Step returns to The Global Leadership Summit

Last Thursday, some of the Step team headed to C3 Church in Cambridge for the Global Leadership Summit – a day very packed, but with inspiration, fresh thinking and practical ideas about leadership.

With eight incredible speakers crammed into eight hours, there was plenty to reflect on! The sessions covered a fascinating range of topics: from friendship, likeability, happiness and teaching meaning, through to leading through uncertainty and building a team that no one wants to leave.

But one of the best things about the day was being there together. Our group included Step staff, a brand-new member of the team, a volunteer, a trustee and two teachers from a local school. There is something particularly valuable about learning alongside the people you work with – sharing ideas, seizing opportunities to share your thinking and discovering new ways to grow together.

There were plenty of memorable moments and thought-provoking ideas. A few highlights have stayed with me:

- Sausage rolls and plenty of pick & mix at break times
- Stay parties, rather than leaving parties
- Seeking boredom invites the meaning of life to find you. A reminder that we don’t always need to fill every moment
- Don’t predict the future – prepare for it. In a world of uncertainty and change, leadership is about being ready to respond to whatever comes next
- Spot patterns and create even better ones.

I came away with so much to think about, discuss and put into practice. Some ideas will need time to percolate; others have already sparked conversations about how we work together and how we can continue to develop as a team.

For Step, investing in leadership isn’t simply about developing individual skills. It’s about building a healthy community where staff, volunteers and young people, are all growing and seeing hope and meaning in their lives.

I left inspired, encouraged and full of hope for the future of Step. And looking forward to discovering what happens when we put some of these ideas into practice!