What are companies doing with regards to 'Leadership'

Due to the recent surge in interest in baking brought on by television programmes such as the Great British Bake Off, LUU decided to hold its own baking competition and ran a baking league throughout 2010-11. Each month staff were invited to submit entries under a theme and they were judged and scores awarded. The baking league was successful in engaging a whole range of budding bakers from across the organisation and had the added benefit that those who did not wish to bake could be involved as judges or just chief tasters after the formal judging had taken place. The league culminated in a Grand Afternoon Tea provided by the two winners of the league which was held at lunchtime. This excellent event was attended by a good cross section of LUU and was very enjoyable.

In summer 2011 the company held an all staff event at the University's sport facilities to promote the facilities to encourage employees to sign up for membership. The event included dodgeball, swimming, 5 a side football, climbing wall, spinning, image consultancy, and walking tours amongst other things. For the last two years the company have also run an employee baking league. This has been particularly effective for engaging their staff in something fun at work , mixing with other people and encouraging them to take a break! In previous years they have offered an employee Wellbeing Week every January. Employees can participate in a number of healthy activities during their working time to improve their health, safety and wellbeing. Free fruit is also provided during the week. The idea for the week is that they provide free of charge taster sessions that employees can then choose to continue in their own time to improve their lifestyles.

Managers operate a Business Meeting and Leadership Forum, both of which keep managers up to date with changing needs of the organisation and this commitment is reared by informal praise and internal promotions. Many groups of managers are grouped for projects which have been successful in changing how the organisation works. Managers encourage flexibility in working hours and work areas so that wherever possible the needs of individuals can be accommodated. Their friendly working policies also support the culture of the organisation and managers have discretion in applying requests for flexibility. Managers know that a strong team is created by being open about issues so that dialogue takes place to encourage early resolution. By using their appraisal system managers set objectives which are both personal and organisational. Staff are regularly seen through 1 to 1's and supervision so that they can see how their achievements fit into the business plan.

The organisation operates an open and transparent management style and their 'flat' structure allows quality communications at all levels. The Chief Executive offers free lunches to all employees three times a year when she is willing to explain and outline proposed changes to service delivery, changes that affect staff and any question which employees feel they want to ask. Since the last survey they have ensured all teams have a breakdown on the results and that they share ideas and suggestions to improve the working lives of employees. Examples have been the installation of water coolers and a tuck shop for staff.

Jewish Care is doing a piece of work called the strategy review. The aim of the project is to hear from everyone, especially staff about what they think Jewish Care should do in the future and develop a strategy. Staff know what works and what doesn't, as well as what might be missing and what else could be done. Simon Morris, the Leader, is passionate about the rights and respects that should be afforded to people less able than themselves and their ability to make a real difference to people's lives. He is a principled, kind and hardworking individual who leads by example. The complexity of leading an organisation like Jewish Care that works in so many different areas and includes 1000 staff, 2500 volunteers and has a budget of £46m a year, should not be underestimated. Simon however remains approachable, honest and down to earth. He leads the organisation in a transparent way with total commitment to the values, while staying in touch with his roots and retaining his humility, sense of humour and open-mindedness.

They organise a quarterly new staff lunch where the CEO seeks feedback and ideas from staff who have joined Jewish Care recently. There are also Ask Simon postcards where staff can get in touch with the CEO to make suggestions, give feedback or ask questions. There are also tea and chat sessions where the CEO visits care homes and community centres to chat to staff and volunteers about issues they may have. Since the last survey they have implemented many changes. They have launched their Benefits You booklet giving details of the benefits they offer to all staff, together with their 2011 Reward Statement and have communicated information about bench marked salaries. They have shared results with teams and managers and launched a new leadership award for the manager with the best ‘My Manager' scores - the winner received £500 to use towards their own career development. They are also currently planning a 'not so new' staff lunch for longer serving employees to have lunch with the CEO.

Hospiscare supports employee development best through its comprehensive Learning and Development Programme. This in-house programme offers 71 separate training opportunities between April 2011 and March 2012. These range from one hour sessions on a ‘hot topic', to essential updates to support staff in their roles, to four day courses on Bereavement and Loss. The programme is needs-led and responsive, with managers and employees regularly being consulted on their learning needs. This programme is also informed through analysis of appraisals and the training needs identified within them. Needs are responded to quickly either by provision of an in-house course if demand is great enough and there is capacity within the organisation, if the need cannot be met in-house an appropriate external course is sought.

Hospiscare supports employee development best through its comprehensive Learning and Development Programme. This in-house programme offers 71 separate training opportunities between April 2011 and March 2012. These range from one hour sessions on a ‘hot topic', to essential updates to support staff in their roles, to four day courses on Bereavement and Loss. The programme is needs-led and responsive, with managers and employees regularly being consulted on their learning needs. This programme is also informed through analysis of appraisals and the training needs identified within them. Needs are responded to quickly either by provision of an in-house course if demand is great enough and there is capacity within the organisation, if the need cannot be met in-house an appropriate external course is sought.

New starters and all colleagues have access to the Leadership Team. There is an open door style of support and there are many mechanisms to ensure colleagues feel listened to and their feedback is taken on board. Flexible working ensures and enables an equalitarian style of working which enables both formal and informal messages to be relayed and is a two-way opportunity. Their Performance Screens at each site ensure clarity and consistency of messages, incorporating competitions on the screens, sharing good news as well as updates on the balanced scorecard, health and wellbeing initiatives to ensure a consistent approach to communicating effectively. The monthly brief is an employee briefing which seeks feedback with answers to questions and comments provided the following month. They also have a staff magazine, GRAPEVINE, which includes information and competitions and involves a cross section of colleagues to ensure a mix of attractive articles for everyone.

