What are companies doing with regards to 'Leadership'

Personal and professional development is a high priority at qedis. They have a fair, rigorous and development-focused performance management process; with performance feedback after each project, and formally twice a year. The Aqademy training pathway has 11 training courses, addressing the competencies junior people need to be successful. Qedis developed 4 additional courses linked to skills gaps eg Assertiveness training, BD bitesize and Advanced Core Consulting. For senior people, they have Counselling Manager and Business Development Training. They also developed a new course aimed at newly promoted Managers adapting to their increased responsibility. It is offsite and includes outdoor team building exercises linked to the learning objectives of the course. The most important course is the ‘Qedis Way', focusing on their culture and values, for new joiners. They offer GetAbstract – a tool that summarises books; Gartner, Forester, Lexus Nexus, Factiva. In the last year they ran 57 training sessions, 1040 days of training - an average of 7 days per person. They spent £174,719 on training courses, £32,951 on Knowledge Management and subscriptions; an average spend of £1,483 per person. 12/20 courses were developed and run by qedites.

Qedis's CSR programme is innovative because they donate their money, their time, business advice and take on a unique challenge, it covers 3 key events. The most significant is Challenge Q which is a physical challenge. This year it was a 24 hour global challenge where 12 qedites ran non-stop for 24 hours, 3 qedites danced solidly for 24 hours, 2 qedites played ping-pong for 24 hours and 1 qedite rowed for 24 hours. The challengers were supported by a team of qedites who stayed around the clock to encourage and cheer them on, they also invited their families and clients to the finishing line event. A team of 20 qedites spent 6 months planning the event. Qedis's partner companies around the globe also took part, one country each hour was doing a sporting activity, eg climbing, tennis, running, cycling, rowing. In total $120,000 was raised globally, in the UK they raised over £20,000 which went to their Charity of the Year (Calibre Minds), whom they also provided free business advice too. The 2nd event was their annual community day, where all their people took the day off client work, and did manual labour for 3 worthy causes. They renovated a church, community park and cemetery, painting, weeding, and clearing and funded the materials needed.

All staff have a personal objective plan and support, guidance, training is given to help the individual meet with their objectives. Principle Healthcare Limited have a Training policy in place and all staff members can request training providing sound rationale to support requests. They have a current Training Plan in place with several external trainers coming in to train staff on Time Management / Management and Leadership and also have their own Training Module Management Training Plan which covers: Management & Supervision, Motivation Theory, Time Management, Leadership Skills, Customer Service, Forecasting, Service Level Management, Mentoring Skills, Training Skills.

During the second half of 2010 the business decided that they should look to set up something that allows all employees in the business to be involved in something tangible that provides help and support to disadvantaged children. A select number of employees worked hard on developing an idea that would be significant enough to excite employees, something local to be able to get involved in and to establish something with longevity and sustainability. After much deliberation on what this could be to help unfortunate children, the team decided on the idea of providing free holidays. The idea then grew quickly into buying 2 fabulous holiday homes at the popular holiday site Haven holiday blackpool. What we then needed to work out was how we would identify the right children who would benefit. In association with North Yorkshire council children services, they established a partnership that allowed the people looking out for those children in need to nominate those children and familes in need the most. In 2011 the idea was launched as a fully registered charity called The Principle Trust and to date has been successful in raising sufficient funds to benefit 237 children. All employees are involved in one or another and contribute proudly to the fund raising effort the charity requires, and give up their free time to help and assist where possible.

Every year the Company goes on a 5 star incentive trip which is for employees who have met their objectives and performed at the very top of their game. One of the highlight events on all 5 star trips is a team helicopter ride. In May 2012, 18 staff members and Directors enjoyed a trip of a lifetime to Hong Kong. In previous years, the trips have included the Seychelles, Monaco, Barcelona, New York, Las Vegas and this year Sun City. These trips include staying in a luxury resort as well as enjoying high adrenaline activities and wonderful meals, evenings socialising and some unforgettable memories. Because it is a mix of staff, everyone has a chance to bond and get to know each other outside of a work environment. Everyone returns with their own stories, pictures, and memories. These are truly trips of a life time and the motivation to return to another 5 star trip is always high in the agenda!

