That’s why we launched the Young Million campaign – not necessarily to find employment for these young people (there are many excellent initiatives that exist to do this), but to provide them with the development opportunities they might have had were they in work so that if, or hopefully when, they find a job they are not behind the game. I can’t help but go back to those days when I was desperately trying to get a foot on the employment ladder but struggled, despite an Oxbridge degree; and that was at a time when the economy was buoyant and had record low rates of unemployment. I wish there had been a Young Million course then to give me a leg up!

I am truly delighted to see how fantastic the response has been from our alumni to the Young Million idea. From all across the UK, time, space and money have been donated to get these workshops off the ground. Against the backdrop of these statistics it is so inspiring to see how much the ‘more established’ leaders care about helping these young people to enter the labour market. As one Common Purpose graduate (an ex-investment banker) said to me the other day, “we have to do our bit to ensure that the talent of the next generation isn’t lost entirely”.

It is heartening to see that the workshops are working on so many levels. As well as developing their leadership skills and having the opportunity to meet and get CV and interview tips from local employers, participants tell us they are getting a huge boost in self-confidence and gaining a peer support group, both of which keeps them motivated through difficult times. One participant in the North East, a university graduate, told me yesterday that the course was the most motivating and useful thing she had ever done!

So we will continue to offer workshops across the UK and hope that people and organisations will continue to be as involved as they have been. But I worry about this dangerous skills and development gap that is continuing to grow. It was great to see our Young Million campaign highlighted on the BBC News yesterday, on TV, the BBC website and radio – I hope this will encourage other organisations to find their own ways to bring such issues to the fore and bridge that gap.

This post was written by Adirupa Sengupta, Chief Executive, Common Purpose UK.

Common Purpose

Common Purpose gives leaders the inspiration, the knowledge and the connections they need to produce real change. Through our unique leadership development courses, a growing number of people around the world are making a difference in the industries and places where they work, in the communities where they live and in wider society.

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At a recent dinner I sat next to a delightful, intelligent and well-respected journalist who told me that all public schoolboys (and by extension girls) were fools and should not be allowed to stand for Parliament. Further down the table someone was explaining that ALL bankers are by definition evil. And to my left someone was discussing Zimbabwe claiming that the entrepreneurial spirit had left the country with the whites.

The thing about bias is that by definition we all think we are unbiased. I am no exception. No judgement I have ever made has been tainted by the spectre of bias, of pre-judgement, of personal desires, of inherited or environmental predispositions, of anything but the simple, clear-headed application of logic and common sense.

It could, of course, be that bias is a good thing in leaders. Another word for bias might be vision. Or ideology. Or single-mindedness. The ability to believe in something is a huge attribute of leaders, and yet frequently that belief is based on no more than a hunch, a gut feeling – in other words, bias.

The trick is to know when to switch off the bias and look at an issue squarely with intellect, not prejudice. That requires self-knowledge. I don’t suppose I have it.

Written by Richard Charkin, Common Purpose UK Trustee and Executive Director at Bloomsbury Publishing.

Common Purpose

Common Purpose gives leaders the inspiration, the knowledge and the connections they need to produce real change. Through our unique leadership development courses, a growing number of people around the world are making a difference in the industries and places where they work, in the communities where they live and in wider society.

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And then there are Steve and Apple: a leader and a company not afraid to take the long view, patiently building the way to the future envisioned for the company. Not afraid to invent the future and to be wrong. And almost always willing to do one small thing — cannibalize itself. Under Steve, Apple was happy to see the iPhone kill the iPod and iPad kill the MacBook. He understands that you don’t walk into the future by looking back. If you do, you trip over yourself and break your nose. Just look at Hewlett-Packard, and you know what I am talking about

Extract of article taken from: Gigaom.

Common Purpose

Common Purpose gives leaders the inspiration, the knowledge and the connections they need to produce real change. Through our unique leadership development courses, a growing number of people around the world are making a difference in the industries and places where they work, in the communities where they live and in wider society.

