A week ago we had an evening that we won’t be forgetting in quite a while. For the past few years we have supported Wales Week in London and this year we hosted a night at the House of Lords with Welsh rugby legend Sir Gareth Edwards CBE. We were joined by business leaders from across the country to celebrate and connect.
There’s Something On My Mind…
Rebecca Aslett, Marketing Manager, Call of the Wild
Time to Talk day might be billed as the nation’s biggest mental health conversation but not many of us have the courage to open up because talking about mental health isn’t easy, especially if you’re facing your own struggles.
Keeping the tank full: how to prevent leadership burnout
By Mark Soanes, Director, Call of the Wild
Like many of you, I’m sure, I was quite shocked to hear the announcement last week that Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s Prime Minister is stepping aside. It’s not something we hear very often from political leaders, or leaders in general. But what interested me the most was her reflection ‘I just don’t have enough in the tank’. As leaders our time is constantly in demand, the pace is fast and the decisions we make can have enormous repercussions, but how often do we stop to check in with ourselves?
How full is the tank?
There is so much talk, endlessly, nowadays about mental wellbeing, work-life balance and a high level of awareness of what stress does to our bodies. They are certainly things I’m aware of when looking at my own team, but how often do we check-in with ourselves? In all likelihood – not often enough. Jacinda’s admission is a nudge we didn’t know we needed to consider how full the tank is, are we giving ourselves enough opportunities to keep our tanks full, so that we are giving our best to our organisations.
But who has time for that?
Ah, time. The endless battle for time. Although it might sound like a self-indulgence to block out time for something other than work, it’s vital. Our MD, Geraint, and I have recently started taking a day off a week and it’s been revelatory for both of us. It’s given us an opportunity to catch up on life-admin, to spend time with family we’ve missed out on and to do the physical activity needed to refill our tanks. A whole day may not be feasible for all of us, but when was the last time you took a lunch break? When was the last time you stepped away from your emails, your meeting schedule, your constantly ringing phone and went for a walk around the block? Why not start today? Do one thing that fills up your tank and see what a difference it makes to your day, to your team and to your business.
This all harks back to our ethos at Call of the Wild, and one of the reasons we started the business 25 years ago. First look at understanding yourself. What makes you tick and can you be honest with yourself when the hard times come as inevitably they will. If you don’t first understand how you lead yourself then how are you going to be effective in leading others and the organisation?
Mark Soanes has been Director at Call of the Wild for 25 years. Find out more about the work we do to support leaders and get in touch to see how we can support you, email info@callofthewild.co.uk or call 01639 700 388.
Team building with Telesgop
Swansea-based Television production company, Telesgop joined us for a full-day team development day. The day included psychometric testing, designed to help them better understand themselves individually and as a team, we then took them through activities to help support their learning and understand how to better communicate and work effectively as a team. Their testimonial below describes why they chose to have the day and what they got out of it. Company Chair, Elin Rhys also describes her own experiences of the day.
Can Leadership Be Learnt?
Can leadership be learnt? In our view yes it can. Although you can’t change the personality of someone you can influence their preferred behaviours. So if they are put in a leadership position then the skills required to be effective can be learnt as this involves adapting behaviours of yourself and influencing the behaviours of others.
Why reflection is important
As an organisation that specialises in developing people and other organisations we regularly tell those that go through our programmes to reflect. Reflection is an incredibly powerful tool in personal and professional development. It’s also really powerful to reflect as an organisation, and that’s exactly what we’ve been doing!
After a busy summer, welcoming people back to more interactive, in-person activities, it’s been wonderful to see that continuing into October. We had a brilliant month, and here are a few of highlights we’re celebrating:
We have a brilliant team here at Call of the Wild – seeing all the positive comments we get back from people who have been through our programmes makes us so proud of the work they do. It’s amazing to see their ongoing commitment to our mission to deliver positive behavioural change with lasting results. As a team we’re passionate about creating inspirational environments for people, and therefore organisations, to grow and develop.
Here are just a snippet of the great feedback we had in October:
Making time to reflect
How regularly do you reflect as a person, a team or an organisation? It’s a brilliant exercise to do! If you have any questions about the work we do and how we can support you and your team, please get in touch.
Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
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On a day when our Prime Minister has said sorry, it got us thinking about what it is to apologise as a leader. As leaders we have big decisions to make, big responsibilities, and a workforce looking to us for guidance. But we are still human. We misjudge situations, make mistakes and we may not always have the answer. The very nature of leadership is dealing with uncertainty, so how can we be certain we’ll always pick the right approach?