Every year the Company goes on a 5 star incentive trip which is for employees who have met their objectives and performed at the very top of their game. One of the highlight events on all 5 star trips is a team helicopter ride. In May 2012, 18 staff members and Directors enjoyed a trip of a lifetime to Hong Kong. In previous years, the trips have included the Seychelles, Monaco, Barcelona, New York, Las Vegas and this year Sun City. These trips include staying in a luxury resort as well as enjoying high adrenaline activities and wonderful meals, evenings socialising and some unforgettable memories. Because it is a mix of staff, everyone has a chance to bond and get to know each other outside of a work environment. Everyone returns with their own stories, pictures, and memories. These are truly trips of a life time and the motivation to return to another 5 star trip is always high in the agenda!

Practice Plan placed an advert in a local newspaper to ask if there were any volunteering opportunities that staff could help with in the area. This resulted in being approached by Osyteers who work with the local community and promote a positive community spirit, good citizenship and believe that everyone has something to offer. After joining forces, Practice Plan have now become Associate Members of Osyteers, working together on various projects such as gardening for the elderly and community centres, painting and decorating senior citizen halls etc. Teams are made up of volunteers from across the organisation and time during work hours is made available to ensure they can attend.

Practice Plan has phased return to work policy for all staff, risk assessments, regular meetings and updates. The company also provides free fruit, a cycle to work scheme, gym memberships, flexible working and encourages people to take care of each other.

In retail Pets at Home have a structured training programme which will take colleagues from part time roles through to Store Manager and beyond! The company's success at internal promotions is very strong. Using the Area Manager population as an example, 20 out of 22 Area Managers were promoted from Store Manager. Pets at Home have the advantage of being able to offer an alternative career path to their colleagues who want to become qualified pet groomers. The company takes their retail colleagues through Pets at Home's 'Power to your Paws' programme, that gives them all of the required technical skills they need to become professional pet groomers. Pets at Home's development programmes play a vital part in the company's commercial growth, as they would not be able to continue to expand at the rapid rate they are without the internal candidates coming up through the ranks to become Store, Deputy and Assistant Managers, full time colleagues, Grooming Salon Managers and Stylists.

Each year Pets at Home hold their annual conference for the retail team. Last year the company had an Olympic theme, where they highlighted their achievements from the previous year and outlined their goals for the year ahead. Pets at Home asked their colleagues to 'Pick it Up & Pass It On' to cascade these messages back to the teams in store. The company also used the conference as an opportunity to launch their new first value of putting pets before profit. They celebrated success by awarding a 'Pet Star' award to Kate Jones, Customer and Culture Manager, for her achievements during her 15 years' service and most recently in setting up the Customer Helpdesk. The evening was rounded off by a celebration of hero's, both sporting and otherwise, which invariably lead to some interesting fancy dress outfits and a lot of dancing!

The senior management team at Panasonic UK are committed to action and listening to employee's feedback. For example, the company introduced flexible benefits in the organisation and has rolled out a performance based bonus scheme for all staff below manager level.

Panasonic UK is pursuing an ECO strategy and has an ECO ideas scheme currently in place. By 2018, the company will be the largest supplier of ECO products worldwide. Through clever design, Panasonic's products are using less energy and are able to be recycled, thus having a more positive impact on the environment.

A key element of the staff induction process is a meeting with Roy Williams, the Chief Executive of One Vision Housing. Every new starters meets with Roy and this helps to establish the culture within One Vision Housing which is open and aimed at making people feel valued from day one. Another distinctive thing about Roy is how front-facing he is. He holds regular staff briefings in which he will address all staff and update them on key information from across the business. Roy is extremely personable and approachable and there is no feeling of elitism. Roy is also careful to ensure that there is no feeling of hierarchy when it comes to him and his senior management team. He chairs the Staff Group where employees are trusted to make decisions which have an impact on the rest of the organisation. More than anything, Roy is extremely passionate about what he does. When he says that he has some of the most talented staff in the sector, staff believe it. Staff feed off his enthuiasm, trust him for his guidance and admire his candidness.

Managers implement their team action plans to support the achievement of the company goals and have team away days to set the direction of the team. Each individual in the company has actions that link to the Corporate Plan and Service Delivery plans, encouarging them to take responsibility for the achievement of these goals.

