Environmental Essentials invests in leaders

In July, Directors and Senior Managers from Environmental Essentials spent two days in Richmond, North Yorkshire, on a leadership development course led by Neil Sheehan from ALFA Consultancy. ALFA Consultancy provides Leadership Development Courses, including indoor and outdoor practical activities, designed to help all managers and leaders develop the essential skills to influence and motivate people to achieve exceptional performance.

Course leader Neil has 40 years of hands-on leadership experience at all levels. Following a successful career in the Armed Forces, including four years teaching leadership to potential officers at the famous Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, and extensive management experience with Kier and Asda, Neil and his team of consultants deliver informative, thought-provoking and enjoyable leadership courses.

With day one focusing on the theory of leadership, and day two putting that theory into practice, the course helps leaders to “lead by example’, be clear on their values and core beliefs and identify their strengths and weaknesses through self-reflection and feedback.

Day one – delivered by Neil at Aske Hall, Richmond – focused on the theory behind leadership and also included a number of practical activities both indoors and out. The topics covered included leadership styles, communication and listening skills, accountability and developing collaborative teams.

An outdoor activity centre in Richmond was the setting for day two. A variety of activities were completed by the team with each getting a chance to lead an activity followed by an in-depth debrief with the team of leadership consultants. The aim of day two was to develop a focus on planning, direction, team building, communication and an ability to think and act quickly under pressure.

Rachel Rushton, Quality Manager, attended the course and commented:

“The leadership course was a great opportunity. I learnt a lot, not only about how to apply relevant leadership skills to my job role, but also about myself and taking a step back to truly reflect on areas that I can improve. The practical session was really useful as there are often scenarios that you think you deal with in a certain way, but it’s not until you are actually in that situation that you really appreciate how you do deal with it. The individual feedback was really constructive and it was interesting to see how each of us led our team.”

With the company continuing to develop at a fast pace, Richard Powner, Director, said: “By investing in our leaders, we are ensuring the long-term future success of our business collectively.”

James Riley, Director, said: “We are looking to put a development programme into place for all levels, which will give us the ability to identify the future leaders in our business and make sure there are the appropriate development structures in place for the long term benefit of our people, the business and its clients.”

Following the course, Neil Sheehan remarked: “It is a pleasure to work with Environmental Essentials, who have identified that the future of their business rests with leaders at all levels. I would like to thank all delegates that attended the course, who they showed that they are fully supportive of this leadership development programme and now believe that all levels of leadership should attend such courses to develop their leadership skills early to prepare them for the future.”

For more information on the courses on offer from ALFA Consultancy, which are highly recommended by Environmental Essentials, visit their website www.alfaconsultancy.co.uk.