Useful Information
Olympian Adrian Moorhouse shares top tips for resilient leadership in business
Introduced by Jason Atkinson
At an evening reception held at London’s East India Club on 11 October, our guest speaker, Olympic gold medallist and co-founder of Lane4 Adrian Moorhouse revealed why resilient leadership is needed in UK business today. He also shared his top tips on how leaders can develop the art of resilience and mental toughness.
Adrian drew on his own experiences at the LA Olympics in 1984, where although tipped to win a gold medal, he finished fourth and felt like a failure. He said that he overcame these negative feelings with the help of an inspirational coach who became his leadership role model.
His coach not only believed in his potential, he fostered his self belief and helped him look at situations in entirely new ways. An example of this was Adrian coming fourth in LA, his coach helped him focus on the positive aspects - he was actually the number one ranked swimmer in Europe which was a fantastic achievement.
The coach helped Adrian develop his mental toughness.This included helping him handle high pressure situations better, increasing his motivation and self belief and developing his focus. He pointed out that these are characteristics needed by leaders today faced with major challenges including change and transition, difficult market conditions and low employee morale and engagement. Adrian stressed that courageous communication is needed by today’s leaders and that involves making bold decisions, setting and sharing big goals, giving people ownership of projects, giving tough feedback where necessary and not being afraid of rejection or not being liked. And, he said that if a leader is totally authentic and their true selves then they will take people with them.
His own experience working with his leadership role model paid off. In 1987, Adrian became the first person to swim 100m breaststroke in less than a minute in 1987 and winning a gold medal in the 100m breaststroke at the Seoul Olympics in 1988.
Charles Russam, Chairman of Russam GMS commented, “Many companies are struggling at the moment however, those with the most effective and resilient leaders will fare better than others. There is a common misconception that leadership only applies to one person at the top in business, but in reality leadership applies to everyone.
“We were delighted that Adrian shared his personal experiences and insight into resilience with us and interestingly, a major part of his journey was changing his mind set. This is what all business leaders need to do right now. We are placing top level interims into companies to work with CEOs to help them address their challenges in different ways; very often they are showing them how to innovate, introduce new ways of working and crucially, become more optimistic.”
Adrian’s top tips for resilient leadership are:
Biography: Adrian Moorhouse
Introduced by Jason Atkinson At an evening reception held at London’s East India Club on 11 October, our guest speaker, Olympic gold medallist and co-founder of Lane4 Adrian Moorhouse revealed why resilient leadership is needed in UK business today. He also shared his top tips on how leaders can develop the art of resilience and mental toughness.
Adrian drew on his own experiences at the LA Olympics in 1984, where although tipped to win a gold medal, he finished fourth and felt like a failure. He said that he overcame these negative feelings with the help of an inspirational coach who became his leadership role model.
His coach not only believed in his potential, he fostered his self belief and helped him look at situations in entirely new ways. An example of this was Adrian coming fourth in LA, his coach helped him focus on the positive aspects - he was actually the number one ranked swimmer in Europe which was a fantastic achievement.
The coach helped Adrian develop his mental toughness.This included helping him handle high pressure situations better, increasing his motivation and self belief and developing his focus. He pointed out that these are characteristics needed by leaders today faced with major challenges including change and transition, difficult market conditions and low employee morale and engagement. Adrian stressed that courageous communication is needed by today’s leaders and that involves making bold decisions, setting and sharing big goals, giving people ownership of projects, giving tough feedback where necessary and not being afraid of rejection or not being liked. And, he said that if a leader is totally authentic and their true selves then they will take people with them.
His own experience working with his leadership role model paid off. In 1987, Adrian became the first person to swim 100m breaststroke in less than a minute in 1987 and winning a gold medal in the 100m breaststroke at the Seoul Olympics in 1988.
Charles Russam, Chairman of Russam GMS commented, “Many companies are struggling at the moment however, those with the most effective and resilient leaders will fare better than others. There is a common misconception that leadership only applies to one person at the top in business, but in reality leadership applies to everyone.
“We were delighted that Adrian shared his personal experiences and insight into resilience with us and interestingly, a major part of his journey was changing his mind set. This is what all business leaders need to do right now. We are placing top level interims into companies to work with CEOs to help them address their challenges in different ways; very often they are showing them how to innovate, introduce new ways of working and crucially, become more optimistic.”
