Women in areas of east Lancashire are also prone to develop their first life-limiting, long-term condition before the age of 50, leading to them withdrawing from work and having a poor quality of life.
Adrian told the audience: “The whole picture is evolving but we are increasingly understanding why physical activity and why mental health are important to businesses.
“We need to turn the dial on this issue for Lancashire which has been there for 20 years.
“If we don’t get this right the division between what is happening here and what is happening in the south east is going to grow.
“We have a responsibility to drive a positive future for Lancashire by increasingly focusing on the health and wellbeing of our working age population.”
The conference was delivered by Lancashire Business View in association with Business Health Matters.
Delegates came from across Lancashire and the North West and included business leaders, health and wellbeing experts and organisations and professional services supporting the sector.
Key speakers included Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, Lancashire’s public health director, and Hamish Hamilton, who runs advisory groups for chief executives and key leaders in the North West.
The conference heard of the efforts being made by Lancashire businesses and organisations actively working to improve the health and wellbeing of their staff and the support that is available from organisations based in the county.
There was also a special appearance by East Lancashire Hospital Trust therapy dog Alfie and the cutting-edge work of innovative Lancashire start- up businesses in the health sector was put in the spotlight.
The event was also supported by exhibitor partner IoT Horizon.
LEADERSHIP UNDER PRESSURE
Two high profile figures from Lancashire’s public and private sectors came together to explore what each can learn from the other and to examine the nature of leadership under pressure.
Hamish Hamilton, who chairs executive coaching group Vistage and runs private advisory groups for chief executives, shared the platform with Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, Lancashire’s director of public health, who became a familiar face during the pandemic.
Both spoke of the response of leaders during lockdowns and the lessons learned in those high-pressure times. They also stressed the human side of leadership, and the fact our leaders face their own personal challenges.
Hamish said: “I see chief executives in my groups. They appear almost superhuman with the business they have done, but it is actually human beings walking through the door.”
He added: “The change towards creativity in the pandemic was phenomenal. I’m a massive fan of the power of the great question. People were firing questions and we were all in it together. There was this sense of responsibility, we’ve got to get our people through this.
“Immediately when lockdown was called, everyone was in survival mode, it created a common purpose, everyone had clarity. Then I started to see a divergence in response.
Dr Sakthi Karunanithi
Hamish said the pandemic also “reinforced the power of vulnerability” and added: “Personal challenges are the most challenging, not the business. People think they have all the answers, and they don’t.
“The other thing I learned was keep calm, don’t panic. Stress is a verb, we do it to ourselves. Also, you hear the phrase, ‘we are a people business’. Well, treat them right then.”
Dr Sakthi told delegates: “Health is our wealth” and looking after people at work was not just about the bottom line.
“There were those that said, ‘Right we have secured survival, how are we going to come out of this even better than before?’ The growth mindset was huge there. They were constantly seeking new ways to improve and be creative. Those that had a fixed mindset were slower to come out of this.”
He said: “When it comes to looking after our staff and our communities, it is about doing it together. Words lead to different worlds and there can be better worlds if we all talk to each other.
“There is probably a misconception that the private sector is all about the bottom line and money making and the public sector is all about service. That has changed over the last two or three decades. They have a lot more in common than their differences suggest.
“Finding your inner self helps, whether you are in the private or public sector. What is your calling, why are you doing what you are doing? What is your purpose?
“There is a realisation that we need to be kind, we need to be more open and accept that just because we are in leadership roles doesn’t mean we know all the answers.
“Conscious, compassionate leadership is really important, not just for yourself and the organisation, but for the overall health of the place.
“In Lancashire most of our businesses are small and medium-sized enterprises, rooted in their communities. It is not just about business, it is about community.
“We should start thinking, can we start owning responsibility for the places that we operate in? As a group of businesses in a town, how can we support that? It’s about a sense of common purpose.”
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