EVENTS


WATCH THE 2018 VIDEO FOR


HIGHLIGHTS


where there isn’t one requires a very different sort of leadership. You won’t have the same kind of targets and people can struggle with that,” added Ms Hancock.


What it means to be truly agile Alluding to the overarching theme of agility


for the festival, she went on, “What does it mean to be more agile? What does it mean to accept failure, to be proud of failure, to create an environment where people can take risks? “Inevitably, in a new market, culture or country you’re not going to get it right first time. Sometimes people who come from more traditional companies where they only do what’s safe might not be able to serve you in a new market. A great part of the leadership development is encouraging people to flex their leadership portfolio skills.” The wealth of material in Shakespeare’s plays provides a rich


I loved that it was in context


and talked about the wider world of HR, economy and not the usual take on business travel.


resource with timeless examples of leadership challenges that are as relevant now as they were in the 16th Century. As Ms Hancock explained, “The metaphor that we work with is characters on a stage. If you think of your leadership as being like a play - there are different characters on the stage. Some of them are centre stage, the qualities of leadership you’re most comfortable with, the ones that you’re most practiced in and the ones that people value you for.” But she pointed out, in a new environment you may need to


step back from them. Ms Hancock’s captivating delivery of the stories that weave through Shakespeare’s The Tempest, had the audience enthralled. A high impact injection of creativity had the room buzzing. Simon Rogers, managing partner at TMS speaking about the


Olivier Mythodrama keynote said, “I loved that it was in context and talked about the wider world of HR, economy and not the usual take on business travel.” He added, “It was clear other business leaders needed to be there from finance, talent and learning and development.” Mr Rogers explained it was the first conference he had been


to in the global mobility sector at a more strategic level. “I have never seen anyone achieve an event at such a high level before – congratulations, do it again.” Author, HR and international consultant Dr Linda Holbeche,


expertly teased out the transformational leadership themes in a facilitated discussion that led into her presentation on developing and leading agility. Dr Holbeche, author of The Agile Organisation, explained that


organisations are going to have to become more agile if they are to survive. She added that organisations needed to be more proactive and seek opportunities while at the same time doing their best to mitigate risk and that they needed to ask if they were able to translate an idea into action quickly. Dr Holbeche said, “If the focus becomes more and more on the


short-term, how can one stand back and get the whole picture? How can we reflect when we are so busy? It is difficult to make decisions in a timely way.


“That is why organisations need


to be agile, but at the same time develop resilience. If you do make decisions, you will also make mistakes,” she emphasised.


Why communication matters The key is to create a workplace


Agility video


culture which enables people to experiment. There needs to be a two-way communication valuing people at all levels in the organisation. That type of environment is not usually found in organisations with a “command and control” structure, and part of the process is about putting out new products so you can get feedback before they are finished. She cited the example of ING bank, which had taken the template


used by the music streaming service Spotify and had built teams known as “squads” to flexibly work on short-term projects. “Digital takes no prisoners,” she warned. “It has even crept into the most highly skilled professions – medicine, law and accountancy.” Another example was the US shoe retailer Zappos, which waits


up to six months to get the right staff to work in their call centre. Unlike most call centres, it is a job that employees love to do, because they have been empowered to “bring delight to customers”. “The obstacles are not out there, they are inside,” Dr Holbeche explained. “People don’t want to give up what they have. It affects the


way people are rewarded. If you are rewarded for compliance, why would you think innovation? If you are rewarded as an individual, why would you think in terms of a team? If you want people to work in new ways and be accountable, they have to trust you. Your communication has to be real and truthful and you have to take people on the journey.” Coverage continues p49.


Have your say!


What topics would you like to see covered in the next festival? As we make preparations for next year’s event, we’d love to hear your views on what you would like to see discussed in 2019.


Get in touch, email us at editorial@relocatemagazine.com


Recommended reading for global mobility professionals


Visit www.koganpage.com to save 20% with code MOBILITY20


relocateglobal.com | 23


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68