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The response to our Young Million campaign has been staggering at every level. We have six courses ready to go,  Bolton (18, 20 & 27 July 2011), Manchester (21, 26 & 28 July 2011), London (3, 11 & 16 August 2011), Tees (9, 18 & 23 August 2011), Cumbria (10, 11 & 17 August 2011) and Newcastle (14,15 & 20 September 2011) and we have funding for more. This can give some of our young unemployed people in the UK the chance to get the leadership development that potential employers are looking for.

At least by getting the young person I met in Edinburgh onto a Young Million course she can move on with her leadership development, ready for when that much wanted first job comes along. The course can also provide her with some inspiration as to how she can be a more active leader in society as well as creating a support group of other young people who are in the same position. Despite the staggering numbers of unemployed it is easy to feel isolated and that you have to keep a positive approach – so it’s good to meet others that you can share your frustrations with but also that you can be inspired by.

We have applications beginning to come in for the 50 places on each course – please pass the message on to any young person, between 18 and 25 who is unemployed and not in full time education because we are eager to run as many courses as we have funding, applications and Common Purpose alumni offering their time and support for.

Our contributors have offered their time for this course because they want to ensure that we don’t suffer from the mistakes of previous recessions where we have “lost” a generation. If you would like to contribute in any way to our campaign please visit our website http://youngmillion.commonpurpose.org.uk or email us at youngmillion@commonpurpose.org.uk.

This post is written by Caroline Duckworth, Managing Director, Common Purpose UK.

Common Purpose

Common Purpose gives leaders the inspiration, the knowledge and the connections they need to produce real change. Through our unique leadership development courses, a growing number of people around the world are making a difference in the industries and places where they work, in the communities where they live and in wider society.

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At the outset, I completely buy into the “serve to lead model” concept (incidentally the Sandhurst Military Academy motto) which for me encapsulates “leadership”; therefore it is the essence of ‘serving others’ that is at very core of my thinking. So who are the others that we should be serving?
1. Customers
2. Employees
3. Shareholders
4. The Community

The most elementary lesson that entrepreneurs learn at a very early stage of the development of their business is that the “customer” is king. When they set out on their journey, they have no “brand” to attract customers to work with them. They therefore know that they have to be considerably better than any of their competitors to win business. They are completely at their mercy and learn to serve their customers. This appreciation of the customer’s strength in determining whether the business will be successful or not, dictates its’ very strategy and implementation. Any worthwhile leader in a corporate business will view his/her customers as a key “stakeholder” but in some way their importance is dependent upon their market share, their intellectual property or even their technology. In many cases they struggle conceptually to serve their customers, but instead they perform a service for their customers largely on their terms!

The first employees in any entrepreneurial business are treated like family members. Typically the business is financially unstable, and therefore the entrepreneur relies very heavily upon achieving a high level of commitment from his/her employees such that they can create a value proposition sufficient to win business against brand named competitors. Likewise any worthwhile leader in a corporate business will again view his/her employees as a key “stakeholder”, however, an employee’s importance is in some way dependent upon the type of business; professional service company, capital intensive company, market position or brand strength etc. But due to hierarchical structures within organisations, and therefore the relative importance of employees at lower levels, corporate businesses struggle with the serve to lead model as their mentality generally revolves around the notion that the employees are there for the benefit of their manager/executive. It is therefore no surprise that family businesses, which are typically the product of an entrepreneur, are known to provide a more holistic environment and focus on serving their employees.

The first shareholders within an entrepreneurial business are the entrepreneurs. They typically manage their business in a financially conservative manner, fully respecting the stresses and implications of failure. This results in the demonstration of significantly different behaviors between the two camps.
Some examples, focusing upon the entrepreneur, would be that they tend to:
1. Put in place conservative rather than aggressive accounting policies therefore reducing profits rather than disclosing potentially high false profitability
2. Typically maintain a higher level of retained earnings within the business rather than distribute dividends
3. Be less likely to burden the business with debt, when considering their expansion plans, unless they are very confident in the ultimate success of the business or have an exit strategy for the asset
4. Be totally aligned with the interests of the shareholders in any financial reconstruction or requirement for liquidation
The above characteristics ensure that the entrepreneur is able to serve each of his shareholders in a more appropriate and reasonable manner.

