Karen Schofield, keynote speaker & trainer

“Managers do things right, leaders do the right thing.”

One of the great things about being back in Manchester is attending alumni events which were a little too far away for me in Singapore! I spent an amazing evening last week at a talk by fellow University of Salford alumni Martin Hewitt. If his name sounds familiar, you might know him from the programme ‘Harry’s Arctic Heroes’ which followed Martin’s journey captaining a team of severely-injured Afghan veterans to complete the first unsupported trek by wounded soldiers to the North Pole.

Martin’s military career was cut short after being shot in chest while serving in the parachute regiment, resulting in the loss of mobility in his right arm. He’s since had to adapt in many aspects of his life, from learning to write with his non-dominant hand, to changing careers.

Since leaving the military, he’s competed in Paralympic ski events and set up the Adaptive Grand Slam which pushes disabled people to their limits, including climbing Everest. That’s no mean feat for most of us; I can’t even imagine how much of a challenge this is without the use of all of your limbs.

It was a hugely inspirational tale of adaptability, resilience, and the importance of good leadership. My key takeaways:

• Getting through adversity takes time, resilience and determination. Key to making progress is redefining your past, using your existing skills in new areas, and looking for opportunities, not obstacles.
• If there are things you’re scared of, progressively increase your exposure to them to overcome them. Unbelievably Martin was scared of heights, which was part of what drove him to enter the parachute corps – to conquer his fear!

And specifically in terms of leadership:

• Leadership is about responsibility. Always set a positive example to others, especially when pushing boundaries, and role model what ‘good’ looks like.
• Work with people who share your vision, and manifest this vision in your behaviour and attitudes.
• Play to people’s strengths to maximise their involvement and the team’s efficiency, and know what motivates each person so you can be flexible in your approach to each of them.
• Provide opportunities for your team, and set them up for success – and failure – through preparation.
• And finally, maintain a sense of humour at all times. You’ll need it!

If you get a chance to hear Martin talk, I highly recommend it. And big thanks for Salford University’s alumni team for organising the event. Looking forward to the next one.

#resilience #adaptability #leadership #salforduniversity #universityofsalford #alumni #publicspeaking #martinhewitt