John Workman
Senior Partner, BPE Solicitors

LEAD™ has reaffirmed my belief of what leadership is and given me greater confidence in leading. I realise that I can let go more for others to step forward and take responsibility.

Sarah Bryars
CEO, Target PR

It's amazing. There are so many opportunities to pick things up from peers, masterclass speakers, coaches, shadowing, and more. It is all very practical and you can implement new tools and techniques immediately. Much of what I've learned I've been able to bring directly into the office, share with the board, and involve the whole team. Together we are re-appraising our business; we're challenging assumptions that have developed through habit, and the team is responding with enthusiasm. We're more ambitious and more focused than I can ever recall.

Ben Walker
Chief Commercial Officer, think project UK

Several key decisions and strategies come to mind when looking back at our approximate 50% annual growth over the past couple of years. All of them positively influenced and in many cases instigated, by LEAD™. I can’t speak highly enough of the quality, pace and structure to the QuoLux™ programs. They comprise a unique blend of peer support, expert led masterclasses and coaching, all with a practical emphasis. This has delivered a transformational experience for our leadership and in turn our company. This stuff cannot be learned in a few days. LEAD™ is challenging, personal and enlightening; a must for any CxO. I wasn’t sure I could commit the time, I now know I couldn’t have afforded not to.

George Smith
Managing Director, Walford Timber

Since finishing LEAD™ we have gone from having no marketing plan at all to now having absolute clarity of which markets we are targeting and exactly how we are targeting and accessing those markets. For the first time we have clear medium and long term strategies for profitable growth.

Louise Williams
Managing Director, GRASAC

I was not sure of what to expect as all my previous learning has been academic. The breadth of knowledge taken first hand from the masterclasses and fellow delegates is something you don’t get anywhere else. A dynamic, whole systems change approach to leadership!

Anthony Marshall
Production Director, Leeways Packaging Services

LEAD™ has given me the tools to be able to grow into the leader that my business needs me to be.

Phil Vickery MBE DL
Director, Raging Bull

I’ve enjoyed listening and learning from others and have taken comfort from knowing that other people face similar issues and challenges. LEAD™ makes you analyse yourself and I now deeply, critically reflect more.

Robert Whiteley
Development Engineer, Oxford Plastics

I have learnt that leadership is a skill that can be learned and needs to be practised, the same as any other discipline. My cohort peers are an inspiration and helped me to develop myself.

Julia Russell
Director, Bowland Stone

Since starting LEAD™ my confidence as a leader has grown, developed and now exists at a level I never expected and was not expected by others within our company! I wasn’t expecting to come away with a completely different perspective and attitude towards leadership, and my belief in myself. LEAD™ has been life changing!

Andrew Gardner
Technical Director, Galebreaker

The changes that I and others have seen in me both personally and in the business are testament to the effectiveness of LEAD™. Some long standing personal characteristics that I have previously unsuccessfully tried to address in a more traditional course format have finally been improved upon.

Alec Golesworthy
Managing Director, Timberpride

It's lonely running a business sometimes not knowing where to turn to or even admitting the need for help. LEAD™ addresses all of this and gives an insight into how to engage people more effectively and get more out of your teams by projecting yourself more positively.

Judi Bonham
Managing Director, WSP Solicitors

Shadowing and Exchanges are the mirror money cannot buy. The insights provide realisation that you can then do something about.

Mark Powles
Managing Director, RRA Architects

It takes a minimum of seven years of study to qualify as an architect, none of this includes how to run a business. Being on LEAD™ gave me a toolkit to use in both day to day management and business planning strategy. I would thoroughly recommend it to any SME director or senior management.

Kirstin Hawkins
Financial Director, Creed Foodservice

This is the real business stuff we need to know about which you don’t get from a traditional MBA. LEAD™ is a thoroughly enjoyable course, with great Masterclasses and a fabulous cohort of fellow business leaders.

Lewis Sweet
Managing Director, Sweet Construct

I found the LEAD™ program a great experience which gave me the roadmap and tools to improve myself and my business. I have applied knowledge gained to real world situations. I have improved my whole team by using recognition throughout the company. I would recommend the course to any SME senior business leader.

Jessica Fairhurst
Managing Director, Premiere Healthcare

The way I approach challenges and opportunities has changed. I am supporting the team towards achieving their full potential which is paying dividends.

Ruth Cook
Managing Director, GWP Group

LEAD™ has been invaluable to me being able to work through and resolve difficult people issues with like-minded peers. Also, many of my peers’ problems are my problems, so learning from them on what they have done, or will do, has helped me enormously.

Tony Cook
Regional Manager, Snape Contracting

I have learned how to have the difficult conversations with the poor performers and manage people accordingly.

Lee Gillman
Commercial Directors, D.A.D. Domestic Appliance Distributors

From one Masterclass, I learned about profit mix, went back, analysed our portfolio, re-prioritised our sales strategy and actions which immediately led to our most profitable sales month ever.

Nick Woodrow
think project

This program has exceeded my expectations I didn’t realise how much I didn’t know about business, motivating people and about myself….thought provoking! LEAD™ has made me more effective, successful and made me enjoy my work. It’s been a pleasure being on the course - Stewart, Jo and Rachael have been fantastic hosts, facilitators and mentors. Thank you.