Entrepreneurs see their businesses from their commencement as being part of the community, through their serving typically local customers, employing local people and living within a local community. It is only eventually that they are able to take their business outside their originating locality, but this same sense of community continues to pervade their businesses. Given this, why would an entrepreneur therefore develop a product or service which does not meet the needs of his community? Furthermore I have the perception, that more entrepreneurs than corporate leaders become philanthropists, thereby further helping their community later on down the line.

In addition, in achieving or trying to achieve the above, there are marked behavioural differences between entrepreneurs and corporate leaders:
1. Entrepreneurs take total ownership of the task at hand/business (not through shareholding) but through a desire to have a successful outcome for all stakeholders
2. An entrepreneur’s personal commitment can be all encompassing in their lives
3. Entrepreneurs are deeply passionate about their customers
4. Entrepreneurs are deeply passionate about their employees
5. Entrepreneurs wish to build something that can be passed onto their next generation and thus do not view the experience as a transient one
6. Entrepreneurs are happy to sacrifice personal income to ensure that the business succeeds
So what makes an entrepreneur wish to take this journey instead of possibly becoming a corporate leader? Malcolm Gladwell, in his book ‘The Outliers’, discusses the notion of one searching for and achieving ‘meaningful work’; work that is complex, autonomous and has a direct relationship between effort and reward. In short, I believe it is his/her quest for this meaningful work that leads him/her down this route.

Written by Tony Bury, serial entrepreneur and Founder of The Mowgli Foundation a not-for-profit organisation focused upon the mentoring of business and social entrepreneurs to create economic regeneration.

Common Purpose

Common Purpose gives leaders the inspiration, the knowledge and the connections they need to produce real change. Through our unique leadership development courses, a growing number of people around the world are making a difference in the industries and places where they work, in the communities where they live and in wider society.

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Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a term that’s been thrown around for a few years. Some leaders get it. The majority don’t. Yet the economy is crying out for a new era of ethical leadership.

I believe leaders can become change champions when they marry the challenges faced by local communities and the developing world; with the increasing number of employees wanting to invest their time – and their career – in organisations that have a social and moral conscience. No longer are talented individuals simply looking to work their fingers to the bone and burn themselves out for leaders who are geared towards making as much profit as possible to line the pockets of the wealthy few; the board, stakeholders and shareholders.

Employees are now seeking out employers who feed their soul and make them feel proud to stand tall in their career. They want a job that gives meaning to their life.

Leaders need to open their eyes to the world of possibilities CSR provides, where they can really link employee engagement and performance management to their vision, and ultimately, positively impact their bottom line. A healthier engaged workforce, high retention and low sickness and absence rates saves vast amounts of revenue and even fuels profit because staff productivity increases. Leaders would be foolish to ignore the longer term benefits of CSR.

Who does it well? Turner Broadcasting

You only have to look at the likes of Turner Broadcasting, which empowers its staff to take part in all sorts of volunteering projects. They see the effect it has on employee morale: no one wants to leave Turner.

Employees at Turner are given the opportunity to change peoples’ lives and make a real difference within their own community or within a third world country. The organisation is not seen as a corporate machine, but as a force for good and a company with a heart.

Partnering with social enterprise

Leaders need to investigate which social enterprises in their area they could lend their support to, which charities they could get involved with, and how they can open up new doors for their employees to engage with new partners – where they can bring social benefit, and to also further their own career by learning new skills while broadening their minds at the same time. Making a difference is rewarding but can also be a life changing experience for both employee and the person or community they are helping.

Most importantly, leaders can construct their organisation to be built on a moral code that taps into the various passions of its employees and where leaders can demonstrate their value and willingness to help address some of the wider societal issues; such as tackling poverty, providing hope to others in need – ethics that everyone can buy into and share. This creates a happy, motivated and loyal workforce while also giving back – everyone has purpose. If every leader of an SME through to a large organisation embraced corporate social responsibility, think of how much good work could be achieved and how many lives improved. We would be a richer world in terms of spreading goodwill and humankind. Following the catastrophe of the banking crisis and MP expenses scandals, the time has come for change. It’s here, it’s now.