In the last 12 months there has been the formation of a Senior Managers' Group which means there is a core group of managers responsible for key aspects such as managing attendance and working together to support the Leadership Team as well as managers and colleagues within their teams. It enables idea sharing and a cohesive approach to guiding and supporting colleagues across the Trust, as well as an additional forum for sharing ideas and listening and learning from experiences. Nick Atkin the Chief Executive is an exceptional leader who is the driving force behind the performance, direction and success of the organisation. What makes him distinctive is his approach to business, to the customers; to colleagues and to the working environment he has created. In business, he is very driven and extremely determined. He leads by example, is very well respected and strives for excellence and success. He is innovative, encourages new ideas and radical thinking and embraces change. On a personal level, he is extremely personable and supportive, accessible and takes a personal interest in all colleagues.

Winning the Scottish Award for Business Excellence, Scotland's top business award, was a tremendous achievement for GHA in 2011. The Chief Executive was keen to show all staff his recognition of their hard work that made this happen. He wrote to all staff and personally thanked them for their hard work, passion and commitment and he decided to reward staff with an extra day's holiday. His personal address and the extra day off made every member of staff feel their part in the organisation was recognised right from the top.

GHA knows face-to-face communication is the best way to get staff involved. During periods of change or when new initiatives are launching, the Chief Executive Martin Armstrong takes time out to go round local offices having face-to-face meetings with staff. He talks to them in an honest, open and inspirational way, challenging staff to give their views and listening to their feedback. Teamtalk, their internal communications strategy, ensures information is cascaded to every member of staff to facilitate team discussion sessions and staff are encouraged to give feedback to managers. They have a strong culture of listening to feedback from all surveys and external assessments, celebrating successes and putting in place improvement plans to address all issues highlighted. Their journey to deliver excellent services for their customers has been hugely influenced by survey feedback and external assessment. Staff are involved in shaping the improvements they put in place, through their teams and in joint forums.

At Cunninghame Housing Association staff are rewarded for their efforts in a variety of ways. One good example of this is the staff Christmas shopping days where all staff are given paid time off during December to do their Christmas shopping.

Their Staff SVQ programme at their Homeless Person's Project, Victoria House is an excellent example of how the Association supports employee development. They have an annual programme in place for staff going through the SVQ Level 3 in Health & Social Care and to date they have over 75% of staff through the programme which is well ahead of the completion target set by the Scottish Social Services Council. To maximise the support for staff going through this training, the Association invested in training two members of staff as SVQ Assessors this has made a tremendous improvement to the training experience for the staff taking part and it has meant that their training is more focused and minimises travel requirements and disruption to work patterns in this shift working environment.

They have introduced an annual staff awards ceremony which they call the CRAFTAs (Clyde Valley Recognition Awards for Talent and Achievement). These awards are nominated and judged by staff from all areas of the business. Awards are hosted by their staff members in a mock BAFTA ceremony and are presented to the winners. They keep it fun and light hearted, however the nominations are serious and are well received given that colleagues are nominating and judging. Categories include: Team of the Year, Inspiration Colleague and The Extra Mile Award The DAFTA in recognition of someone who has been particularly daft at some point. Last year the judging panel chose the whole staff team as winner of Team of the Year. This was in response to a number of overall achievements which they felt that everyone had contributed to. Rather than give financial prizes all staff were given a Wish Certificate which they could trade in at any point during the year. Suggestions for some trades included duvet days, having your car valeted by the Chief Executive or a team building event.

They have an extensive health and wellbeing programme. The most recent event was the Clyde Valley 10K team. One of the Leaders sought participants in order to raise funds for the chosen charity. He got nominations from all areas of the business and the company paid for entrant's fees and corporate tops. They mixed staff from all areas of the company, who through fun training sessions, became more confident and closer, resulting in improved team working. The team developed a great bond and raised a significant amount of money. The participants were all at different levels of fitness, some ran, some walked, but they all encouraged each other and waited for each other at the finish line. They had a team night out to celebrate and have committed to doing it again next year and encouraging others to join them. The running club has continued and staff now go out for a run once a week. They also did the annual health walk, have an onsite gym, carry out annual health checks for staff and provide advice on general health issues.

During the past year the CEO, Mark Molden, has held a series of workshops, incorporating all members of staff, examining and considering their organisational values and the behaviours that they want to encourage within Care for the Family that are reflective of these values. These sessions have been enormously valuable and have seen staff engaging thoughtfully and passionately with what it means, in practical terms, to live out the values of the organisation. The leader sets the tone for the rest of the organisation and empowers managers to move from being risk averse to risk taking. He is distinctive in that he shares his personal story and openly acknowledges his own weaknesses, which engenders a culture of honesty and authenticity in the organisation.

During the past year the CEO, Mark Molden, has held a series of workshops, incorporating all members of staff, examining and considering their organisational values and the behaviours that they want to encourage within Care for the Family that are reflective of these values. These sessions have been enormously valuable and have seen staff engaging thoughtfully and passionately with what it means, in practical terms, to live out the values of the organisation. The leader sets the tone for the rest of the organisation and empowers managers to move from being risk averse to risk taking. He is distinctive in that he shares his personal story and openly acknowledges his own weaknesses, which engenders a culture of honesty and authenticity in the organisation.

In addition to flexible working opportunities, ASDAN also provides Work Life Balance days for staff to compensate for overnight stays (one day per three nights away). Centrally they have also responded to interest expressed in the Staff Forum and approved a Pilates class which is now available to colleagues on site after work.

In addition to flexible working opportunities, ASDAN also provides Work Life Balance days for staff to compensate for overnight stays (one day per three nights away). Centrally they have also responded to interest expressed in the Staff Forum and approved a Pilates class which is now available to colleagues on site after work.