NRG is very charity focused, they have selected Maggie's Cancer Care Charity for the past four years as their charity of choice. They do not just limit their fundraising activities to Maggie's but continue throughout the year to hold dress down days supporting various charities – Children in Need, Comic Relief, Jeans for Genes etc. NRG's Chief Executive is Chair of the fundraising Board for Maggie's North East and gives her time free of charge and their staff are hugely supportive of her and have raised over £25,000 in the last four years. One of the main challenges the staff undertake is the Monster Bike and Hike which takes place annually in Fort William, Scotland. A gruelling 72 miles made up of 31 miles on a mountain bike followed by a 41 mile hike – all in 24 hours! Teams have also participated in the Three Peaks Challenge climbing the three tallest peaks in Great Britain again within 24 hours. Prior to taking part in these challenges, the teams have raised money by organising various events including: quizzes for staff and client companies raffles coffee mornings gents having various parts of their bodies waxed! NRG no longer send Christmas Cards to clients but make a donation to charity each year. Their Managing Director is also an active committee member of the Theatre Development Committee - created to develop funds for Newcastle's flagship Theatre, The Theatre Royal, to ensure community engagement activities including workshops, dance, creative groups, within the community. She is also a member of Sunderland Business Group - which is a group of private sector organisations working with the public and third sector to support children in schools through work experience.

NRG is very charity focused, they have selected Maggie's Cancer Care Charity for the past four years as their charity of choice. They do not just limit their fundraising activities to Maggie's but continue throughout the year to hold dress down days supporting various charities – Children in Need, Comic Relief, Jeans for Genes etc. NRG's Chief Executive is Chair of the fundraising Board for Maggie's North East and gives her time free of charge and their staff are hugely supportive of her and have raised over £25,000 in the last four years. One of the main challenges the staff undertake is the Monster Bike and Hike which takes place annually in Fort William, Scotland. A gruelling 72 miles made up of 31 miles on a mountain bike followed by a 41 mile hike – all in 24 hours! Teams have also participated in the Three Peaks Challenge climbing the three tallest peaks in Great Britain again within 24 hours. Prior to taking part in these challenges, the teams have raised money by organising various events including: quizzes for staff and client companies raffles coffee mornings gents having various parts of their bodies waxed! NRG no longer send Christmas Cards to clients but make a donation to charity each year. Their Managing Director is also an active committee member of the Theatre Development Committee - created to develop funds for Newcastle's flagship Theatre, The Theatre Royal, to ensure community engagement activities including workshops, dance, creative groups, within the community. She is also a member of Sunderland Business Group - which is a group of private sector organisations working with the public and third sector to support children in schools through work experience.

Staff are given the opportunity to further their knowledge by completing work related training qualifications such as NVQ certificates. E-Learning is available to staff and the organisation seeks to provide ongoing refresher training to keep knowledge up to date. New staff are given the opportunity to work shadow and staff are encouraged to share their knowledge.

Methodist Homes have an Employee Assistance Programme which all staff can access. Life assurance cover is provided to all staff with over a year's service and discounts on health care are available.

There is a very strong openness to new ideas, approaches and ways of improving the business, with very little bureaucracy or barriers to staff bringing ideas to the Senior Leadership Team and having the opportunity to try them. They conduct an internal staff survey annually, in order to get an idea of employee opinion and seek feedback in improving how they work. As a result of previous year's surveys, they have implemented many organisational changes. Most recently, in 2011 they amended their annual holiday entitlement in order to provide a more attractive package for employees, with new starters beginning on 25 days entitlement instead of the previous 20. They also introduced a company pension scheme which has seen almost a 30% take up in the past 12 months.

In 2009 they created their charitable foundation, the Mando Group Foundation and in doing so made a commitment to donate 10% of their net profit to charitable causes. They work in partnership with the Community Foundation for Merseyside, who help manage their funds; their vision is to see local community and international causes transformed through their work. The three main areas in which they invest to achieve this vision are: To enhance the education and employability of young people in Merseyside through sharing what they know best - our digital and leadership skills. To work with international charities in developing countries which is voted for annually by staff and each year the majority of their internal fundraising is done in support of this charity. At the end of the year, the final figure is then matched by the Foundation, doubling their employee's efforts and helping to make a real difference in the causes that motivate their staff.