Common Purpose

Common Purpose gives leaders the inspiration, the knowledge and the connections they need to produce real change. Through our unique leadership development courses, a growing number of people around the world are making a difference in the industries and places where they work, in the communities where they live and in wider society.

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And since today is Valentine’s Day, what better way to kick off than with a blog on the topic of “What should leaders look for in a husband, wife or partner?” written by Chris Mathias, Founder, Arbor Ventures.

Hitler – I wonder what he saw in Eva Braun? Some other big names leap to mind – Jesus, Mahatma Gandhi, Prophet Mohammad, Nelson Mandela. And really, truly, I do not think of wives when I think of these people. Winnie does of course exist. Funny, though – I am sure that at their time all these leaders were considered hugely subversive. The other subversives – Che Guevara, Marx, Mao – I do not think they had much in the way of partners or support from hidden quarters. I was thinking of Mao and the stories of his thousand mile march – and there is not a memory of a wife in my synapses. And then I notice – they are all men – where are the women and their husbands? Emily Pankhurst, Mother Theresa, Maggie Thatcher (sorry Dennis), Boadicea.

I am starting to think that leaders who are truly exceptional may not have room in their lives for a partner at all. Perhaps to lead in this way requires a kind of single minded mono mania. A laser like focusing of energy, thought, commitment and self? Maybe this is true of all world class performers – athletes too? Will we now see the end of Federer as his family starts to grow? As we did with Agassi? Maybe to be a leader at that level leaves no room for anything else. Only the cause – or whatever the single motivator may be – and I am sure that it too may change over time. So many of the African freedom fighters who lead their people out of colonial rule ended up simply clinging onto power for its own sake. The cause may change but there is only room for the cause.

But what does that mean for the 99.99% recurring of the rest of humanity? Mere ordinary mortals – leaders like us? Who do not want to show people the only true way, who do not wish to lead Germany to her natural place in the Third Reich or who do not have a single and overwhelming desire to overcome the injustice of colonialism/capitalism/chauvinism (delete as appropriate) – what should we look for in a husband, wife or partner? I know my answer – someone who makes you happy. Who makes the sun shine a bit brighter (when it is shining) and the rain a fun thing in which to play – good for the grass too.

Easy really – find someone who makes the sun shine brighter and the grass grow greener and then make them your partner, wife or husband.

Common Purpose

Common Purpose gives leaders the inspiration, the knowledge and the connections they need to produce real change. Through our unique leadership development courses, a growing number of people around the world are making a difference in the industries and places where they work, in the communities where they live and in wider society.

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We were a bunch of strangers from very mixed backgrounds and we were still being very polite on our first morning. We were given a few ‘conventions‘ that Common Purpose has evolved to guide fruitful discussion – and then were plopped into exercise number one.

And what a first exercise that was. From a fat envelope we were dealt a pile of cards carrying polarized statements on issues of all sorts – ‘The disabilities commissioner must be disabled themselves’ or ‘Prisoners who take drugs should be forced to go cold turkey’ or ‘competition is the best mechanism for a functional society’. On any statement where members of our group disagreed, our job was to discuss and then reach consensus – or not.

In seconds I found myself in vigorous debate. I started out with only vague leanings on some of these subjects, yet soon found myself being a strong advocate, expressing clear views. I was going head to head against a mild English stranger and a soft spoken Indian. Was it ok to be in conflict like this? it was edgy and – because the conventions made debate safe – it was fun.

The passion in our little group was huge. We heard each other out completely, following the conventions which told us to ‘hear views we may not normally wish to hear – and be willing to learn something from them’ and ‘when views are articulated bluntly or clumsily to suspend instant judgment and enter into constructive discussion on them’. In one case a piece of information I didn’t know changed my mind; on another question, a powerful story from the Bangalore slums totally shifted my position. It was strangely liberating to be disagreeing vocally with strangers, and to hold or shift my ground knowing any outcome was fine.