Dave Funnell
Managing Director, Stewart Golf

LEAD™ is a program designed to help business owner/managers become more aware of the solutions to grow and improve their business to become more successful. LEAD™ has helped us take our business to the next level and I believe it would do the same for any business.

Craig Peterson
CEO, Future Advanced Manufacture

I needed to take risks and LEAD™ gave me the tools to double the size of my business a year ahead of schedule.

George Herbert
Managing Director, Hobbs House Bakery

We, the directors, had been busy managing, not directing. During a particularly transitional time – taking over the reins as MD from my father, and guiding my brother into the role of Sales Director – LEAD™ has given me new insight, supported my knowledge, confirmed some of my reservations but also provided essential reassurance. I feel like it has given me those stepping stones to see us on our journey. It has equipped me to drive through change in the bakery to make it a lasting success.

Antonia Shield
Managing Partner, BPE Solicitors

So much growth and inevitable change meant the culture needed to be communicated, talked about and that “feeling” distilled - working and delivering to our clients in our culture is a key differentiator with our competitors, and within the legal services sector generally.

Naomi Howells
Managing Director, Class People

In a family business, when you live and breathe it, it can be difficult to step back. LEAD™ gave me the opportunity to step out and challenge myself, and to see that problems were not unique to me.

Don Robins
Managing Director, Printwaste Recycling & Shredding

For me, the driving force for doing LEAD™ was to make sure I secured the next stages of growth by developing my middle management and leading them. I got more out of the programme than this alone.

George Workman
Managing Director, Cotteswold Dairy

I have found LEAD™ extremely worthwhile and value for money – my only regret is that I did not enrol on the course when invited several years earlier.

Henry Herbert
Sales Director, Hobbs House Bakery

LEAD™ has challenged my understanding of leadership and helped me realise the importance of the role I have to play in my business. I feel much more equipped to make my business better and improve conditions for my employees.

Lynis Bassett
CEO, Class People

The changes that I and others have seen in me both personally and in the business are testament to the effectiveness of LEAD™. Some long standing personal characteristics that I have previously unsuccessfully tried to address in a more traditional course format have finally been improved upon.

Emma Griffiths
CEO, Gloucestershire Counselling Service

You think you know business and yourself within the business, but you really don’t. What are you hiding from? This program will take you to depths of understanding and expertise you couldn’t have imagined were comfortably possible to achieve.

Andrew Bendall
Managing Director, Grail Engineering

As a result of LEAD™, I gained the confidence to make structural changes to the organisation. I wouldn’t have done that before.

Peter Mardon
Commercial Director, WSP Solicitors

Previously I was doing too much for people and they were narrowing their job role and I was stunting their development. I have stepped back, given them confidence and trust. That has improved their performance.

Neil Humphries
Sales Director, Green Gourmet

I am far more confident especially in dealing with difficult situations. At Board level, I ask more open questions and I obtain the Board’s thoughts and ideas.

Kevin Peberdy
COO, Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT)

LEAD™ starts as a huge reality check, challenging you and making you look at parts of you and your company that you may not want to look into. But that’s the whole point. As you build that conscious self-awareness you also learn that you can manage change in yourself as well as your business, and there are others in the same boat who can help.

Andrew Snape
Managing Director, Snape Contracting

I now have an understanding of where to go and how to get there, knowing where I am. I can now give tasks to others that I couldn't before. LEAD™ is enlightening, allowing me to change to lead my company.

Kevin Pope
Managing Director, Protrack Solutions

We could not believe the amount of things that became blatantly obvious that needed changing within the company, but this is only visible as a result of the program.

Tim Westwell
Managing Director, Pukka Herbs

I found coaching to be invaluable and it provided an opportunity to devote time to really drill down into a problem and unlock the solutions. The coach simply ensures that this information is unlocked from within you by asking the right questions and ensuring that sufficient focus is given to the problem to allow an effective solution to come to light.

 

Jo Bewley
Partner, BPE Solicitors

I find I am applying my learning from LEAD™ most days. From being more aware of the impact of my behaviour on the team to the approach regarding discussions to be had, coaching has improved this by me being able to create a situation where team members are thinking for themselves rather than me just giving an answer, and they have the confidence to step in and take control of situations.

Zac Miles
Business Development Manager, Forge Motorsport

Having the opportunity to sit in on Masterclasses lead by influential professionals, work in Action Learning Sets with business men and women in the same situation as me, and having one to one coaching sessions has had a profound effect on me. My positivity and drive both personally and for the business have massively increased as a direct result from joining LEAD™. It has been one of the best things to ever happen to Forge as it has sent us down the path of consistent improvement.

Mark Snape
Managing Director, Centaur Homes

LEAD™ has invoked in me a sense of urgency and purpose that I really hadn’t experienced before. It has enhanced my appreciation of the business that I manage and has opened my eyes to the differences between good and great. LEAD™ as a process has set me on a path that I would never have envisaged starting on but has become a guiding set of principles that I wouldn’t be without.