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If now is not the time….......

So many CEOs and senior leaders don’t know enough about technology and what it can deliver for their organisations. I know from my own time as CEO of Libraries Unlimited, I felt like I knew just about enough to shimmy through and give a good impression of someone who knew about technology! But scratch the surface and there was so much I didn’t know – about automation, AI, data analytics. You name it, there’s so much for leaders to know and so little time to gain that insight. Through my Automation Fellowship with the South West Creative Technology Network, I’ve been exploring what leaders of our arts, cultural and civic organisations know about technology and automation and what support they need to help them lead their organisations confidently around technology. Perhaps unsurprisingly, what I’ve found reflected my own experience: most CEOs and senior leaders feel they should know more and would like to know more but lack relevant opportunities to engage on the topic. As we move increasingly into an online world where, for the foreseeable future at least, being a confident and informed digital leader is absolutely essential, it’s important that we find the opportunities for senior leaders to engage and develop their skills. There are some great initiatives out there. Arts Council England’s Digital Culture Network recently launched their new website which contains a fantastic selection of online tools and resources for arts organisations. And within the South West region, the Digital Skills Partnership has been offering some brilliant Bounce Back Digital events for start ups and SMEs over the past 6 months . Cosmic, too, based here in Devon also offer some first class training programmes in digital leadership. Through my Lessons from Now commission from the South West Creative Technology Network, I’m working with James Jameson, a tech entrepreneur to explore the potential to adapt a range of existing tools and approaches to support CEOs and senior leaders to explore automation: Coaching: Coaching is a flexible approach that enables individuals to consider how they want their future to be and the goals they want to develop. We’re building a model that combines coaching with mentoring and elements of thought leadership to provide a creative and thoughtful space for CEOs to explore digital leadership and automation within their organisations Action learning: Action learning sets help colleagues and peers share and learn together, building trust and facilitating sharing of knowledge and ideas for solutions. We’re considering how action learning sets could be used in this context to support senior leaders to develop, share and collaborate. Self-help books/resources: Self-help books can be powerful platforms to inspire change. We’re exploring whether an engaging, creative approach could be taken to develop a book or resources that give leaders the insights and inspiration they need to lead well around digital. Our Lessons from Now commission is exploratory and creative – we don’t yet know whether any of these tools could help senior leaders but we’re keen to experiment and learn. James and I would love to hear from you if you’re interested in getting involved with Lessons from Now. If you’re a senior leader who is keen to explore the potential for technology and automation in your organisation, please contact us for an initial free coaching session or if you have thoughts on any of the tools outlined above and would like to share your insight, please contact us at [email protected].

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How to prioritise your leadership development (even when you’re short of time and budget)

With the overwhelming number of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) options out there, combined with the constant time and budget pressures we face, it’s easy to let your own growth as a leader fall to the bottom of the pile.

Here are my top tips for making leadership development accessible and impactful:

The DIY retreat Taking yourself away for a day or – even better - overnight to reflect can be one of the best ways to gain clarity and perspective. I’ve found a DIY retreat (ideally somewhere in nature where you’re well taken care of) much more rewarding than more formal (and expensive) retreats. Consider bringing a trusted colleague or peer for part of it, so you can mix solo reflection time with ideas-sharing. If you’ve done your own DIY retreat, I’d love to hear where you went and how you found it. You can read more about my DIY retreat earlier this year here.

Online courses If you’ve spoken to me recently, you’ve probably heard me rave about 'Erica Wolfe-Murray’s Domestika course on 'Intellectual Property for Creative Entrepreneurs'. I know, intellectual property sounds dull, but Erica makes it incredibly engaging, accessible and relevant to you, whatever your role. And at £0.99, it’s a total bargain! I’ve also been doing the ‘Time Management with Oliver Burkeman’ course on BBC Maestro – progress has stalled sadly… of course due to lack of time 😉.

The value of books With a 25 year career spent surrounded by books, it’s probably no surprise that they remain my go-to for fresh ideas and new perspectives.

More often than not, I’ve found that investing £20 in a leadership book provides better long-term value than a course or conference that can easily cost ten times that. Some of the titles high on my wish list right now include:

I know from my own experience that it’s often hard to find the headspace to read so it’s worth giving audiobooks or podcasts a go too. (Pro tip: I always try to source my books from independent shops or libraries, Bookshop.org is a great option).

If you would like a book recommendation on a personal or leadership development topic, drop me an email. I’d genuinely love to share my own recommendations as well as add to my ever-growing To Be Read list so please send me your recommendations too!

Reflection

Taking time for regular self-reflection can be a powerful yet often overlooked form of CPD. It helps you stay in tune with your goals, recognise patterns, and develop greater self-awareness - critical for senior leaders facing complex challenges. It’s a practice that I actively invest in – my Friday afternoon reviews of the week are welcome opportunities to reflect on a week that’s typically whizzed by!

My top tip? Buy yourself a beautiful notebook that’s totally separate from your work notebook and put time regularly in your diary to make it happen. Aim to make it a joy rather than a chore. If this feels too much, find a peer you like and trust and create a monthly or quarterly check in with them.

Next steps

There’s so much you can do to develop yourself. You’ve probably heard me talk before about other CPD options, including action learning and coaching – two very effective leadership development tools to add to the list above.

Don’t let time, budget constraints or overwhelm stop you from investing in your development. If you’re finding it tough to prioritise your own development, you can now book a free half hour with me to do a mini-audit of your own learning and development. It might be just what you need to kickstart your leadership development, ready for 2025!