Toast falls butter side up
There are a number of helpful things in life that people don’t necessarily think to tell you; dropped toast will always land butter side down, two children is not less work than one and getting the job title of Director doesn’t automatically bestow any greater knowledge than you had before the promotion to those lofty heights. The problem is that the people working for you suddenly expect you to have all the answers, and it’s all too easy to pretend that you’ve got them rather than lose face and admit that Directors need to keep learning as well. So all of a sudden you’re in the dangerous situation of being one of the key team leaders, setting the pace for the organisation, they’re all looking to you for guidance……and it takes a brave Director to constructively criticise themselves and realise that they’re lacking in some areas. But if we want our organisations to develop and we want our people to have a great role model to follow, there’s no better way than by having a learning culture that is driven from the very top.
I’m constantly amazed at the number of people who are Directors and completely unaware of the obligations that they assume when they are appointed as a legal Director. It’s all too easy to be so absorbed in the detail of our businesses that we forget that we are supposed to be out in front, mapping a future path for the organisation. I’ve been a Director for 15 years now and I’ve seen all sorts of Directors; the good, the bad and the downright criminal! I’m a great believer in the benefits of professional development and I originally started the Chartered Director course so that I could ensure that my skills were being kept up-to-date. The combination of being tutored by people with relevant experience, practical application to your business and networking with like-minded individuals really appealed to me and the course certainly didn’t disappoint on those fronts. I also found an added benefit in that it gave me space for some “me” time away from the business and my young family. I found that I was reinvigorated and began approaching problems from a different perspective. My course group was very stimulating and we kept in touch after the exams – I still call some of them to discuss things now. It also gave me an insight into the University of Exeter, our co-ordinator Ann Cullum, was great and we were invited to lots of development events.
Ultimately, partly as a result of the course I decided to start my own business, and together with another new Mum we set out writing business plans for people. We quickly realised that being a trained Director was a great help to the businesses that we worked with so we changed our business model and we now provide non-executive and part-time Director services to a number of businesses, along with development plans, coaching and training. Being a Chartered Director gives me the confidence that I know what being a Director is all about, and it helps me through challenging conversations when I need to persuade someone who has been running their business for a long time that they still have something to learn! I’ve also become a leadership affiliate of the University of Exeter so that I can continue on the skills development path. That’s the great thing about the Chartered Director course, it reminds you that there is so much more out there and that your company’s competitive advantage is firmly based in your openness to learn and share knowledge with others.
Emma Warren FCMA, MBA, C Dir | Managing Director | Portfolio Directors Ltd | www.portfoliodirectors.com
