a difference for ourselves and others.
I think I mentioned mind-blowing speakers? Anne Godfrey gave us a fantastic introduction to the Chartered Institute of Marketing and insight into management’s outlook on marketers, giving us all impetus to exceed those expectations and broaden our horizons to truly succeed as leaders in the future. Simon Devonshire led an awe-inspiring session, sharing his predictions around the impact of the digital revolution on our everyday lives. It was fascinating to learn more about his colourful career path and involvement with Wayra, Telefonica’s digital accelerator.
Kevin Murray treated us to the stirring narration of his personal leadership journey from moments of crisis to his position as Chairman of the Good Relations Group. Kevin gifted us with the golden nuggets of leadership; listening loudly, respecting others, curiosity and self-belief.
Thanks also to Katherine Tulpa, who unveiled the coaches that have kindly agreed to support the scholars in 2014 and encouraged us all to think about our expectations and goals for the year ahead. Most importantly throughout the boot camp Sherilyn and Camilla really brought the journey of the Academy to life and I think most of us fully appreciated for the first time all the effort and time people have gifted to make this phenomenal opportunity possible. We all left feeling exceptionally lucky and truly inspired to make the most out of what is going to be a fantastic year!