Adrian’s top tips for resilient leadership are:
| • Learn to recognise pressure as a positive • Bounce back from setbacks with renewed focus and effort • Channel your energy into things that you can control • Recognise your skills and abilities • Focusing on internal motivators will increase satisfaction and improve performance • Set short-term goals to achieve your long term vision • Heed and learn from constructive criticism • Build confidence by focusing on the positives • Be passionate about your goals and truly believe you can achieve them • Always make time for restoration |
Biography: Adrian Moorhouse
| Adrian Moorhouse is the co-founder and Managing Director of Lane4. He won an Olympic Gold medal in swimming at the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988 and was world number one in his event for six consecutive years. A specialist in the fields of leadership development, organisational change and senior team facilitation, Adrian’s approach to people development is shaped by both reaching his own sporting potential through coaching and developing Lane4 into an international organisation over the last 16 years. In 2007 and 2009, Adrian was voted ‘Best Leader’ in ‘The Sunday Times 100 Best Small Companies to Work For’ list. In 2010 he was also listed as one of HR Magazine’s top 30 most influential HR practitioners in the UK. |
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| Adrian’s work in the field of international sport is still ongoing as a Team GB 2012 Ambassador and swimming commentator for the BBC. Links: Adrian's Slide Presentation |
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Russam GMS's Annual Event For Charity Leaders
Charity Commissioner urges self-reliance and positivity in charity sector at Russam GMS event
Sam Younger, the CEO of the Charity Commission, was the guest speaker at Russam GMS's annual event for charity leaders at the Lanesborough Hotel in London on 17th May and explained the regulator's new focus in light of the recent funding cuts. The event was attended by over 80 senior charity executives from a range of UK organisations.
Mike Whitlam, a specialist advisor to the Charities and Not for Profit practice at Russam GMS, introduced Sam and explained their personal connection. Sam had succeeded Mike as CEO at Red Cross and had been in charge of the BBC World Service at a time when Mike was negotiating the release of the British hostage Ian Richter from Abu Ghraib after the Gulf War in 1991. Mike explained that hearing snippets of World Service broadcasts had kept Ian going during the toughest times in his captivity. Sam explained that just two weeks into his new job at the Charity Commission a 33% reduction in commission funding had been announced. However, he had disagreed with friends and family who told him he must be crazy taking on the role. He said that whilst funding is the biggest challenge facing the sector, it had never been so powerful with all the political parties in agreement about its importance.
He also said that the 'victim like' attitude being adopted by some in the sector wasn't helpful and the focus needs to be on 'the glass being half full,' with organisations looking at what can, rather than what can't be done.
He admitted however, there will be changes ahead in the way the Commission operates as a result of the funding cuts. The Commission will no longer 'hand hold' individual organisations and greater self reliance from charities will be expected. To support these changes, the Commission will create user-friendly tools for charities, publish more guidance on its website and partner with organisations that can provide additional support services.
Sam believes the future of the sector lies in collaboration and even mergers between organisations. He also stressed that the cuts wouldn't affect the way the Commission operates - it will remain focused on regulating charities of all sizes to ensure the public is protected and its best interests served.
Ian Joseph, Practice Director at Russam GMS said, "These are unprecedented times for the sector and the Charity Commission. Sam seems to really understand some of the challenges we face and his positive and constructive attitude is both reassuring and inspiring."
Top left image above, from left: Mike Whitlam CBE, Special Advisor, Russam GMS. Sam Younger CBE, Chief Executive, Charity Commission. Stephen Brooker, Chair Charities & Not for Profit & Healthcare, Russam GMS. Ian Joseph, Practice Director Charities & Not for Profit, Russam GMS
Sam Younger, the CEO of the Charity Commission, was the guest speaker at Russam GMS's annual event for charity leaders at the Lanesborough Hotel in London on 17th May and explained the regulator's new focus in light of the recent funding cuts. The event was attended by over 80 senior charity executives from a range of UK organisations.
Mike Whitlam, a specialist advisor to the Charities and Not for Profit practice at Russam GMS, introduced Sam and explained their personal connection. Sam had succeeded Mike as CEO at Red Cross and had been in charge of the BBC World Service at a time when Mike was negotiating the release of the British hostage Ian Richter from Abu Ghraib after the Gulf War in 1991. Mike explained that hearing snippets of World Service broadcasts had kept Ian going during the toughest times in his captivity. Sam explained that just two weeks into his new job at the Charity Commission a 33% reduction in commission funding had been announced. However, he had disagreed with friends and family who told him he must be crazy taking on the role. He said that whilst funding is the biggest challenge facing the sector, it had never been so powerful with all the political parties in agreement about its importance.