Mindfulness is Transforming Leadership
In 2007 Chade-Meng Tan – Google employee #107 — launched Google’s meditation programme. The programme currently teaches 2,000 Googlers per year to meditate in order to become better leaders. Today, leading companies like Blackrock, Aetna, Ford Motor and Goldman Sachs conduct mindfulness classes for thousands of their leaders.
What is causing this shift to mindful leadership? In the stress-filled 24/7 world in which we live, leaders of all organizations need the opportunity for a “time out” period. It is their opportunity to relax, breathe deeply, de-stress and gain clarity about their work and the decisions they are facing.
Was James Bond A Team Player?
October 5th is James Bond Day – yes there is a James Bond day! 2022 also marks the 60th anniversary of the James Bond films. The first, Dr. No, was released in 1962.
The question we ask is do you consider James Bond to be a loner or a good team player?
Home-Working Productivity – Is It An Opportunity For Leaders To Grow?
The BBC reports that the results of a recent Microsoft survey are showing a huge disparity between how efficiently workers feel they work from home and managers perception of productivity. The report highlights that ‘While 87% of workers felt they worked as, or more efficiently, from home, 80% of managers disagreed.’
Why More People Are Working From Home On Fridays
The BBC 
recently published a report on the post-pandemic trend of working from home on Fridays, quoting only 13% of staff going into the office on Fridays. It got us thinking, what does this mean for staff, and team, bonding and development?
Fully Funded Level 6 Career Development Professional Qualification
We are pleased to announce we can now offer fully funded Level 6 Career Development Professional qualifications in England.
These are apprenticeships which incorporate the OCR Level 6 Diploma in Career Guidance.
Protected: JLP Managers Level 3 and 4 Apprenticeship Behaviours Programme Introduction Videos
Protected: JLP Partner Level 3 and 4 Apprenticeship Behaviours Programme Introduction Videos
Amazon Delighted With Team Building Event
We have recently designed and delivered a team building event for Amazon. The feedback received from the client was excellent.
The event was held at our training centre in the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales.
The all female group are now looking forward to their next event.
Fully Funded Places Available on City Guilds Level 4 Advice and Guidance Course
We still have the last remaining free places available on this nationally recognised City and Guilds Level 4 in Advice and Guidance in Wales.
These places taken taken quickly given they are fully funded by the Welsh Government and don’t cost you anything.
Get in touch today for more information before all places are taken for 2022
Proud To Help South Wales Police Invest In Future Leaders
South Wales Police are currently working with us, here at Call of the Wild, on a series of innovative, online and in-person training courses, as it invests in its senior staff and future leaders.
The police force has already put several its most promising future leaders through an extensive training programme with us, with a final follow-up day scheduled, in which they will review how they are putting the training into practice.
Are You Struggling To Embrace Hybrid Working?
The world has changed for many of us. The new working day is now largely based on a more flexible and hybrid approach.
Of course, there are many benefits to returning to the office; collaborative working, face-to-face discussion and shared learning but the days of feeling the need to micromanage have certainly long gone even if Cabinet Minister Jacob Rees-Mogg doesn’t agree.
Mental Health Preparation for 2022
The past two years of uncertainty and worry during the pandemic have been a challenge for many, with studies showing that the mental health effects of the ongoing lockdowns, isolation and loss will be felt for many years to come.
With homeworking becoming the norm for many employees, there’s a variety of mental health concerns to consider when preparing for 2022.
Wales Week London Event – Evening of Business , Sport & Music
We’d like to invite you to our Wales Week London event – An Evening of Business, Sport and Music. A look at leadership through the prism of sport and business.
A question and answer format with a panel of experts followed by a performance with the outstanding singer songwriter Bronwen Lewis.
Not only Bronwen but he ‘Miracle Man Who Reformed Rugby’.
Learning Culture: Why Risk Taking And Failure Are Essential To Progress
Being afraid of failure is suppressing innovation. Organisations must accept that an element of risk is essential to adopting a learning culture.
The #Fail has become a label that no one wants to be associated with. Today, with social media following us around, #Winning is what we are all striving for!
Merry Christmas to You
Can we take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Let’s hope 2022 is going to be a more stable and consistent year than the preceding two!
Bring on 2022!
Key Trends Within The Workplace For 2022
The last two years has changed everything. From businesses, to leaders, to employees. However, one thing has shifted. Organisations are now focusing on people instead of profit and ”we” instead of ”me”. An organisation is only as good as the people it employs.
The businesses that want to thrive in 2022 will need to respond to the new dynamic and make work, work for everyone.