By the end of half an hour like this, we’d had an invigorating intellectual workout and stretched our perspectives. But way more importantly, six strangers knew a great deal about one anothers’ values, life experiences and temperament under challenge. We could tackle any question together now and have a full blooded rich discussion to get to an answer that we didn’t have before.

Let’s hope the rest of our day is that powerful.

Common Purpose

Common Purpose gives leaders the inspiration, the knowledge and the connections they need to produce real change. Through our unique leadership development courses, a growing number of people around the world are making a difference in the industries and places where they work, in the communities where they live and in wider society.

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William Hague’s speech this week at the Asian Financial Forum in Hong Kong resonated with our experience of putting together our new initiative called Dishaa.

In his speech, Hague stresses the importance of British and Asian businesses seeking one another out as business partners of the future. If the phenomenal response from organisations in the UK keen to have their young talent engage with their peers in India through Dishaa is any indication, we couldn’t agree more. The need to understand how business works, to build personal relationships and networks is well understood, and whilst commentators might say that the East has stopped looking to the West, the number of applicants from all three sectors in India suggests otherwise.

Prospective participants in Dishaa were asked why they wanted to get involved and the answers from both countries were the same:

• To learn from each other
• To share what they know
• That the history between the two countries has led to both a familiarity and a curiosity, and a need to scratch below the surface to uncover the similarities and differences
• To see what can be transferred, built on and developed for the betterment of both countries – in the case of the Dishaa challenge for 2011, with respect to low cost healthcare)

To quote from William Hague’s speech:

“those who look ahead to foresee changing and emerging prospects and to act upon them, are the ones that prosper”

With the inaugural Dishaa initiative taking place in India at the end of January, we are very excited to see how the opportunity to learn, create and innovate together will impact on the capacity of the participants to work across the East and West in the future, both in the long and short term.

Common Purpose

Common Purpose gives leaders the inspiration, the knowledge and the connections they need to produce real change. Through our unique leadership development courses, a growing number of people around the world are making a difference in the industries and places where they work, in the communities where they live and in wider society.

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What qualities do future leaders need? Young leaders at Generation Infinity

This week Common Purpose Scotland ran a Generation Infinity for 110 participants of all ages. The theme of the day was about inspiring leadership across generations.

During the day, participants heard from a variety of speakers, including

• Tam Baillie, Scotland Commissioner for Children & Young People
• Mike Stevenson, Managing Director @Thinktastic
• Janis Marshall, Youth Arts Co-ordinator @ImpactArts

Youth participants also had the opportunity to take the floor and talk about what they want for Glasgow, Scotland and how people can support them in their leadership development. The whole day incorporated multi-media presentations, text opinion polls and of course, Twitter conversations around #gener8. http://twitter.com/search?q=%23gener8

The highlight of the day was a balloon debate about intergenerational learning and how to support connections between leaders of all ages. Participants were tasked with coming up with three action points to support intergenerational learning. There were loads of insightful points raised, including:

• Young people want ‘real life’ examples of leaders – not just the famous ones. They want to work alongside real and inspiring people.
• Young people looking for more opportunities to lead, connect with others, and work inter-generationally. They want to learn from others challenges.
• Young people felt there was a big issue around trust. They want to be trusted to take risks when running projects, to have their say and be heard.
• Young people want more direct access to senior leaders across sectors.
• Young people want current leaders to demonstrate more action and talk less about what they will do. Senior leaders need to follow through on their promises.
• Leadership development events break down negative perceptions of age on both sides, with one mentor commenting: “I came away with a far more positive view about the contribution of the upcoming generation”.

What would your action points be? What intergenerational learning has had an impact on you? We’d love to keep the conversation going!

View more images from Common Purposes event at Flickr.

Common Purpose

Common Purpose gives leaders the inspiration, the knowledge and the connections they need to produce real change. Through our unique leadership development courses, a growing number of people around the world are making a difference in the industries and places where they work, in the communities where they live and in wider society.

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