He also said that the 'victim like' attitude being adopted by some in the sector wasn't helpful and the focus needs to be on 'the glass being half full,' with organisations looking at what can, rather than what can't be done.
He admitted however, there will be changes ahead in the way the Commission operates as a result of the funding cuts. The Commission will no longer 'hand hold' individual organisations and greater self reliance from charities will be expected. To support these changes, the Commission will create user-friendly tools for charities, publish more guidance on its website and partner with organisations that can provide additional support services.
Sam believes the future of the sector lies in collaboration and even mergers between organisations. He also stressed that the cuts wouldn't affect the way the Commission operates - it will remain focused on regulating charities of all sizes to ensure the public is protected and its best interests served.
Ian Joseph, Practice Director at Russam GMS said, "These are unprecedented times for the sector and the Charity Commission. Sam seems to really understand some of the challenges we face and his positive and constructive attitude is both reassuring and inspiring."
Top left image above, from left: Mike Whitlam CBE, Special Advisor, Russam GMS. Sam Younger CBE, Chief Executive, Charity Commission. Stephen Brooker, Chair Charities & Not for Profit & Healthcare, Russam GMS. Ian Joseph, Practice Director Charities & Not for Profit, Russam GMS Ian Joseph, Head of Not for Profit, Russam GMS
On Thursday 24th March we held our 'morning after the budget' breakfast at London's Athenaeum club. 15 top Chief Executives from the Charities Aid Foundation, WRVS, Mencap, Leonard Cheshire, The Scout Association, BTCV and others attended the event to deliver their verdict on the budget.
The consensus was that it was a 'watershed' budget because of its strong focus on the charity sector; that the government had listened to the sector finally and is clearly serious about promoting its Big Society.
We debated the main measures announced by the government. We were in general agreement that true to his word, the Chancellor had introduced "a series of substantial reforms that will support giving, from the largest donations to the coins collected in the charity bucket." It was also felt that some of new measures will simplify and improve charitable donations, at a time they are needed most.
Notably, the long overdue reform of Gift Aid will boost charity coffers. Currently £750m of gift aid is unclaimed, and the introduction of an online filing system by 2013 will play a big part in reclaiming these lost funds. Red tape will be reduced too with no form filling for donations of up to £5000. We were buoyed further by the rise in Gift Aid limits from £500 to £2500 from April 2011, and the tax relief announced for people giving 10% of their estate to charity. We welcomed the news too that the allowance for passenger payments currently in place for business employees, at 5p per passenger mile will be extended to volunteers.
We can't remember a time when the charity sector had such presence in the budget. However, it was also noted that missing from the budget was any update on the cuts at a local level which will affect the sector which meant that uncertainty still overshadowed this 'good news' budget.
On Thursday 24th March we held our 'morning after the budget' breakfast at London's Athenaeum club. 15 top Chief Executives from the Charities Aid Foundation, WRVS, Mencap, Leonard Cheshire, The Scout Association, BTCV and others attended the event to deliver their verdict on the budget.
The consensus was that it was a 'watershed' budget because of its strong focus on the charity sector; that the government had listened to the sector finally and is clearly serious about promoting its Big Society.
We debated the main measures announced by the government. We were in general agreement that true to his word, the Chancellor had introduced "a series of substantial reforms that will support giving, from the largest donations to the coins collected in the charity bucket." It was also felt that some of new measures will simplify and improve charitable donations, at a time they are needed most.
Notably, the long overdue reform of Gift Aid will boost charity coffers. Currently £750m of gift aid is unclaimed, and the introduction of an online filing system by 2013 will play a big part in reclaiming these lost funds. Red tape will be reduced too with no form filling for donations of up to £5000. We were buoyed further by the rise in Gift Aid limits from £500 to £2500 from April 2011, and the tax relief announced for people giving 10% of their estate to charity. We welcomed the news too that the allowance for passenger payments currently in place for business employees, at 5p per passenger mile will be extended to volunteers.
We can't remember a time when the charity sector had such presence in the budget. However, it was also noted that missing from the budget was any update on the cuts at a local level which will affect the sector which meant that uncertainty still overshadowed this 'good news' budget.
