Boss versus leader - our event last night
Written on the 15th June 2016.
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” - John Quincy Adams
Last night we held our annual networking event on “Boss versus leader – does it have to be one or the other? The topic roused thought provoking debate as we explored the different traits of a boss and a leader, whether there is a right time to be autocratic and the benefits of gaining a working rhythm with your people.
The Juniper Co. was delighted to be joined by a guest panel of professionals from diverse business backgrounds: Kate Cooper, Head of Research & Policy at the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM), Archie Harwood, Business Development Director at Harwoods Ltd. Claire Zamutto, Senior Manager at KPMG, Michiel Lely, VP EMEA at Verint-Systems. Guests attending the event were encouraged to contribute to the discussion and ask questions of the panel to tap into their experience surrounding the topic.
It was particularly interesting to hear about the importance of building strong working relationships with the people around you to leverage on talent and how having confidence in your teams’ ability will reduce the need for an autocratic approach.
The discussion continued over drinks and canapes when guests shared their own experiences of managing and leading, providing a great opportunity to un-cover some winning formulas to possibly inspire a change in approach from today!
A quick poll of our guests highlighted a variety of opinions on the biggest challenges faced by leaders in 2016:
- Having confidence during setbacks
- Sharing their vision with a focus on the future
- Leading change
We ended the evening focusing on what managers of the future will need to know, do and be to ensure success. In an ever changing workplace, managers of the future will need to be agile and adaptive but also reliable and solid leaders.
Juniper would like say a huge “thank you” to the panellists and the PWN for sharing their experience and supporting the event. We would also like to extend our thanks to those who joined us and made the evening a success.
We’d love to hear your views on what the biggest challenges you face as a manager or leader. What do you do to ensure your approach is right? How do you engage and inspire your people to work towards that common goal? Please get in touch.
If this topic has really got you thinking, and you would like to continue the discussion we would be delighted to welcome you on our next Juniper Berries Webinar on Thursday 30th June. To sign up for free, click here.