www.pmtoday.co.uk | April 2017 7

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �On 7 March, a passionate group of project leaders gathered

by the Thames in the wonderful setting on the top floor

of the Swan at the Globe Theatre, to spend an intensive

day developing their project leadership competence. They

were there to learn from two experts in their field, Donnie

MacNicol of Team Animation and Sarah Coleman of

Business Evolution who were presenting materials from

‘Project Leadership 3rd Edition’.

Of considerable value was the learning the delegates

obtained from their peers sharing their different

perspectives and approaches. Delegates came from

defence, consulting, international development and the

transport sector.

One of the event’s unique features was the use of a

diagnostic to allow different engagement styles to be

identified in advance and play a part in the discussion

during the day (readers can complete this diagnostic

for free at www.ima-pm.co.uk). A pre-event discussion

with each delegate allowed the identification of their

personal challenges and objectives, which were then

used to structure the discussions. From the quality of

discussions and feedback received, delegates gained

considerable value from the investment in time. This will

be further enhanced through a follow-on coaching call in

a few weeks’ time, when each delegate will be updating

either Donnie or Sarah on how they are progressing in

their mission to modify critical behaviours which were

identified during the day to improve on their performance.

Topics discussed ranged from core competencies through

to how to adapt personal leadership style to the type of

project and culture of the organisation. As one delegate

commented, there was “a good balance of theory and

practice”. The event was highly interactive in nature, as

any similar event should be, with a mixture of approaches

to suit all learning styles. Another delegate commented

that there was “time to think and reflect”, whilst another

concluded that the event would “inspire me to take a

more pro-active approach to my personal development.”

“Open programmes such as this Masterclass can provide

a real opportunity to share experiences and learn from

others”, Donnie said after the event. “There are also

multiple benefits to running this type of event within an

organisation. The objectives, structure, topics and content

can be designed around the challenges which leaders face

in their organisation. This reduces the need to consider

how any learnings can be translated into their unique

organisational context and culture.”

If you believe this would be of interest to your organisation

you can make contact with Donnie or Sarah via LinkedIn.

“In addition to new client acquisition, the consultancy

will support clients from our material testing laboratory

at Wolvey, Leicestershire and also the recently acquired

CTS operation in Doncaster. We will also combine this

physical presence with the latest technology to further

improve our service to customers through the use of

CETi, our powerful analytics and testing database. The

technology provides same-day test results, allowing

projects to continue unhindered by long waits for results,

thus keeping developments on schedule and on budget.”

CET provides a complete ground risk management

service throughout the construction life-cycle, and has

particular expertise in the infrastructure and property

markets including: rail, road, harbour, utilities, commercial

and residential.